Downtown, Campus Town & Depot Town Ypsilanti in the news
Amtrak back in Depot Town? Ypsilanti officials to consider request
By Tom Perkins
1/29/2011
The question was posed by an audience member at the Michigan By Rail's forum Dec. 9 at Washtenaw Community College: Why doesn't the Amtrak train stop in Ypsilanti?
After the meeting, Derrick James, Amtrak's senior director of government affairs for the Midwest, approached Ypsilanti Mayor Paul Schreiber and told him the first step was for the city simply to ask...
Read the rest of the article in AnnArbor.com
Ypsilanti DDA awards $30K in renovation grants for downtown businesses, more planned
By Tanya Muzumdar
1/28/2011
The historic buildings in downtown Ypsilanti are putting their best faces forward through the receipt of a new round of December grants from the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority (DDA)...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Yspi DDA Promotions Committee begins planning for next year
Winter event, Valentines Day, Halloween pub crawl discussed
By David Gomez
12/15/2009
The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority’s Promotions Committee met Friday to discuss the ways it could promote a positive attitude toward the downtown area.
The meeting began with Linda French taking the helm as the DDA’s Promotions Committee Chair after a nomination from committee member Bob Barnes.
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Citizen
Rumors of Cafe Luwak closing put to rest
Owner on the lookout for a business partner to share the load
By Tom Perkins
12/09/2009
The good news is Café Luwak owner Jim Karnopp officially put to rest the rumor that he is shuttering Depot Town’s best stop for a latte and a sandwich.
The bad news is Karnopp is exhausted from five years of working 80 to 100 hours, and no longer desires only having off two days per year, as has been the case in 2009. More...
Ypsilanti businesses encourage shoppers to buy local
Stalight Spree, other events promote area commerce
By David Gomez
11/30/2009
The Downtown Association of Ypsilanti and several Ypsilanti businesses are getting together to offer late night shopping and holiday festivities to local shoppers this week.
The Ypsilanti Starlight Shopping Spree happens Friday and Saturday with holiday festivities going on during the shopping hours...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Citizen
Oh, those summer nights: Ypsilanti's Depot Town Cruise captures spirit of the season
By Tracy Davis
06/19/09
It might have been any sweet summer evening 40-odd years ago, as Capri-clad pedestrians wandered the cobblestone boulevard of Depot Town, taking in the finest fruits of Detroit's glory days.
A glittering ruby-red '66 Plymouth Satellite. A 1960 Chevy Impala, ivory with black detailing. A pearly pink 1960 Cadillac, all Rubenesque 225 inches and 4,805 pounds of her. A screaming yellow 1956 Belair, a 1930 purple and white Ford Model A...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
WhereToFindCare.com Chooses Washtenaw County as Headquarters
YPSILANTI, MI - The fast-growing Internet start-up WhereToFindCare.com, LLC has chosen downtown Ypsilanti as its national headquarters. It will be housed in the business incubator SPARK East, run by Ann Arbor SPARK...
Read the rest of the article in emailwire.com
Cruising in Depot Town
By Christine Laughren
6/22/09
When they took over Depot Town Cruise Nights 13 years ago only a handful of classic cars came each week to the small event held in the parking lot behind Aubree’s.
Now, Linda French and Mickey Ichesco say they have to turn cars away when they pull up to park on Cross Street in Depot Town. It was no different Thursday at the first Depot Town Cruise Night of the season...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Citizen
Pitching leads Sliders to win over Kalamazoo
By Josh Curmi
06/18/09
The Ypsilanti Sliders won the final game of a three game series against the division leading Kalamazoo Kings Wednesday night. James Albury (2-1) led the way, pitching 7 2-3 of scoreless baseball, allowing just one hit and striking out ten...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Residents come together for neighborhood park
By Dan DuChene
06/19/09
Ypsilanti residents have been coming together to beautify Prospect Park.
Last weekend residents from several surrounding neighborhood associations helped work on the park’s Luna Lake Native Plants Restoration Project.
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Oh, those summer nights: Ypsilanti's Depot Town Cruise captures spirit of the season
By Tracy Davis
06/19/09
It might have been any sweet summer evening 40-odd years ago, as Capri-clad pedestrians wandered the cobblestone boulevard of Depot Town, taking in the finest fruits of Detroit's glory days...
Read the rest of the article in Mlive
Memorial Day in Ypsilanti
By Dan DuChene
5/26/09
This Memorial Day weekend had the Ypsilanti community buzzing with activity, culminating with the annual Memorial Day Ceremony and Procession Monday Morning.
The parafe started at 9 a.m. on the Huron Street and moved through downtown to Cross Street, where it moved east throughDepot Town and north down River Street to the Highland Cemetary...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Crossroads organizers raise money for festival
By Charnika Jett
5/14/09
While some people headed home after their work day came to a close Tuesday afternoon, others made their way over to Haab’s restaurant to put their money where their mouth is, literally.
Supporters of the Crossroads Music Festival donated funds to benefit the festival and in exchange got to taste several different wines from Arbor Beverage and filled up on hot and cold appetizers...
Read the rest of the article The Ypsilanti Citizen
Pre-Seed Capital Fund hits three Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti businesses
By John Zemke
5/20/09
Three new businesses in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area are about to get by with a little help from their new friend - Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund.
White Pine Systems, OcuSciences and RealKidz (all Ann Arbor SPARK-sponsored start-ups) received between $142,000 and $250,000 in seed money. Ann Arbor SPARK administers this money...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti solar site goes live, city hall panels next in line
By John Zemke
5/20/09
Ypsilanti's grassroots group of solar-power activists have their solar-tracking website up and running, and are now getting ready to have the solar panels on City Hall go live within the next month.
The website measures how much electricity is generated from local solar panels, such as the panels atop the Ypsilanti Food Co-op. Right now it's only measuring the Co-op's production but two other solar panel groups are also in line to be included. A solar panel meter for all of Ypsilanti will eventually be added...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate.
Pride and Joy: Residents beautify area in annual event
By Christine Laughren
5/21/09
The rain held out as hundreds of Ypsilanti residents took to the streets for the annual Ypsi PRIDE day.
More than 500 community members came out for the event, according to initial estimates.
"I was really pleased with the event," said Jane Carr, co-chair of the Ypsi PRIDE committee...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
EMU takes home award for historic preservation
Federal clean-up money targets Ypsilanti's Water Street property
By Jon Zemke
5/13/09
The buildings on Ypsilanti's Water Street property are about to come down now that the city has scored $600,000 in federal grants for demolition and environmental remediation.
The city is combining those three grants with a $250,000 of county money to raze the mishmash of residential and commercial buildings left on the 38-acre property. Demolition is expected to begin this summer and be done before the leaves turn colorful...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
VAL-IT teaches IT, moves into Ypsilanti's SPARK East
By Jon Zemke
5/13/09
Many IT start-ups begin with the idea of providing superior service to small and medium-sized businesses. Not so with VAL-IT.
The Ypsilanti-based firm specializing in teaching IT skills first and foremost, and is targeting the big boys of the business world – like corporations, university student bodies and major industrial clients. The idea is that IT is such a fast-growing sector, someone has to train the people for all of those new knowledge-based economy jobs...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Train platform set for west side of tracks
West side provides ease of access to Rice St. parking lot
By Christine Laughren
05/14/09
After months of discussion and input from organizations and boards in the city, Ypsilanti City Council voted to place a train platform on the west side of the tracks in Depot Town.
Council voted unanimously at its May 7 meeting for the west side, which would facilitate riders boarding and exiting the train at the Rice Street parking lot near the Ypsilanti Freighthouse...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
LaVision anchors its office in Ypsilanti's new SPARK East
By Jon Zemke
5/06/09
The anchor tenant for Ann Arbor SPARK's East business incubator, LaVision, isn't new to the area or to business, but it's found a good home there, amongst a gaggle of start-ups.
LaVision is a subsidiary of a European parent company that provides laser-imaging systems for advanced manufacturing systems. It leased space in the Key Bank building in Ypsilanti for about a decade before moving to SPARK East's new digs on Michigan Avenue next to Bombadills Cafe in downtown...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti's SPARK East to show off new digs this Friday
By Jon Zemke
5/06/09
The doors of Ann Arbor SPARK's East incubator have been open for a few months, but now the public can come on in and have a looksee this Friday afternoon.
