Being Black in a Small Town
When Dwight Brown and Karen Thomas-Brown needed to relocate from Farmington Hills to be closer to...
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Chelsea
Restoring a Community Icon
Ray Maturo became interested in historic architecture during high school at Cranbrook Academy in...
Read MoreFrom Sauk Trail to Maple Village
Jeff Tapp and Melissa Miller opened X-Golf Ann Arbor in Saline a couple years ago in the Commons at Sauk Trail, but a sign taped to its door reads: “Closed for summer … Moving to Ann Arbor this fall.” “We...
Read MoreRoll Your Own
At the end of July, a giant “Coming Soon” banner hung outside Suite F of the State Street Crossing strip mall announcing new tenant Wild Bill’s Tobacco, a family-owned business that opened its first location in...
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Lisa Robert’s Busy Summer
The News Arts & Antiques in downtown Saline has closed, but not necessarily for good. Its...
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Dexter Loses Its Pharmacy
After more than forty years in business, the Dexter Pharmacy closed its doors abruptly in late August. “The Dexter Pharmacy family is hurting and would appreciate your compassion and understanding,” owner Marni...
Read MoreBooBooz and PupSudz
Handmade soap and skin care business FarmSudz opened last summer in the alleyway near the Common Grill. Customers enter the basement shop through a green door and follow the scents of cherry almond, Kentucky bourbon,...
Read MoreThe Find Opens on Chelsea’s Middle St.
MaryAnne Thomas opened her resale shop, The Find, this summer in the former Chelsea Eyeglass spot on W. Middle St. The eclectic inventory–from clothes for all ages to jewelry, trinkets, and home decor–is displayed...
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Farewell to Seitz’s
Seitz’s fans took to social media to mourn the closing of the 103-year-old downtown tavern...
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The Rising Toll
“It’s horrific, horrific,” says Chelsea schools superintendent Julie Helber of...
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Saline’s 5th Corner
Peter Rufener was just describing the demographic “sweet spot” for Saline’s 5th...
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The Making of Palmer Commons
John C. Maxwell said, “Be stubborn about the vision, but flexible with your plan.”...
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Printers Combine
John Edwards calls Sheridan MI of Chelsea “the melting pot of the Michigan book...
Read MoreSaline Main Street Take’s Perry’s Spot
Things took a little longer than expected, but as the Community Observer went to press, the nonprofit civic organization Saline Main Street was on track to move into the former Perry’s Tuxedos Plus. “We have to bring...
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Yes, It’s an Express Stop.
In May, the faded sign along Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. still read Lodi Food Mart. “This is an...
Read MoreEd’s Bread Closes
“I think this might be the first Sunday in twenty-three years that I haven’t gotten up at midnight to start baking bread,” says Thom Byrd. He and his wife, Sandy Niethammer, owners of Ed’s Bread since...
Read MoreCulture Creations Replaces Global Marketplace
Laura Scriven is moving from South Korea to Chelsea and will open Culture Creations this summer in Global Marketplace’s former space on Main St. She says the gift shop will feature “imports with a conscience.”...
Read MoreA Canine Food Truck in Chelsea
The Brown Basset dog bakery, which opened last summer, closed its brick-and-mortar location in April, but owners Staci and John Tripolsky will launch a mobile version of the business in late June. “We realized...
Read MoreErratic Ale Looks for a Fall Opening
Home brewers Brian and Deb Schroeder are hoping to open their “nanobrewery,” Erratic Ale Co., this fall. The couple was originally planning on a late summer opening but, says Brian, “we just had some zoning...
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Old Building, New Mission
The first floor of Chelsea’s long-vacant Mack Building will be reborn this summer as...
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