Home Store owner Cathy Swan has opened a new home accessories store with partner Laura Telesco just a few doors down Main Street in the former Dexter Card Shop. The elegant-sounding name, Nichols and Stafford, combines Telesco’s maiden name and Swan’s mother’s maiden name, respectively.
Swan, fifty-nine, says that while the Home Store is more of an interior design experience—”I help people with whatever they need to do at their home”—the new shop sells smaller decorative accent pieces. “Everything is new except some vintage reclaimed tin ceiling tiles,” explains Telesco, forty-one. The tiles have been turned into striking pieces of wall art. The store also sells lamps, wall decor, and smaller accent furniture like end tables and buffets.
Unlike her partner, Telesco has no prior retail experience. “I was a stay-at-home mom for thirteen years, and before that I taught kindergarten,” she says. The new store appealed to her, she says, because “I just have a love for decorating.”
They had to do quite a bit of remodeling, hauling out all the card shop’s shelving and its orange carpet, then refinishing the hardwood floors underneath. But they hesitated to take down the Peg-Board that covered one wall, for fear the plaster might come off with it. In a moment of inspiration, they covered the Peg-Board with burlap fabric, which gives that wall a country feel that complements the country decor they sell.
The two women met seven years ago when Telesco’s oldest child and Swan’s youngest were in second grade together. They’ve been friends ever since. When the space became available, Telesco says, “we said, ‘let’s do something.'” Despite the economy, she says, “people always want to feather their nest.”
Nichols and Stafford, 8106 Main. 253–2494. Tues.–Fri. 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Closed Sun. & Mon. nicholsandstafford.com
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Bart Aniolczyk’s training as a chef began early. His mom, Krystyna Aniolczyk, owned Polish restaurant Amadeus in Ann Arbor for two decades, and “I just kind of picked up on it,” he laughs. He used to cook for friends at parties, and after enough of those friends told him he should open a restaurant, he decided maybe they were right.
That’s how Aniolczyk, thirty-six, came to open Jake’s Place in the old Hazel’s Home Cooking space on Main in September. Denise Livingston launched Hazel’s two years ago but decided last summer she wanted to retire and sold the place to Aniolczyk. He’s kept her takeout concept but changed the name and totally revamped the menu. he used his middle name, Jake, in part, he says, because people associate the name Bart with the Simpsons and he didn’t want that. Aniolczyk describes his menu as half Central European and half American. The overseas part includes pierogies, goulash, chicken paprikash, schnitzel from a recipe that dates back to the 1800s, and traditional Polish soups.
He’s putting in a little seating, but he expects the bulk of his business will always be carryout. He’s the sole employee. And he’s single. “I’m doing ten different things right now,” he laughs. As regards marriage, he says, “Who has time? I’m putting in eighteen-hour days. I don’t sleep.”
Jake’s Place, 8050 Main. 426–3663. Tues.–Fri. 11:30 a.m–7 p.m., Sat. noon– 5 p.m. Closed Sun. oldfashioncooking.net