Anyone and everyone is invited to drop in at the new economy business incubator in downtown Ypsilanti between 1:30 and 8 p.m. Ann Arbor SPARK employees will be showing off the new, edgy digs in the restored Mack & Mack building with tour and a press conference...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Eastern Leaders sets sights on micro loans, land bank
By Jon Zemke
5/06/09
The Eastern Leaders Group has some lofty ambitions for Washtenaw County, but they all seem attainable when looking at their 33 page plan.
The group is made up of local leaders from the public, private and university community dedicated toward improving the eastern half of the county. The idea is to harness their collective power and influence to make these improvements, such as building on Eastern Michigan University's reputation and resources...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
How much more walkable can Depot Town be?
By Jon Zemke
5/07/09
Ypsilanti's Depot Town is far from the picture of new urbanism, but one of the many things the historic business district has going for it is walkability.
Most of its commercial storefronts are still intact and filled with an eclectic variety of businesses. It is closely connected to local parks and neighborhoods. Its streets have low speed limits and don't serve as major arteries in the region, like Huron Street in downtown Ann Arbor. Depot Town even scores in the high 80s out of 100 when it comes to its Walk Score...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Nonprofit grows revenue and mission through social enterprises
By Dan Meisler
4/29/09
Growing Hope, the Ypsilanti nonprofit dedicated to bringing organic food and gardening to a larger audience, is finding that making money and pursuing its mission are not incompatible.
Selling goods and services such as organic herbs or kits for building raised garden beds are accounting for an increasing portion of the group's budget, said executive director Amanda Edmonds...
Read the rest of the article in The Michigan Business Review
Home sweet home for Depot Town Tattoo
By Christine Laughren
05/11/09
When most people buy a house they throw a party. But Ypsilanti’s Daniel William Peron got a tattoo.
“I’m getting home sweet home written across my chest,” Peron, said with a smile before the needle started.
Peron, also known as Corner Brewery’s dannyboy, chose Depot Town Tattoo Parlour for his first custom tattoo Friday evening. The tattoo celebrates the purchase of his new house on Hemphill, just a few blocks from Depot Town...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Mongolian grill in Downtown Ypsi ready for customers
By Dan DuChene
5/09/09
With anticipation mounting during the past weeks, the Mongolian barbeque restaurant in downtown Ypsilanti is open for business.
The 40 staff members at J. Neil’s Mongolian Grille have been training for four weeks, creating a stir as the public have been walking past the Kresge Building’s windows to see food cooked on the circular cast iron grill...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
SPARK East welcomes community
By Christine Laughren
5/08/09
Ann Arbor SPARK, in collaboration with the Eastern Leaders Group and all Eastern Innovation Campus partners celebrated the debut of SPARK East at an open house today.
“I don’t think any of us could have envisioned what’s here today and the number of individuals that came to downtown Ypsilanti to be a part of this,” Washtenaw County Administrator Bob Guenzel said before the ribbon cutting this afternoon. “It has really been a huge success for Washtenaw County...”
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
“Obama Bucks” Boost Eastern Washtenaw
Ypsilanti wants commuter train boarding platform near Freighthouse
by John Mulcahy
5/08/09
The Ypsilanti City Council has decided to put the boarding platform for the planned Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter train on the west side of the tracks in Depot Town, close to the Freighthouse.
The precise location of the platform in relation to the Freighthouse remains undecided, and probably won't be finalized until the council sees a site plan from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Water Street project in Ypsilanti gets federal cleanup funding
5/08/09
The Water Street project in Ypsilanti will receive $600,000 in Environmental Protection Agency cleanup funds through the federal stimulus package.
The money will come from the EPA's Brownfields Program meant to clean up unused and polluted industrial sites...
Read the rest of the article in The Michigan Business Review
Council lands on west side of track
By Dan DuChene
5/08/09
Ypsilanti City Council unanimously approved a resolution that would place the anticipated rail stop in Depot Town on the west side of the tracks.
The resolution was approved Thursday night, after a public hearing. Two people addressed City Council before it reached its decision, Aubree’s owner Sandee French and Ypsilanti resident William Campbell...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Jimmy pokes fun at the top local news stories from Ypsilanti, Michigan.
4/06/09
Watch the video on NBC.com
Column "Home Front"
By Pat Grimes
05/07/09
Friends sent to LA on business called to complain about the heat. Suck it up, I told them; overnight temps at here are still flirting with the thirties. Such is the norm for Michigan's springtime: sleet, shivering temperatures, biting winds, and occasional sunshine. But though we Midwesterners are frequently jealous of more temperate climates, the Earth has finally rounded that corner when our neck of the woods is the one to be envied...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Hudson set the world abuzz in the 1920s
Time Machines
By Glen Woodcock
Operated by genial Jack Miller, the Ypsilanti Heritage Museum in Michigan is also the world's last Hudson dealership, even though the last car to wear a Hudson badge was built in 1957.
The old Miller Motors showroom and garages, just off I-94 west of Detroit, not only are packed with Hudson memorabilia but with many of the other cars built locally including the Chevy Corvair and the products of Kaiser-Frazer Corp. from nearby Willow Run...
Read the rest of the article in The Standard
City to vote on train platform
By Christine Laughren
4/27/09
The last group has deliberated on the train platform in Depot Town and City Council is poised to vote on the issue at its May 7 meeting.
The Depot Town Downtown Development Authority voted Thursday morning to have the commuter rail platform in Depot Town located to the west side of the tracks. The final vote was 3-2 with Linda French, David Wheeler and Mayor Paul Schreiber voting for the west side and Carolyn McKeever and Sandee French voting for the east side...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
My Business: Puffer Red's in downtown Ypsilanti
By Tina Reed
4/27/09
Puffer Red's in downtown Ypsilanti is much more than a clothing shop.
When it first opened nearly 30 years ago, the store was a place to find the latest gospel, R&B and jazz music albums.
Rap was just getting big back then. As the culture of urban music and fashion began blending and growing in the U.S., Puffer Red's became one of the first places to find both, say owners Eric and Tandra Williams...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Area companies win state small-business awards
By Nancy Kaffer
Dozens of Southeast Michigan companies are among those honored in this year's Michigan Celebrates Small Business Awards.
Detroit-based Silver Star Contracting L.L.C. was the recipient of the Government Contracting Award, made by the Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Centers of Michigan...
Read the rest of the article in The Crain Detroit Business
How walkable is Ypsilanti? Expert brought in to conduct audit
By Amanda Hamon
4/29/09
Peter Lagerwey led a group around the crosswalks near East Cross and North River streets in Ypsilanti Tuesday, stopping on the corners to discuss the area's pedestrian environment.
Lagerwey, a planning consultant from Seattle, was part of a walkability audit of that corner in Depot Town. He was joined by a group of 16 people from various Washtenaw County and Ypsilanti entities and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Barry LaRue Board chair, Riverside Arts Center Foundation
By Janet Miller
4/29/09
Barry LaRue may be the new chair of the Riverside Arts Center Board of Directors, but it's not going to his head. He also changes the center's light bulbs and is called when the plumbing backs up.
LaRue was one of a core group of Ypsilanti leaders who helped found the RAC, a performance, exhibit, studio, office and reception space arts and culture, in the old Masonic Temple on Huron Street. Despite official bylaws, the RAC has been flexible in how it handles the organization's leadership. In fact, LaRue is only the second board chair - Bill Kinley had filled the position since the center was founded in 1995...
Read the rest of the article in The Michigan Business Review
Salt City Antiques heads to Downtown Ypsi
4/14/09
By Christine Laughren
It’s all about survival for Salt City Antiques owner Carol McEachran. That’s why she is moving her business from Depot Town to Downtown Ypsilanti.
“Too many of my clients want me to stay in business and I’m not ready to retire,” McEachran said as she sat behind her counter cleaning glass dishes with Windex...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Ypsilanti Freighthouse cashes $500K check for repairs
4/15/09
By Jon Zemke
The money is really starting to roll into the Ypsilanti Freighthouse. The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse recently received a $500,000 check from the state to fund sufficient repairs to the building to allow it to reopen its doors.
That's on top of a $100,000 grant it recently received from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. And on top of the tens of thousands of dollars the friends group has raised for the cause locally. It all adds up to a second lease on life for the historic building in Depot Town.
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
David Mielke: Small business owners don't have to struggle alone
4/16/09
By David Mielke
Take advantage of these no-cost services available to help you:
• Ann Arbor SPARK offers programs and services designed to bolster enterprises of every size, at every phase, in every sector. Assistance includes one-on-one coaching, introduction to suppliers and prospects, market research, financial tools ranging from venture capital and angel networks to Small Business Administration loans and lines of credit, plus an Entrepreneur Boot Camp to kick-start business development. SPARK East just opened as the new innovation incubator in downtown Ypsilanti...
