It’s worth embracing the old adage “the road to success is always under construction.” Michiganders take it literally, knowing that with the last frost and the promise of spring come construction projects both big and small. One of the big ones recently began in downtown Saline: from now until the end of the year, MDOT will transform Michigan Ave. from Maple to the Saline River bridge, not just repaving but replacing century-old water pipes and adding an array of welcome features like additional turn lanes, boulevard islands, street lighting, and landscaping.
All this will eventually make downtown strolling, shopping, and dining a lot more pedestrian friendly. “It’ll be great when it’s done” is the chorus sung by one shop owner after another. In the meantime, downtown Saline’s tight-knit group of business owners are banding together to weather months of traffic snarls, hoping that by offering incentives they can mitigate potential doldrums.
“We don’t expect it to be our best year, but we’re staying optimistic. Gotta get through the dirt before it blossoms,” says Joy Ely with a smile. She is an interior designer and owns Pineapple House at the corner of Michigan and Ann Arbor St., so she’s got one of the best ground views of the construction. This fall will mark her thirty-third year in business. “I plan on having lots of sales to celebrate,” says Ely.
“We’ll be as creative as we know how to be,” echoes Karen Hodgson, owner of Cobblestone Rose on Ann Arbor, a block away. “I might extend evening hours,” Hodgson says when asked for other ways she plans to cope with the road construction.
Jamie Westcott, owner of The Resale Boutique on Michigan, is excited at the prospect of new sidewalk lighting outside her shop. Like Ely, she remains optimistic. “I always look at the positive,” says Westcott. She will use possible downtime to develop her online shop, something she’s had on the back burner.
All three shop owners and many more are part of a joint project developed by the Saline Chamber of Commerce and Saline Main Street, a group of volunteers, local business owners, and patrons dedicated to revitalizing the downtown area.
On an April afternoon, Riley Hollenbaugh, Saline Main Street’s executive director, is fielding calls, walk-ins, and last-minute details for a raffle, part of the Pave It Forward campaign, a partnership between Saline Main Street, the City of Saline, and the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce. The raffle is pitched as a way for local business owners to say thank you to customers who shop in Saline during the months of construction.
“The theme is ‘shop local, shop often, and win big,'” explains Hollenbaugh, sitting down at the small round conference table in the Saline Main Street office, next door to Smoke BBQ.
When Smoke co-owner Jeff Tritten stops in, the two talk about how Saline’s old buildings will weather vibrations caused by major road construction. After Tritten leaves, Hollenbaugh explains that folks can go to the City of Saline website for answers to frequently asked questions, like what happens if MDOT contractors cause damage during repairs. The answer? The contractors would be responsible.
The Pave It Forward raffle is already under way. Customers who shop in Saline save their receipts, and for every $10 spent at participating local businesses they get one ticket that they can enter into a monthly drawing. Prizes range from $250 most months to a $500 prize in August and a December grand prize drawing worth $1,000. For a list of participating businesses and rules, like the fact that receipts must be redeemed for tickets by the first Wednesday of each month, go to visitsaline.com.For a bird’s-eye view of the road project in real time, check out the City of Saline website (cityofsaline.org) and click on the live downtown webcam provided by Mangiamo Italian Grill.