Main Street Shuffle

In April, The Mission Marketplace, a nonprofit fair-trade store that sells handcrafted items from developing nations, lost its lease after nearly five years on Main Street. Glee Cake Patisserie will move into its spot this summer, offering French and European-style desserts. Mission Marketplace’s Kevin Frahm says he’d negotiated a short-term lease with the landlord at reduced rent knowing the space would be marketed to other tenants.

“In this economy I didn’t think they’d find someone, but they did,” Frahm says. “There’s no ‘bad guy’ in this scenario; it’s just a perfect storm of events. The landlord deserves to receive fair market value.” In early June, the Mission Marketplace signed a new lease at 115 W. Middle St., and hopes to open there June 16.

Husband-and-wife business partners Glee and Steven Havens of Munith, who plan to open Glee Cake Patisserie in September, say they’ve been looking for a location to showcase Glee’s desserts, and Chelsea’s Main Street is a great fit. For more than fifteen years, Glee—a professionally trained pastry chef—has provided special-order wedding and celebration cakes to area residents. Steven, an engineer, will be president of the business.

“We’ll be a dessert shop—no breakfast pastries or doughnuts,” Glee says. Mousse cakes, flourless tortes, cheesecakes, Napoleons, and mini French pastries will be some of the bakery’s offerings. All cakes can be ordered whole or by the slice. “Customers will be able to enjoy a dessert in our seating area with a cup of coffee or tea,” says Glee, who expects half her business to be retail, half wholesale (she’s hoping to make connections with area caterers).

Next door, in Chelsea Gallery’s former space, the three Back to the Roots business partners say they hope to open their fair-trade clothing store and café in June after a long delay. Jason Povlich, who owns Jet’s Pizza in Chelsea, and partners Jason Bendinelli and Caleb Lange originally planned to open last November. Povlich says the opening was delayed because of his purchase of two additional Jet’s franchises in Toledo and the partners’ decision to add sushi to the café’s menu.

The renovated space will feature fair-trade clothing, accessories in the front, and a café in the back, with a sushi chef and a barista serving organic “pour-over” coffee. Panini and wrap sandwiches and organic loose-leaf teas and herbs will also be available. The café will seat up to forty-five, and will include a “lounge area” with couches and a small stage for live acoustic music. Lange hopes the café will “create another late-night option for downtown.” The partners want to add a wine bar in the future.

Although it will be a for-profit store, the partners plan to donate at least 25 percent of their profits to Asha House, an orphanage in India housing forty children, that Lange co-founded.

The Mission Marketplace, 115 W. Middle, Mon.–Thurs. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (Thurs. till 9 p.m. for Sounds & Sights), Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun. noon–5 p.m. 475–7604. Plans to open at new location on June 16.

Back to the Roots, 115 S. Main. Plans to open in June.

Main St. Bagel Shop, which shared a building with Twister’s Ice Cream, closed at the end of May. The Computer Source planned to open June 8 in the 600-square-foot space. Computer Source owner Loveesh Thatai, whose main business is in Grass Lake, says Chelsea is a great town for a satellite location because many of his customers are from the area. He’ll offer “total IT solutions” to individuals and small-to medium-size businesses from set-up to troubleshooting. A selection of computers and laptops will be in store, but he says he can order any products as needed. Mike Spadafore, who owns Twister’s and owned Main St. Bagel Shop, couldn’t be reached for comment as the Community Observer went to press.

The Computer Source, 901 S. Main St., 433–1700. Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–2 p.m., closed Sun.

Russell Cellular, a Verizon Wireless Premium Retailer, opened in the Clocktower Commons, next door to the Chelsea Teddy Bear Company, at the end of March. District manager Lonnie Mather says the full-service store is popular with families and businesspeople alike. “We have people who walk over during their lunch hour, and I think they appreciate the convenience of its being downtown,” says Mather.

Russell Cellular, 350 N. Main, 475–7530. Mon.– Fri. 9 a.m.–8 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Closed Sun.