Read the rest of the article in The Michigan Business Review
Planning Commission weighs in on train platform
4/16/09
By Christine Laughren
The Ypsilanti Planning Commission approved language Wednesday evening recommending the commuter rail platform be placed on the west side of the tracks to facilitate commuters parking in the Rice Street lot.
In a 5-1 vote, with Daniel Lautenback dissenting, the commission approved the platform to be anywhere on the west side of the tracks between Cross Street and Forrest Avenue...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Ypsilanti freighthouse receives $500,000 in federal funds
4/09/09
By Christine Laughren
It’s been four years since the doors of the Ypsilanti freighthouse have been open to the public but thanks to a $500,000 federal grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act doors should be open again by October 2010.
Governor Jennifer Granholm is making a special trip to the city of Ypsilanti Friday to present the $500,000 check to the city and the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse, a group that has taken over the lease from the city since the facility was closed.
Sliders event kicks off long wait for Ypsilanti baseball
4/09/09
By Josh Curmi
The Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti hosted a meet and greet for all community members Wednesday, at Frenchie’s Restaurant in Depot Town. Community members were able to come and interact with team officials and players.
Team President Rob Hilliard was impressed with the turnout...,,
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
New pizza place offers GIANT PIES
4/17/09
By Michael Sanders
Then try Toarmina’s Pizza. Located on the corner of West Cross Street and Adams Street, the recently opened Toarmina’s takes pride in its two-foot diameter pizzas, as well as oven-baked pizza subs, various salads and its recently added hickory BBQ ribs.
The building itself was originally a Domino’s pizza. Owner Chuck Johnson opened the store on Good Friday, having transferred the store from Brighton. He opened his store in Brighton exactly one year from Wednesday...
Read the rest of the article in The Echo
Freighthouse awarded federal stimulus grant
4/16/09
By Christine Laughren
Facility expected to open by October 2010
It was a good Friday in Ypsilanti last week as Gov. Jennifer Granholm dropped off a $500,000 check for the Ypsilanti Freighthouse.
The Freighthouse, built in 1878, was closed for public use in 2004 due to severe structural and other hazardous and code-related issues. However, the northeast corner of the building was packed on the chilly Friday morning as Granholm presented funds from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funds will facilitate structural improvements to the foundation, floors, walls, pillars, roof and interior mechanical systems...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
The Artist and The Art: Amy Sacksteder
Artist Amy Sacksteder, 30, of Ypsilanti, works in her studio in Ypsilanti. Amy does mainly drawing and painting with some installation work. She has been seriously making art since she was 22 and teaches art at Eastern Michigan University. About her art she said, "I am making art about the intersection between design and nature..."
Read the rest of the article in Freep.com
MASTERMIND: Todd Osborn
4/8/2009
By Jennifer Eberbach
Blowing up in music did not compel Todd Osborn to blow town for the bright lights of New York, Berlin, London, nor any of music's other major epicenters. Believe it or not, the successful DJ and music producer prefers "the subconscious vibe of being in Ypsi," and the opportunities the area provides him to work and play his own way. You heard that right. Ypsilanti trumps urban heavyweights like Los Angeles and Paris.
It might be subconscious for Osborn, but speaking with him you get the sense that the "vibe" he's feeling is really about the personal relationships that he has with his community, his family, and the cats over at Ghostly - ever since he was a kid. And his self-aware approach to the business of making music has really paid off, allowing him to carve out an established career on Ghostly International's techno-oriented label Spectral Sound, as DJ Osborne, and his own label Rewind Records / Rephex under the name Soundmurderer...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti’s SPARK East incubator receives $250,000 in grant funding
4/8/09
By Jon Zemke
Ann Arbor SPARK's East incubator in Ypsilanti landed a little bit of green ($250,000) from the Michigan Strategic Fund.
The Strategic Fund's money comes from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the state. The money is supposed to help get the fledgling incubator off the ground...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti’s LookInTheAttic named 1 of Michigan’s 50 companies to watch
4/8/09
By Jon Zemke
It's not hard to find LookInTheAttic these days, especially now that the downtown Ypsilanti-based firm has been named one of the Edward Lowe Foundation's Michigan 50 Companies to Watch.
It's easy to see why when you look at the company's year-to-year growth. Steady success has allowed the eight-person firm to add one more person to its staff and open yet another position. It hopes to create yet another job later this year, as the company continues on its growth track...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Free advice: Priceless
How an advisory board can give your firm a leg up.
3/31/09
By Justin Martin
...Darryl Daniels, managing partner of Jacobsen/Daniels Associates, an airport-planning consultancy in Ypsilanti, Mich., turned to his board to fill gaps within his firm, which scopes out projects such as terminal overhauls. ..
Read the rest of the article in CNNMoney.com
Wireless Internet service now available in Ypsilanti's Riverside Park
3/30/09
By John Mulcahy
Wireless Internet service is now available in Ypsilanti's Riverside Park, the Depot Town Community Development Corp. and Wireless Ypsi announced Monday.
The free service is available to the public and connects existing wireless Internet service in Depot Town and downtown, a press release said...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Wireless Internet service now available in Ypsilanti's Riverside Park
03/30/09
By John Mulcahy
Wireless Internet service is now available in Ypsilanti's Riverside Park, the Depot Town Community Development Corp. and Wireless Ypsi announced Monday.
The free service is available to the public and connects existing wireless Internet service in Depot Town and downtown, a press release said...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
A special retrospective on the saving of Welch Hall
3/30/09
By Donald m. Schwarz
Imagine if, as you are strolling down the walking mall toward the southern edge of campus, that as you approach Starkweather there is only a grassy berm beyond it buffering the car traffic in the distance. Imagine Welch Hall is no longer there to provide a backdrop for the beauty of Starkweather’s distinctive architecture...
Read the rest of the article in The Echo
Program for fledgling companies receives grant
4/04/09
Bt Tina Reed
The Spark business incubator in downtown Ypsilanti has received a funding boost from the Michigan Strategic Fund board, it was announced Friday.
The board is giving a $250,000 grant in state funding for operating expenses at the incubator...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Celebrities gone, not forgotten
4/03/09
By Christine Laughren
The star trailers have rolled out with the semi-trucks and the floodlights are gone. But Ypsilanti still has Hollywood fever.
With the recent filming of “Betty Anne Waters” at Sidetrack Bar and Grill in Depot Town, residents are beginning to recap their star encounters...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
New street furniture arrives
3/26/09
By Christine Laughren
Benches, garbage cans and bike racks were installed along West Cross Street today and earlier this week.
The beautification effort was part of the Depot Town Downtown Development Authority’s “West Cross Organization.” The group partnered with Eastern Michigan University to create a cohesive look with several beautification efforts the university is doing in the area as well...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
City eyes Water Street finances
3/25/09
By Dan DuChene
With the staff in formal discussion with two developers, and two more in the works, City Council met to discuss the Water Street project Tuesday.
Joseph Fazio, an attorney from Miller Canfield representing the city in development negotiations, said, “I’m pleased to report that we’re making pretty good progress...”
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Ypsilanti City Council takes steps to move Water Street project ahead
3/25/09
By John Mulcahy
Ypsilanti plans to take a couple steps forward in developing its beleaguered Water Street property.
At a special City Council meeting Tuesday, members agreed to seek bids to demolish buildings on the site and take steps to get an infrastructure plan for sewers, other underground utilities and streets...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Cafe Luwak hosts benefit
3/26/09
On Saturday, Cafe Luwak, located in Depot Town, Ypsilanti, hosted a benefit to support local cyclists participating in the Make A Wish foundation WAM 300 bike ride.
The coffee tour began at 3 p.m. and ran until 6 p.m. Customers were able to try five different coffees from different parts of the world. The cost was $10 and all the proceeds went to the Make a Wish Foundation...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Ypsilanti Freighthouse looks at more renovations with grant money
3/26/09
Jon Zemke
The folks trying to save the Ypsilanti Freighthouse are ready to do the heavy lifting required to breathe new life into the historic structure in Depot Town.
The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation has given a $100,000 grant to the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freigthouse. That money will be spent on engineering and architectural drawings that will be used to collect bids for a full renovation project...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ann Arbor/ Detroit light rail to stop in Depot Town
3/23/09
By Alexandra Sondeen
Eastern Michigan students may soon be able to ride the rails in style to Detroit or Ann Arbor.
A proposed commuter rail line stop is being planned for Depot Town either in front of the old Freighthouse or from a parking lot across the street from the building...
