The new Super Wal-Mart in Saline hasn’t broken ground yet, but behind the site at State Road and Michigan Avenue the State Street Crossings strip mall has spaces to lease. Its first tenants include a hair salon, a nail salon, and Wings-Pizza-N-Things, a franchise eatery.
“This is Maria’s project,” explains Oscar Cotero. “Once our youngest was in school, Maria was ready to own a business. And if she does well, God bless her.” He winks at her. “I still have my day job!” (He works in computer technology for Visteon.)
The Coteros, who have lived in Saline since 2001, are co-owners. Maria has been a stay-at-home mom for the past few years, raising their four children, now ages seven to seventeen. But she’s no stranger to the food and restaurant industry: she worked at restaurants in California owned by three of her sisters.
“I liked the concept” of the Dallas-based franchise, explains Maria. “Everything is fresh. Nothing is frozen. And we’ll be making our own pizza dough in the kitchen.” The menu includes ten flavors of chicken wings plus a wide variety of sandwiches, wraps, and salads—and pizza from the Coteros’ high-speed TurboChef pizza oven.
The 2,800-square-foot restaurant seats 110 people with room for an additional fifty in an outdoor seating area. It has a full bar and several HD TVs for sports broadcasts. Two screens will also have wireless remotes; customers can buy time and play either Xbox or PS3 games. The place will also have a digital jukebox that lets customers purchase tunes once and then play them as often as they like.
“We want families to come and have a good time,” says Maria. “We’re already sponsoring a softball team. I’ll be decorating with sports photos—pictures of Saline teams and University of Michigan teams.” She smiles and adds, “I’m ready for this.”
Wings-Pizza-N-Things, 6877 State Road, suite D (State Street Crossings), Saline, 429–7700. Mon.–Thurs. 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.–midnight, Sun. 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m.
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Cadence Cycle, Saline’s high-end road shop specializing in triathlete equipment, apparel, and accessories, started out on West Michigan Avenue in the fall of 2006, moved to 107 East Michigan Avenue last spring, and now is expanding into space next door vacated by the Curiosity Gallery. In the process, the shop has grown from 500 to 3,100 square feet.
Jon Sherman, who owns the shop with Angel Amador, says they need the space to display their expanded inventory, especially higher-end family bikes. The market for triathlete items is growing, too. “More athletes are competing in races here and all over the state and the country,” Sherman says. Cadence Cycle sponsors a fifty-person triathlete team, Cadence Multisport. Team members range in age from seventeen to sixty-nine, and some compete professionally.
“Cycling is something you can do at any age,” says Sherman, who practices what he preaches. He lives in Tecumseh and cycles the twenty-eight-mile round trip commute each day.
Cadence Cycle, 105 East Michigan, Saline, 429–3700. Mon., Wed., & Fri.
10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Tues. & Thurs. 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed Sun.
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Can downtown Saline support two bike shops within as many blocks? Ken Powell says yes. In April he opened Town-n-Country Bikes around the corner from Cadence Cycle’s new location. While Cadence specializes in high-end bikes and triathlete equipment, Town-n-Country has many less expensive bicycles too—plus paintball and skateboarding items.
Town-n-Country sells Raleigh, Diamondback, KHS, Fuji, and Specialized bikes. Powell also offers a selection of tandems and recumbent bikes, but his best-sellers are BMX dirt bikes. The top of the line is the Haro BMX, whose special handlebar feature allows riders to spin full circle. “If you’re riding a Haro, you’re riding a Cadillac,” Powell tells some customers buying for their thirteen-year-old son. It’s also the brand that gets stolen the most, he warns.
Town-n-Country is taking over the space that used to be the home of the Imperial Bike Shop and most recently housed Emmett’s, a restaurant that lasted only a year. Attempts to reach Emmett’s owner Kathy Bachman were unsuccessful.
Town-n-Country Bikes, 98 North Ann Arbor Street, Saline, 944–1500. Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
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Cindy Partridge, owner of the Curiosity Gallery consignment shop, is closing her doors. The shop opened fifteen years ago, and Partridge has owned it for the past four. “I’ve seen the economy slowly going down each year, but I have to close because I have bills to pay,” she says. She wanted to sell the store but could not find a buyer. Instead, she plans to take a break and learn more about online sales, auctions, and other way to increase sales. “I’ve learned that in order to keep doing this, I’ll have to diversify, plus I’d really like to own my own building,” says Partridge. She hopes to be ready to sell online in the fall.
