After fifteen years at 329 South Main, Alan Freedman took Four Directions in a new direction at the end of March—one block north, to 211 South Main. The move’s been in the works for a couple of years, ever since Freedman...
Read MoreAn eviction notice on the door of Earl of Sandwich, on State Street, pretty much explained everything, but former employee Andrew Schaeferle, on site cleaning up, rounded out the picture. He began with the two words on...
Read MoreI’d heard so much buzz about Beezy’s that I was surprised to find so little flash to this Ypsi cafe. But maybe that’s the point—Bee Mayhew has created something simple and real, with a lot of...
Read MoreTom and Cindy Hollander, who already own Hollander’s paper goods emporium on the first floor of Kerrytown’s Godfrey Building, and Hollander’s School of Book & Paper Arts in the basement below it, are...
Read MoreAfter last winter, it’s hard to believe there will be long, sultry nights when we will yearn for an ice cream. But if you can’t wait for a double-dip mint-chip or a length of chocolate-almond bark, Kilwin’s on...
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Palm Palace Restaurants Inc. bought out Charlie’s Mediterranean Cuisine—formerly Charlie’s La Shish, formerly La Shish—last fall. “La Shish had a pretty strong following,” says Palm Palace spokesperson...
Read MoreTwo-year-old Café Japon, the French-Japanese fusion bakery café on Liberty, now serves breakfast seven days a week. Like the rest of the menu, it’s an ideal counterpoint of East and West: on the one side, French omelets,...
Read More“It has just been a walk-through of hugs and well-wishes,” says Doreen Collins, of the final days of Dream On Futon. Collins and her husband, John, planned to close Dream On at the end of March.The Collinses have...
Read More“I’m not closing because we’re not doing business,” says Tios owner Tim Seaver. “I’m closing because the city’s decided a parking lot’s worth more than nineteen jobs.” Seaver...
Read MoreIf you’re looking for sweet, TCBY-style yogurt, you won’t find it at Yogo Bliss Frozen Yogurt & Gelato Bar. “This is going to be a more of a tart yogurt, so it’ll have more of a real yogurt...
Read More“You’re not seeing what we call ‘tire kickers,'” says Ann Arbor Automotive president Doug Fox. But though the window-shoppers are staying home, Fox says, Ann Arbor’s high levels of education and...
Read MoreInexpensive restaurants beckon powerfully in hard times. But fast food isn’t as cheap as it looks, once you add the ultimate price exacted by sugar, fat, and carbs. Middle Eastern food, with its emphasis on wholesome...
Read MoreHockey players can work up an appetite. So can ice skaters after a long afternoon or evening of lessons.The Arctic Coliseum plans to feed them, as well as their parents, friends, and others, at a new restaurant that offers views...
Read MoreThe curtain’s come down on Shade of the Olive, the eclectic home decor shop that combined Tina Walther’s olive oil business with partner Kate Harrison’s handmade lampshades, hand-painted furniture, and other...
Read MoreWith the lease up at her storefront on Adrian Street, Sew Write owner Nancy Bihlmeyer took what she calls a “leap of faith” and moved her thirteen-year-old business to the more heavily traveled M-52 north of...
Read MoreSaline’s new Beanstalks Play Cafe combines a playground, a coffeehouse, and a bookstore. A refuge for families looking for something to do with their children, rain or shine, it’s in the sanctuary of the old...
Read MoreCarolyn McNagny didn’t intend to name her new store Bumble’s Dry Goods—until she found out there were seventeen Bumblebees already in Michigan. She didn’t set out to focus on American-made crafts, either. Her...
Read MoreAfter two years, Smarty Pants new and used children’s clothing store still hadn’t turned a profit. But that’s not why Shannon Lewis closed it. Her husband Lee lost his job and found a new one in Texas, so she...
Read MoreJamie Westcott grew up in a poor family in Chelsea. She remembers the day in high school that she discovered thrift shops. “My friends and I drove to Value World in Ypsi looking for stuff for Halloween,” says...
Read MoreA few weeks before he opened, Jim Saborio hosted a coffee cupping (the caffeinated analog to a wine tasting) in Comet Coffee, his tiny new shop in Nickels Arcade. The half dozen or so people who attended were all hip to the...
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