Read the rest of the article in The Echo
A Haunting in Ypsi
Hosts of popular TV show perform at Pease
3/19/09
Hours before the doors opened die-hard fans of the Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters stood in line outside Eastern Michigan University's Pease Auditorium last Friday to see the show's hosts Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson.
Hawes and Wilson came to the area courtesy of the Ypsilanti District Library to present a little bit about their show and answer questions from the audience. The guys are plumbers, who work for Roto-Rooter by day, and hunt for ghosts with TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) at night...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
All In for Charity
New poker room benefits local non-profits
3/19/09
By Sotirios Adamopoulos
Whether full houses, straights, or royal flushes are involved, poker enthusiast Garrett Cooper enjoys dealing a helping hand to the community.
Cooper co-founded Coop's Charity Poker Room in downtown Ypsilanti at the corner of Pearl and Washington, with his brother Matt and Rob Oas. The building was a Buffalo Wild Wings bar and grill, which closed several years ago...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Area students win in business plan contest
3/19/09
A teen from Huron High School and a team from Bowling Green State University took top honors in the 2009 Midwestern Business Plan Competition that was held Feb. 13 as part of the Sesi Midwest Entrepreneurship Conference at Eastern Michigan University.
Huron High School made it two years straight as Guang Ye Ji of placed first for his "Sunergy" plan, pocketing $1000 plus $200 more for having the "Best Presentation. "Sunergy" is a green energy business designed to give its customers the medium to purchase and install green energy alternatives like solar panels and wind turbines. In 2008, Huron sophomore Eric McCabe placed first in the competition...
Read the rest of the artilce in The Ypsilanti Courier
Ethos lecture teaches supply-chain ethics
3/13/09
By Jordan Deker
Eastern Michigan College of Business held a presentation on Ethics in Supply Chain Management Wednesday.
The presentation, given by Whitehall Group Managing Partner Joe Bione, part of the College of Business’ Third Annual Ethos Week, defined the supply chain as the “network of suppliers, producers, transporters, distributors, and retailers who turn raw materials into finished goods and deliver them to the end consumer...”
Read the rest of the article in The Echo
Poetry slam winners announced
3/18/08
By Charnika Jett
Six teenage poets were chosen as the 2009 Ypsi Slam Team after competing in the Ypsilanti Area Youth Poetry Slam Friday.
Contestants Thad Daddy Cash, Emily Berry, Montez, Ebony, Moshii Moss and Cynthia “Sin City” Aguirre won a free trip to Chicago, where they will compete in a poetry competition hosted by Brave New Voices...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Depot Town could become a stop for new rail line
3/15/09
By John Mulcahy
Commuter rail passengers in Ypsilanti could board a proposed Ann Arbor-Detroit train in front of the Freighthouse in Depot Town or from a parking lot across the tracks from that landmark building.
In either spot, a boarding platform with some shelter would be built, but at least for now there likely will not be a new building, said Richard Murphy, city planner...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Water Street zoning approved
3/18/09
By Dan DuChene
In a split decision, Ypsilanti City Council voted to pass an ordinance to amend the zoning for Water Street Tuesday night.
Approved on its first reading, the ordinance establishes two types of zoning and aims for urban-style development, with commercial zoning along Michigan Avenue and residential inside the 38 acre site...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Citizen
‘Betty Anne Waters’ filming on Michigan Avenue
By Dan DuChene
3/17/09
Expect street closures on Michigan Avenue tomorrow as filming for “Betty Anne Waters” continues in Downtown Ypsilanti.
In an e-mail distributed by Deputy City Clerk Ed Golembiewski, Ann Arbor-based Innocence Productions announced the intention to film from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. between Huron and Washington streets...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
City Council approves rezoning on Water Street
3/20/09
By Adam Martin
The Ypsilanti City Council voted 4-2 Tuesday to approve an ordinance to rezone a parcel of land along Water Street, in an effort to entice developers to consider the site for the construction.
Under previous zoning laws, the 38-acre site was split into four separate zoning districts. The new plan consolidates the space into two new districts—a commercial redevelopment district running along the south side of Michigan Avenue, and a residential redevelopment district, which occupies most of the site’s border to the Huron River...
Read the rest of the article in The Echo
Ann Arbor's Tweet
3/18/09
By Terry Parris Jr.
John Roos uses his 140 characters – or less – to Twitter tweets from the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. Ed Vielmetti likes to tweet on the bus. Nancy Shore gets out commuting information for Ann Arbor via Twitter. Steve Pierce has Twitter feeds for WirelessYpsi and YpsiNews.com. Dave Askins Twitters when his bike gets a flat tire and when he has something to say – overtly, he says – from the Ann Arbor Chronicle. And David Bloom Twitters the Chelsea High School football games in the fall (Twitter play-by-play? Who would have thought?)...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
All aboard! Ypsilanti officials ponder where to put boarding platform for Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail
3/19/08
By John Mulcahy
Parking, traffic, safety and the effect on neighbors appear to be the biggest issues in where to put a boarding platform in Ypsilanti for the proposed Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail service.
Ypsilanti Planning Commission members discussed the issue Wednesday after getting an update on the rail project from Carmine Palombo, director of transportation projects for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Hollywood cameras roll as "Betty Anne Waters" filming moves to downtown Ypsilanti
3/18/09
By Eliyahu Gurfinkel
A crew gets ready for a shot on the set of the movie "Betty Anne Waters" on Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti on Wednesday morning...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
EMU MBA student healthcare research wins award
3/18/09
By Jon Zemke
Most students write papers so they can graduate but at least one Eastern Michigan University student is writing papers that win awards.
The Association for Marketing and Health Care Research honored EMU MBA student Jarrod Sandel for his paper on healthcare. The Ann Arbor native's paper, which he co-wrote with the head of EMU’s Marketing Department, deals mainly with providing healthcare at home and the role technology plays.
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Where to put the train station in Ypsilanti?
3/18/08
By Jon Zemke
Ypsilanti is gearing up to make a decision on a project that has enormous potential to improve the city’s prospects both short- and long-term.
City officials are trying to figure out which side of the tracks to put Ypsilanti’s stop on the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line. The city’s Planning Commission is holding a public meeting on that subject Thursday, along with explaining the potential impact this stop could have on economic development.
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti’s downtown scores low vacancy rate despite economy
3/18/09
Jon Zemke
Ypsilanti's downtown is enjoying a low vacancy rate these days, bad economy be damned. So much so that the downtown has half the vacancy rate of revered downtown neighbor Ann Arbor.
Ypsi's vacancy rate measures a reasonably healthy 7 percent so far this year. Tree Town's comes in at 14 percent while Depot Town's vacancies hit 11 percent - but is expected to dip below 10 percent within a few months...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Depot Town could become a stop for new rail line
By John Mulcahy
3/15/08
Commuter rail passengers in Ypsilanti could board a proposed Ann Arbor-Detroit train in front of the Freighthouse in Depot Town or from a parking lot across the tracks from that landmark building.
In either spot, a boarding platform with some shelter would be built, but at least for now there likely will not be a new building, said Richard Murphy, city planner...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Chili cook-off Annual challenge raises funds for charity
By Christine Laughren
3/12/09
The Ypsilanti community raised approximately $1,150 for SOS Community Services at this year's Depot Town Chili Challenge.
The event was from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday. For $5 participants had the opportunity to taste 10 different types of chili served up at five Depot Town locations...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Downtown boldly progressing despite economic slump
3/12/09
In spite of the national and local economy, Downtown Ypsilanti is stronger than it has been in decades and the outlook is very positive. With a vacancy rate far lower than surrounding downtowns and commercial centers, Downtown Ypsilanti is quietly but boldly making itself noticed as a vital economic engine and neighborhood for Washtenaw County and Southeast Michigan. Outstanding new businesses, such as Beezy's Cafe, Dreamland Theater, Thomas Blondi Salon, What is That Art Gallery, New World Bakery and Vivid Imaging Studio (to name just a few) opened last year, joining vital downtown anchors such as Haab's, Bombadill's, Congdon's Ace Hardware, The Rocket, Elbow Room, and Puffer Red's (again, to name just a few). Loft apartments continue to be added to renovated upper floors of downtown buildings. The new loft apartments are immediately leased creating a 0 percent vacancy rate for loft apartments over the past several years...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Young entrepreneur thriving in housing market
By Tom Perkins
3/12/09
While some are saying that we are facing an economic meltdown, others call it an opportunity.
