A friend was eager to tag along for a trip to Ross Dress for Less, which opened March 9 in the Oak Valley Centre plaza anchored by Target.
In the fifteen minutes it took me to track down and talk with supervisory staff, she bought three blouses (including a Calvin Klein) and two dog toys for $44.
It seemed to her that the new location carried more upscale brands than Ross stores in less affluent communities, a perception borne out by Evelyn Sivrais, an area supervisor who lives in Ann Arbor, having emigrated from Colombia three years ago. “We have the better brands, like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Coach,” she says. “Not a lot of stores get them.”
After training a few months in Jackson, Sivrais appreciates the company’s focus on cultural sensitivity. “We have a lot of Hispanic people, Asian people, and our associates approach that in the right way,” she notes. “Anyone belongs here. We will never get mad at the customer for any reason. We try to coach the associates on them. Not that the customer is always right, but the customer deserves to feel safe.”
The spacious Oak Valley location, one of 1,775 in the California-based chain, was previously an OfficeMax. All seven checkout lanes were in use on opening day, and Sivrais reports that a line began forming outside at 7 a.m., two hours before it opened.
Rather than stocking a consistent inventory, the discount retailer shops opportunistically for deals on quality clothing, shoes, accessories, and housewares, so what’s on the shelves varies from week to week.
“It’s a lot of seemingly random things, so you gotta sift through and find the treasures. You’ll find some deals. They’re cheap,” says assistant manager Jake Berry. “Find the gold nuggets, right?”
Ross Dress for Less, 2777 Oak Valley (Oak Valley Centre). (734) 622–0372. Sun.–Thurs. 9:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 9 a.m.–10:30 p.m. rossstores.com
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Having secured his liquor license and a new head chef from South Korea, Min Kyu Kim has rebranded ORAM, the downtown restaurant he bought and resurrected late last year (Marketplace Changes, January). The contemporary dining room and cocktail lounge has officially opened as Azalea.
The spring-blooming shrub befits the basement space beneath the Blue LLama Jazz Club on S. Main, Kim believes, “because it’s like a flower sprouting from the roots of the ground. It does have a kind of Asian imagery as well.”
He’s hoping updated signage and outdoor dining will generate better visibility around his traditionally inspired small plates and sushi, a more elegant concept to complement his regional chain of Kimchi Box eateries.
Azalea, 312 S. Main. (734) 222–0202. Tues.–Sun. 5 p.m.–10 p.m. Closed Mon.
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BYOC Co. will close at the end of April, when its lease expires in a downstairs space in the historic Zwerdling-Darling block on E. Liberty across from the post office. But owner Emily Hess says she’s accepted an offer to sell her two stores (the other is in Plymouth), and the as-yet-unidentified successor is pursuing options for a more accessible Ann Arbor–area location.
BYOC sells bulk cleaning supplies and personal care products to customers who bring their own containers. “Just the fact that we got interest in carrying on the mission to begin with was really uplifting. I’m so grateful that it will live beyond my departure,” says the Chelsea native, who used savings from her career as a child actress to launch the venture after graduating from U-M with a sociology degree in 2020.
According to her calculations, shared on social media posts, BYOC customers have diverted more than 50,000 plastic containers from the waste stream. Now engaged to be married, Hess plans to help with the transition and then take some time off.
After that, “I’m just hoping to just take everything that I’ve learned and bottle that up and move it into another direction,” she says. “I would love to continue to work in sustainability, hopefully on an even more macro scale.”
BYOC Co., 255 E. Liberty. (734) 709–4222. Tues.–Thurs. 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed Mon. byocco.com
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A Little Caesars Pizza franchise opened in March in the Meijer out-lot at Zeeb and Jackson Rd. A phone call revealed only that employees are instructed not to speak to the media. When the Observer asked for the name of the franchise owner, the call was disconnected.
Little Caesars Pizza, 5609 Jackson Rd. (734) 544–5855. Daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m. littlecaesars.com/en-us/store/20755
Closings
Detroit Cookie Company has closed after three years at 609 E. William. Their Grand Rapids store also closed in November. Owner Lauren Roumayah writes that “we loved our time in Ann Arbor,” but family is an increasing focus since welcoming a new baby in March. Her creative selection of baked sweets, including vegan and gluten-free varieties, remains available at their shops in Ferndale and St. Clair Shores and online at detroitcookieco.com.