In mid-August, Lisa Roberts closed Bed & Butter at 333 S. Main and moved some of its home goods and gifts to her original store, Rock Paper Scissors, at 216 S. Main.
Roberts expected Bed & Butter to reach a different set of customers from Rock Paper Scissors–when she opened in 2014, she saw the 200 block as drawing more locals, the 300 block more out-of-towners. But “over time, always listening to customers,” she realized that both stores were serving the same clientele.
The upside is that Bed & Butter helped her to “identify product lines that Ann Arbor customers were excited about.” When the opportunity came to enlarge Rock Paper Scissors, she says, “it seemed obvious to consolidate the two stores.” The expanded inventory now includes items for the home, gifts, stationery, and custom printing.
Rock Paper Scissors, 216 S. Main, 531-6264. Sun.-Tues. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Wed.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. rockpaperscissorsshop.com
—
Within a few weeks, a new shop opened at the former Bed & Butter location. Bo, named after legendary U-M coach Bo Schembechler, had a soft opening on September 1, just in time for the first home football weekend. The store’s logo is Schembechler’s signature.
Bo is a subsidiary of Underground Printing, which has four stores in Ann Arbor (three under its own name, plus Moe Sport Shops) and branches in sixteen other college towns. But Bo, says co-owner Ryan Gregg, is “unique, a continuation of a five-six year partnership with the Schembechler family.” Over that time, Underground Printing has “worked closely with [widow] Cathy Schembechler, carrying a few Bo Schembechler items” in their existing stores and online. When the space on Main St. became available, Gregg and partner Rishi Narayan were eager to open a stand-alone Bo store.
In addition to U-M-branded items, the store carries a large inventory of apparel, sports images, novelties, and gifts licensed by the Schembechler family. Along with his name, image, and signature, Gregg says, they’re distinguished by Bo’s trademark phrases: “The Team, The Team, The Team” and “Those who stay will be champions.”
They also plan to sell “Bo memorabilia, items that were actually owned by Bo or his family members.” The vintage photos on the walls are not for sale, though–according to Gregg, they’re “there to start a conversation about Bo, his biography, and a lot of things represented by Bo, such as the grit and greatness of the old days.” Some customers have already recognized themselves in the photos, and their stories are being collected for publication on the Bo website.
Bo, 333 S. Main, 272-4441. Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Open till 11 p.m. Fri. & Sat. on home football weekends. bo.team