Stewart Beal, the 25-year-old Eastern Michigan graduate who owns Beal Properties and Beal Inc., is one of the latter...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Fashion Show Coming to Downtown Ypsilanti
By Charnika Jett
3/9/09
If you left it up to Leslie Austin, local fashion designers won’t have to travel thousands of miles to get their designs showcased on a runway show ever again.
That’s why she’s created Dressed on Washington Street, a two-day community-driven event featuring four shows to be presented under a huge heated tent in downtown Ypsilanti...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Teen to Compete in poetry Slam Friday
By Charnika Jett
3/12/09
Talented teens will show off their best-written rhymes at the ninth annual Ypsilanti Area Youth Poetry Slam Friday at Eastern Michigan University's Business School Auditorium.
Poets age 13 to 19 will compete for a spot on the 2009 six-person Ypsi Slam Team and a free trip to Brave New Voices in Chicago.
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Depot Town serving up chili for local charity
By Dan DuChene
3/6/09
Ypsilanti residents looking for something to do this weekend shouldn’t have to look far, especially with the Chili Challenge taking place in Depot Town.
In its the third year, the event kicks off at 3 p.m. Saturday at Café Luwak, where participants get their $5 kits. From there, it’s off to the participating Depot Town merchants to taste and judge 10 different varieties of chili to find a winner...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Sci-Fi channel’s ‘Ghost Hunters’ to shiver spines at Pease Auditorium
By Karl S. Otto
3/11/09
Addressed as phantasm, specter, demon, poltergeist, spirit, ghoul or any other name; the theory behind the existence of ghosts has permeated our fascination with death since the dawn of mankind. Through various media, we constantly grapple with concepts of the afterlife in an attempt to answer the immortal question: What happens after we die?...
Read the rest of the article in The Echo
Ethos week comes to Eastern
By Michael Sanders
3/09/09
Eastern Michigan will be hosting events to promote ethics in the world of business this week.
Students on the Dean’s Board of Student Advisors have different events and special guest speakers planned each day, which will take place at the college of business.
Starting today, Paul W. Smith, host of radio’s News/Talk 760 WJR, will be broadcasting his show from 5:30 until 9am from EMU’s College of business. From 9-9:30, the annual unveiling and signing of the Ethos Banner will take place at the college of business on the second floor...
Read the rest of the article in The Echo
Spark incubator in Ypsilanti open, with 3 tenants on board
By Tina Reed
3/05/09
Three new startup companies are expected to move into Ann Arbor Spark's new business incubator in downtown Ypsilanti within the next two weeks.
The facility opened last week and will allow for about 15 to 20 startup companies, officials said...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Local merchants to compete to benefit SOS
By Christine Laughren
3/05/09
Local businesses in Ypsilanti are coming together again this year to participate in the 3rd Annual Chili Challenge from 3 to 6 p.m. this Saturday.
The Challenge, originally organized Shanon Gordon, former owner of Gordon's Five and Dime, was started to raise funds for the local non-profit, SOS Community Services...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
EMU speaker to talk about buyouts, entrepreneurship in Ypsilanti
By Jon Zemke
2/04/09
Eastern Michigan University has a few ideas about what locals can do with their buyout checks – start their own business.
The university's College of Business is hosting entrepreneur Robert J. Skandalaris on Friday morning for its "Breakfast with the Dean" series...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Hair and there
Out stylist wants to be a cut above the rest
By Chirs Azzopardi
3/05/09
A pair of scissors wrapped in swirls of hair is inked on Dwight Thomas' right arm. It's the tattoo he got on the same day he signed the lease for Thomas Blondi Salon, the 27-year-old's first hairdo-styling abode. Unhappy with his job at a strip-mall salon, he spotted the then-vacant dance studio in July and snatched it up on a whim. Intentions of buying a home were put on hold, and he poured his money and time (he carries "Small Business for Dummies" around - still) into launching the swanky salon that looks more New York City than Ypsilanti...
Read the rest of the article in Between The Lines
Border2Border
By Terry Parris Jr.
2/04/2009
It's a cold afternoon in Ypsilanti's snow-covered downtown. The Eastern Michigan students are out, wearing winter coats big enough to cover a hatchback. The cars on the road, covered in that dingy winter film of salt and dirty snow, are on a stop and go through the one-way streets of Depot Town. Meanwhile the Huron River's surface is at a standstill, frozen.
Yet, as if it is a spring day, there is someone out there running. Wearing black spandex pants, gloves, and a winter mask, making a turn from Huron to Jarvis along the county's designated Border-to-Border Trail, an ongoing project linking Ford and Portage lakes by a 35-mile non-motorized, multi-use path following the Huron River...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
MASTERMIND: Bee Mayhew
By Amy Whitesall
3/04/09
Bee Mayhew grew up pretty much everywhere, moving from tourist region to tourist region with her sister, brother and their mom, who tended bar in vacation towns in every corner of the country.
Born in Canada, Mayhew has lived in cities up and down the West Coast from Ridgefield Wash. to San Ysidro, Calif. She's lived near Orlando, Fla; in Portland, Maine; Petoskey, Mich. and Spencer, Iowa. This nomadic upbringing gave Mayhew three things for which the people of Ypsilanti can be extremely thankful...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
The Tap Room Annex reopens
By Jo Mthis
3/02/09
Music lovers will have a new venue to enjoy live music when the Tap Room Annex reopens in downtown Ypsilanti tonight.
The space had been closed for renovation since November of 2007, and will now feature live music five nights a week.
"It's realizing a dream my wife and I had more than four years ago to accommodate live music, an extra pool table, and food, all the while keeping the Tap Room aesthetics the same,'' said Brian Brickley, who owns the business with his wife Lisa. "It's still a great corner pub.''
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Motor City Rides
By Doug Coombe
2/18/09
When it comes to music and cars, Lightning Love gets much from little. Hyperbole aside, the Ypsi indie-pop trio's stage setup seems improbably minimal, given just how huge their choruses and hooks are; charming vocalist Leah Diehl plays a single compact keyboard, her brother Aaron rocks a stripped-down drum kit, and Ben Collins strums an equally unassuming guitar setup.
What's more, Leah earned a degree from the University of Michigan School of Music (she majored in French horn) and Ben's about to snag one there too (in Performing Arts Technology), so it stands to reason the three-piece has firm grasp on musical dynamics.
Read the rest of the article in Metro Times
Cooperative wireless plan grows in area
By Stefanie Murray
2/03/09
The now one-year-old Wireless Ypsi expanded its footprint into downtown Ann Arbor last week, with the addition of a wireless Internet access point at Eastern Accents on South Fourth Avenue.
The free high-speed wireless Internet system also has access points along Plymouth Road on Ann Arbor's north side and in Whitmore Lake, with plans to expand more in Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Township and along Jackson Avenue into Scio Township...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Tap Room's new room to open soon, after two years
By Dan DuChene
2/19/09
One of the anticipated developments downtown will soon come to fruition, as work on the Tap Room will finish up this week.
Once home to Fast Eddie’s Music Store, now located across Michigan Avenue, the area between the Tap Room and the Tap Room Annex is expected to open for business Monday...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
More Filming in Ypsilanti
By Dan DuChene
2/23/09
Ypsilanti will play home to another movie shoot next month.
On March 16, filming for the movie “Betty Anne Waters,” will carry over to Downtown Ypsilanti. Starring Hilary Swank, Minnie Driver and Sam Rockwell, the movie has already been filmed in Ann Arbor and Chelsea...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
East or West
By Christine Laughren
2/19/09
An initial discussion has begun in Depot Town regarding the placement of a platform for the light rail passenger train expected to stop in town starting in October of 2010.
The Depot Town Association started the discussion at its monthly meeting Wednesday night regarding the regional rail service in the Ann Arbor – Detroit corridor...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Riverside Arts' new elevator
By Christine Laughren
2/17/09
The Riverside Arts Center was packed Thursday evening as the community celebrated more than $600,000 in renovations and construction to the facility.
The RAC organized a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the renovation of the lobby and the installation of an elevator connecting the Center with the DTE Energy building...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Ypsilanti City Council OKs body-art zoning change
By John Mulcahy
2/04/09
The Ypsilanti City Council approved a zoning change Tuesday that would allow body art facilities to locate more easily in the city's downtown or Depot Town.
Body art includes tattooing, branding and body-piercing for nonmedical purposes...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Wireless Ypsi celebrates one year
By Christine Laughren
2/05/09
Wireless Ypsi celebrated its first year Sunday.
Ypsilanti Residents Steve Pierce and Brian Robb started Wireless Ypsi in January 2008 with the goal of bringing free broadband wireless access to Ypsilanti and surrounding communities...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
25 Things about Matt Jones
1) Matt's real first name is Richard.
2) Matt plays tuba every Christmas at church in Adrian.
3) Matt was homecoming and prom king in Adrian.
4) Matt was caught playing basketball in a priest uniform by a priest. He was then fired...
Read the rest in Metro Times
Sidetrack
By Keith Jefferies
2/18/2009
Three words: Deep fried pickles. Seriously. You must order them. I don't guarantee that you'll like 'em, but you'll always be able to claim, "I've eaten a deep fried pickle." Okay, that's not really the reason you go to Sidetracks. Yeah, the super crazy cheap happy hour just begs for you to exploit some top shelf drinks and the menu elevates the term "bar food" to something respectable (their burgers are renown, earning a slot on GQ's Top 20 list), but the real draw is the crowd. It's a boisterous, friendly, fire marshall's nightmare of a scene. Make a friend, order that drink you've always wanted to try, eat a pickle.The waitstaff is in no hurry so you'll be there a while.
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti to revamp historic elementary schools into company space
By Jon Zemke
2/18/09
The last pieces of the Schoolpictures.com project in Ypsilanti are starting to fall into place.
State bureaucrats are giving the development a thumbs up while construction workers hurry to finish the project. The Michigan Economic Growth Authority recently approved $86,800 in tax incentives for the $2.8 million project...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Revue sets Riverside jumpin' for 2 nights
By Roger LeLievre
2/19/09
"The Joint is Jumpin'!" - a jazzy celebration of American retro music - will be presented by The Choral Connection song and dance troupe at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti.
The show features finger-snapping standards, a tribute to the happy days of small-screen TV and rousing musical theater hits...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Bolcom guest-stars at EMU music festival
By Mark Stryler
2/19/09
Though the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom had been associated with the University of Michigan since the early '70s, this week he travels a few miles east as guest composer at Eastern Michigan University's Music Now Fest '09, the school's 16th biennial new music festival.
Bolcom, who formally retired from U-M last year, is well-known as a jolly eclectic, a composer who crosses the borders of classical and vernacular music -- ragtime, cabaret, jazz -- as effortlessly as the rest of us cross the street. Yet what is so impressive is not the range of references but how seamlessly his best work forges disparate styles into an organic language, how his deft intellect doesn't sabotage emotionalism or playfulness and how he's still willing to employ a modernist grit when he feels the need...
Read the rest of the article in The Detroit Free Press
Wireless Ypsi spreads its wings with big plans for second year
By Jon Zemke
2/11/09
Wireless Ypsi, the little Internet-access engine that could, is picking up speed as it enters its second year of existence.
The free community-based Internet access system has spread well beyond its original boundaries of downtown Ypsilanti. It now covers points all over Washtenaw and Wayne counties and continues to spread. More than 500 people a day are logging onto the system...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Fund-raiser set for YHS band
By Pat Grimes
2/5/09
With excitement and high hopes, the Ypsilanti High School band program is staging a major event to send students to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
Invited for an early April performance in Merida, Mexico, students in the YHS Wind Symphony plan to fund this year's tour with a reprise of a past fund-raising favorite, "The Symphonic Evening," to be held 6 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Ypsilanti Marriott...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
2020 task force presents future of city in report
By Chriastine Laughren
2/5/09
The "Ypsi Trolly" makes its way around the city. Ypsilanti's business districts are thriving with arts, culture and a vibrant nightlife. Green technology and historic preservation go hand-in-hand.
These are just some of the visions created through careful planning by Ypsilanti's 2020 Task Force...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
NYC Comedians return to Ypsi
By Christine Laughren
1/24/09
The Riverside Arts Center is not your typical venue for stand-up comedians, but Michigan natives Vince Averill and Jesse Popp have made their way back to the Great Lakes State to bring a little stand-up comedy to Ypsilanti.
Averill and Popp returned to their old stomping grounds in southeastern Michigan where they got their start in comedy before moving to New York City in 2006...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Wireless Ypsi Looking to future after impressive year
By Christine Laughren
1/15/09
Wireless Ypsi celebrated its first year Sunday.
Ypsilanti residents Steve Pierce and Brian Robb started Wireless Ypsi in January 2008 with the goal of bringing free broadband wireless access to Ypsilanti and surrounding communities...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Ypsilanti quilter's work covers black history
by Khalil E. Hachem
1/11/09
Pennia Ford is a teacher at heart.
The former Philadelphia instructor trained teachers in Israel, Egypt, Malawi and Gambia. Now, at age 80, she wants to teach African-American history through art.
The Ypsilanti resident made a quilt in 2003 depicting images that shaped and defined African-American experiences from slavery to modern times. The about 6-foot by 6-foot quilt, dubbed "Up From Slavery," focuses on the accomplishments of African Americans, Ford said. It was displayed at a museum in Plymouth, Ohio, last July and now is on display at the downtown branch of the Ypsilanti District Library until the end of January...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Clean energy
By Christine Laughren
1/15/09
One of the largest rooms in the Ypsilanti District Library almost filled to capacity Friday morning for Rebuild Ypsilanti's kick-off meeting.
"The meeting was a way to launch the program in an official way and get feedback from the community," Project Manager Greg Vendena said during the "networking" portion of the meeting...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Spark East looking for Ypsilanti tenants
By Khaili Hachem
1/16/09
Ann Arbor Spark is looking for tenants for its business incubator in downtown Ypsilanti, which is slated to open early next month.
Elizabeth Parkinson, director of marketing and public relations with the economic development group, said the organization is negotiating with two companies that could become anchor tenants. There is space for 15 to 20 startup companies, she said...
Read the rest of the in The Ann Arbor News
Rock drummer displays art talent in local gallery
By Dan DuChene
1/17/09
The What is That Art Galery downtown is gearing up to host a showing of visual art from a notable metro-Detroit roack musician.
The gallery is kicking off the showing for Johnny "Bee" Badanjek, the drummer from the 1960's rock band the Detroit Wheels, at 7 p.m. tonight. After the opening, Badanjek's showing will continue at the gallery until Feb. 17...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
City paves way for tattoo parlors
By Christine Laughren
1/15/09
Chances of seeing a tattoo parlor in Depot Town have just increased.
With a unanimous vote, Ypsilanti's City Council Tuesday approved the first reading a proposed zoning ordinance change that would change the zoning district of "Tattoo Establishments" as well as categorize them as a "Body Art Facilities..."
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Depot Town escapes reality
By Christine Laughren
1/16/09
Sequenced fairy wings hang from a hook in the wall where a sequenced sweater use to. Medieval chain mail has taken the place of a Christmas tree. A wall of wigs lines the back of a room where there use to be antiques.
Indeed, there are hardly any remnants of Quinn’s Essentials, once situated at 19 E. Cross St. in Depot Town, just some maroon paint and flowery wallpaper...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Ann Arbor SPARK raffles off Ypsilanti incubator space at ACE
By Jon Zemke
1/21/09
Everything an ambitious start-up needs to be successful will be up for grabs at the Annual Collaboration of Entrepreneurship Thursday.
A whole lot of start-up know-how will be available at the conference, but something more valuable will also be on hand – free space in Ann Arbor SPARK's new East Business Incubator in downtown Ypsilanti. Ann Arbor SPARK plans to raffle off one free year's lease...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
City Council hears 2020 Task Force recommendations
By Dan Duchene
1/28/09
Nearly two years after it was created by City Council, the Ypsilanti 2020 Task Force made its final presentation Tuesday night.
Stemming from Paul Schreiber’s 2006 mayoral race, the 11-member group was charged with looking into the city’s “long-term challenges and opportunities for the city...”
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Ypsilanti's Riverside Arts Center - "Going up!"
By Jon Zemke
1/28/09
The Riverside Arts Center is going up, up and away thanks to a new elevator between it and the historic Detroit Edison structure adjacent to it.
The $570,000 project not only built the elevator and adjoining stairway in the old alley between buildings but expanded and remodeled the lobby of the arts center. The whole project has gone a long way toward breathing new life into the century-old structures between Huron Street and the Huron River on the eastern edge of downtown Ypsilanti...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
GREEN SPACE: A2 & Ypsi undergoing holistic sustainability training this weekend
By Kelli B. Kavanaugh
1/29/09
This weekend, about 50 participants from all over Southeast Michigan will gather to undergo training in the Transition movement, which emphasizes a local solution to the global issue of oil dependence.
Transition was founded by Rob Hopkins in the UK, and has spread across the world -- Boulder, CO, Portland, ME, and Ketchum, ID are all Transition towns. It addresses food and farming, medicine and health, the prison industry, education, the economy, transportation, energy and housing -- all with an eye towards local, sustainable thinking...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
The Future Of Metro Mass Transit
By Jon Zemke
1/22/09
Metro Detroiters have harbored metropolis jealousy for generations. The kind that manifests itself in statements like,"If only Detroit could be more like Chicago..." or Toronto or San Francisco.
These statements usually pop out when we're contrasting those city's bustling urban canyons to our Quickstop strip malls. But the comparison isn't set in stone. In fact, 20 years from now Woodward Avenue could become the envy of cities across the nation, a vibrant, dense and well-traveled corridor whose main feature is the 21-mile light rail line that connects Pontiac to Detroit...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti's Water Street options range from student housing to fast-food
By Jon Zemke
1/14/09
The odyssey that is Water Street just might be sighting land soon. City officials are talking with developers who want to build everything from a grocery store to student housing on the 38-acre property.
One developer wants to build a fast food restaurant at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Park Street. Another plans to build a grocery store on Michigan Avenue between Park and River streets. There are also plans floating around for senior and student housing...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Clean Energy Coalition saves energy with Rebuild Ypsilanti Program
By Jon Zemke
1/14/09
The Clean Energy Coalition's Rebuild Ypsilanti Program is off to a fast start with a number of commercial building owners signing up for the program's energy audits.
"We have 20 people already interested in energy audits," says Greg Vendena, project manager for the Clean Energy Coalition...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Real Kidz In Ypsilanti
by Amy Whitesall
1/14/09
When it comes to clothes, Kelly Ruby's 10-year old daughter is one of those kids who's just hard to fit - short legs, doesn't like anything tight around her belly. Clothes shopping was a miserable parade of outfits that just didn't fit right. Sometimes Ruby would leave her daughter, Katie, in the dressing room, go to the teen section and grab capri pants from the clearance racks.
It turns out teen capris make for passable full-length pants on a plus-size fourth-grader...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Guest Blogger: Richard 'Murph' Murphy
Richard "Murph" Murphy is a computer geek turned urban planner, living and working in Ypsilanti. He graduated from U-M in computer science then landed an internship at Rutgers Center for Urban Policy Research. In 2004 he returned to Ann Arbor to pursue a masters degree in urban planning at U-M. In 2006 he went to work for the city of Ypsilanti.
Murph is also a seasoned blogger, having maintained his own site, Common Moneyflower since 2001, and contributing to local news site Arbor Update since 2004. He was recently profiled in Concentrate's Mastermind series.
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Work wraps up on SPARK incubator in Ypsilanti
By Jon Zemke12/17/08
The finishing touches are being put on two major projects in downtown Ypsilanti, both of which are set to open soon - almost in time to ring in the New Year.
Maurer Management & Properties, a local family owned firm, has done all of the heaving lifting for Ann Arbor SPARK'S new East Incubator and the retail space in the old Kresge building. The workers are painting the walls and getting ready to roll down the carpeting for SPARK in the Mack & Mack building. They are also moving in the last pieces of the kitchen for the J Neil’s Mongolian Grille and Keystone Martini Bar...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Coalition tries to make buildings efficient
12/21/08
A nonprofit organization wants to help save Ypsilanti businesses money and make them more energy efficient at the same time.
The Clean Energy Coalition has launched a project called Rebuild Ypsilanti to help business owners in the city make their buildings more energy efficient. The coalition will provide a free energy audit, technical guides, publications and financial strategies for energy projects. It also will provide grant-writing assistance for a small fee, said Greg Vendena, project manager...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Small firms may create Michigan bailout
By Katherine Yung12/21/08
As a weary Michigan braces for more economic blows, I find myself heading into a new and uncertain year with something this state so desperately needs.
Hope...
Read the rest of the article in the Detroit Free Press
Investors follow through for RealKidz
By Katherine Yung12/21/08
After nearly a year of delays, disappointments and small triumphs, it had all come down to one pivotal event for Merrill Guerra and her Ypsilanti start-up company, RealKidz Inc.
Could the business obtain the $150,000 it so desperately needed?...
Read the rest of the article in the Detroit Free Press
Non-profit launches clean energy project
12/18/08Ypsilanti's Clean Energy Coalition, a non-profit organization promoting energy technologies, has launched Rebuild Ypsilanti, a project aimed to reduce energy costs by assisting in energy efficiency improvements for commercial buildings within the Ypsilanti community...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Officials clearing way for project
12/18/08A Resolution approving the request for staff to explore options to clear the Water Street property was approved at Monday night's special City Council meeting.
The city's Director of Administrative Services April McGraft said she is looking into building removal option, as a lot of man-hours and money have gone into securing the vacant building currently on th property...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Water St. picques new interest
By Christine Laughren12/18/08
Two developers have begun negotiating purchase offers with the city of Ypsilanti for parcels on Water Street.
The city's Director of Administrative Services April McGraft said in a special meeting Monday evening that a fast food establishment and a small grocery store have expressed interest in the pieces of the property...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Mittenfest III takes over Ypsilanti
By Christine Laughren
12/24/08
Don your coats, scarves, hats and above all, mittens for Mittenfest III this Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening at the Elbow Room .
This three-day event features 27 bands and songwriters, most hailing from the great lakes state, and more than 21 hours of music...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Tubman gets proper recognition; Plaque explains who she was, what she did
By Khalil E. Hachem
12/29/08
A life-size bronze sculpture of Harriet Tubman holding the hand of a young child has been on display at the plaza adjacent to the Ypsilanti District Library's downtown site for two years.
But the small, hard-to-read inscription with Tubman's name was placed behind the statue at ground level...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Woman turns unused apparel into a business
By Maureen McDonald12/30/08
YPSILANTI -- What started as an expensive mistake -- several thousand inferior crew socks -- led the managers of Maggie's Organics to create a line of sock monkeys and a profitable partnership with an Appalachian sewing cooperative.
"Maggie's monkeys are the first of what we hope will soon be a menagerie of animals, all made from excess socks and apparel," said Bena Burda, 53, co-owner of the Ypsilanti-based organic clothing company she runs with her husband, Doug Wilson.
Read the rest of the article in The Detroit NewsRebuild Ypsilanti aims to increase energy efficiency
By Laura Blodgett01/01/09
The weather outside may be frightful, but businesses in Ypsilanti soon will be able to warm themselves while pocketing some spare change at the same time.
A new program called Rebuild Ypsilanti is being launched by Ypsilanti-based Clean Energy Coalition (CEC). The program aims to reduce energy costs by assisting in energy efficiency improvements for commercial buildings such as offices, restaurants and multi-family residences in Ypsilanti...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor Business Review
New downtown entertainment offers fundraising for charity
By Dan DuChene
12/29/08
Ypsilanti’s new entertainment destination uses Texas Hold’em poker to benefit community charities.
Garett Cooper and his partners, Rob Oas and brother Matt, opened Coop’s all in 4 Charity in mid October at the former site of the downtown Buffalo Wild Wings...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Christmas In The Mitten
Our friend Brandon Zwagerman wrote to point out that in our recent post about Deastro and Rodriguez coming in number two and number three, consecutively, on eMusic.com year-end list of the best albums of 2008, we didn't mention two other Michigan acts that made the list.
Read the rest of the article in Metro Times
Ypsilanti, By The Cup
Where else can you find coffee beans gathered from the scat of a small mammal? Why at Cafe Luwak in Ypsi's Depot Town.
Look, Ypsilanti's coffeehouses are the real deal. Bucking the adult contemporary vibe of so many local cafes, a quartet of eminently hangable establishments have popped up around the storied city's downtown...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
New Years Day walk organized
By Christine Laughren
12/29/08
Instead of going to the crowded gym, where people gather trying to fulfill their empty resolutions take a step outside and join the Friends of the Border To Border Trail for a New Years Day walk.
The community walk starts at 11 a.m. Jan. 1 at Bombadill's Cafe, 217 W. Michigan Ave., in downtown Ypsilanti...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Thoroughbred Styles opens on Cross Street
By Jim Cavanagh
01/05/09
Some students returning to Eastern Michigan University after the long holiday break might discover that they’re badly in need of a haircut or a little personal grooming.
After all, why look good for all those aunts and uncles you hardly ever see? When you were a kid, all you got from them were snowmen-themed sweaters...
Read the rest of the article in The Eastern Echo
BEEZY's in YPSILANTI .... An Absolute Treat
12/07/08ast week we moved our office from Dexter to Ypsilanti. A gutsy move, no doubt. Some from Dexter looked at us like we were going to another planet. We had only tiny doubts ... but when we walked into Beezy's we knew we had struck pay dirt at BEEZY's in Ypsilanti (yes, I'm keyword stuffing, just a bit)
I've been to many coffee shops. In fact, I would say I'm pretty much a coffee shop yoda and I'm officially going on record...
Read the rest of the article in A2wifi
Local non-profit 'rebuilds Ypsilanti'
By Christine Laughren12/10/08
Ypsilanti’s Clean Energy Coalition, a non-profit organization promoting clean energy technologies, has launched Rebuild Ypsilanti, a project encouraging increased energy efficiency within a community.
The project is intended to reduce energy costs by assisting in energy efficiency improvements for commercial buildings such as offices, retail, restaurants and multifamily residential...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Citizen
Orchestra and dance come together in 'Coppelia' ballet
After the orchestra took their places and made final preparations for the concert, the musicians waited ten more minutes to allow the line, which stretched out the door, to wind its way inside Pease Auditorium.
As people were taking their seats and shedding their coats, the December cold still clinging to them, a violinist led the orchestra in tuning their instruments...
Read the rest of the article in The Echo
Beer, creativity at Shadow Art Fair
Beezy's a simple pleasure
By Khalil E. Hachem
12/07/08
Beezy's is not just another restaurant in downtown Ypsilanti; it's an oasis for the body and the spirit.
From breakfast to soup, salads and sandwiches, the food is fresh, healthy and tasty. It's made with care and a passion for creating uncomplicated, good food. And with all dishes priced at less than $7, it's also affordable...Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Council to dedicate more time to Water Street next year
by Dan DuChene
12/16/08
Starting in January, City Council will be dedicating one meeting a month for Water Street discussions.
In a motion adopted unanimously by City Council last night, the group decided to meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month until June for special Water Street work sessions. They will be held at 7 p.m. on each evening...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
City discusses bright spots for Water Street
12/16/08
Some details about the parties interested in developing plots on Water Street were discussed last night by Ypsilanti City Council.
Council held a special meeting to discuss the long-stalled development project along Michigan Avenue, just east of the city’s downtown...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Owners hope gallery, eBay setup works in tough times
By Stefanie Murray
12/11/08
Retail report Seven years ago, Michelle Shankwiler started selling jewelry on eBay. Her father, Craig Shankwiler, began selling vintage baseball cards on eBay.
Both are artists who wanted an outlet to sell their work - especially Craig Shankwiler, who was looking to transition out of the construction business...
New Beezy's cafe opens in Ypsilanti
A cafe touting fresh and healthy food has opened in downtown Ypsilanti. With every dish priced at less than $7, it's also affordable...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Council to consider Water Street purchases
By Dan DuChene12/12/08
Ypsilanti City Council will be meeting on Monday night to discuss the Water Street Project, including two interested developers.
City Planner Richard Murphy said Ypsilanti currently has two offers to develop land on the site and will be presenting those to Council to approve negotiations. He said there have been discussions with two other developers, but nothing has been formally submitted yet.
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Citizen
Guest speaker encourages Ypsi to find niche
by Christine Laughren12/11/08
Ypsilanti’s shopping districts are not going to win on the convenience factor. It is all about finding a niche, sticking to it and driving at it. Focus, focus and focus some more.
“Everything else will fall into line,” according to Brian Friedman, executive director of the Northeast Shores Development Corporation...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Citizen
Executive Profile: Sean Reed Executive director, Clean Energy Coalition
By Janet Miller12/11/08
Since growing from a federally funded program housed inside Ann Arbor City Hall to an independent non-profit promoting clean energy technologies three years ago, the CEC has increased its staff and outgrown its offices. Located in downtown Ypsilanti, CEC is now looking for more space to expand, said Executive Director Sean Reed.
"We are on a trajectory to double the scale of our operation every year." He expects to have a staff of 10 by this time next year...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor Business Review
Let The Sun Shine In
Check Out Ypsilanti!
N early 200 years old and hipper than ever, Ypsilanti is quickly establishing itself as the Brooklyn to Ann Arbor's Manhattan. Just don't call it "Hipsilanti". The locals hate that.From Depot Town to downtown, you'll find homegrown cafes, vintage neighborhoods and a growing indie music and art scene...
Read the rest of the article in MetroMode
New gallery opens in Depot Town
By Christine Laughren
12/08/08
It’s a definite gamble starting a new business in this economy. That’s why Shankwiler 123, newly opened in Depot Town, is combining several businesses into one brick and mortar location.
The store, at 35 E. Cross where Real Kidz use to be, is an art gallery, a drop-off location for an eBay store, wholesale stained glass supply store and above all, a great place to buy sports cards and collectables...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Beezy's buzzing with business
By Christine Laughren
11/21/08
Someone once told her she was a good cook but a terrible chef. And that’s the way Bee Mayhew, owner of Beezy’s Café, likes it.
“I don’t try to make anything too fancy,” she said preparing tomorrow’s French Toast. “It is what it is, not too fancy, simple and honest...”
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Census figures show Ypsilanti strengthening
By Tracy Davis
12/09/08
As if the steady drumbeat of recent bad economic news weren't enough, new longer-term census data released today show that monthly mortgage and rent costs are up considerably since 2000, outpacing the growth of income.
Median monthly homeowner costs jumped 35.5 percent to $1,855 per month in Ann Arbor. The increase in Ypsilanti was 64 percent, to $1,659. Household income, meanwhile, increased 10.7 and 22.2 percent in the two cities, respectively...
Read the rest of the articl in The Ann Arbor News
The New News
by Amy Whitesall
12/10/08
Dan DuChene and his colleagues were getting ready to celebrate the launch of Ypsilanti's new online community news site, the Ypsilanti Citizen, when they saw the police lights outside. Out on Michigan Avenue, two cars had collided head-on, right in front of the gallery where the Citizen was holding its launch party.
So DuChene put down the hors d'oeuvres, picked up his camera and notebook and posted a report to the Citizen, Ypsilanti's new internet news site, within 10 minutes. The accident was cleared away in 45 minutes, and he posted a follow-up before getting back to the party preparations...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti's Ainsworth site has seen a parade of owners and uses
By James Mann
12/07/08
An impressive building stands at 7-11 W. Michigan Ave., just east of the city center and just west of the Huron River. Today, the building is the home of the Bank of Ann Arbor and Eleven West Salon and Spa. The building is best remembered as a restaurant; its original use as a mill is now almost forgotten.
The property on which the building stands was purchased by Oliver Ainsworth and his business partners in 1886. On the site they built a fine mill and elevator, which was destroyed by fire on Dec. 3, 1887. The building had only been completed six months before...Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Editorial: Ypsilanti rolls with the punches again
12/07/08
Nothing, it seems, comes easy for Ypsilanti.
The turnaround in the Depot Town district took years of hard work by business owners who literally moved into the neighborhood to transform the area into the eclectic and successful mix of shops, restaurants and bars it is today.
The restoration of any number of historic structures throughout the city has been a decades-long, one-at-a-time, private-public effort that has saved many incredible homes and given new life to facades all along Michigan Avenue...Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Shadow art takes over Corner Brewery Saturday
by Christine Laughren
12/05/08
The powers of beer and local art combine again Saturday to create one of the biggest events in Ypsilanti – The Shadow Art Fair.
Saturday marks the sixth time in three years the Shadow Art Fair has taken over the Corner Brewery for the all-day event.
But don’t be fooled, the fair isn’t just about getting the opportunity to purchase great art. It is also a place for people to connect with each other and exchange ideas according to Melissa Dettloff, who helps organize the event...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Citizen
Buy local for the holidays
by Christine Laughren
12/03/08
Earlier this week the National Bureau of Economic Research announced the United States is officially in the midst of a recession. And according to Linette Lao, an organizer of Shop Ypsi, the economic downturn is all the more reason to shop local.
“It's especially vital to be conscious of where we spend our money, and why,” Lao said...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Work nearly complete on Ypsilanti Freighthouse renovation
by Jon Zemke
12/03/08
Work is close to wrapping up on the latest improvements to the historic Ypsilanti Freighthouse.
Workers have graded the landscape around the building so it slopes away from the structure, allowing water to flow into a planned rain garden. That rain garden and other surrounding landscaping will be planted next spring. Fascia and gutters on building have also been replaced...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Buy local for the hoildays
by Christine Laughren
12/03/08
Earlier this week the National Bureau of Economic Research announced the United States is officially in the midst of a recession. And according to Linette Lao, an organizer of Shop Ypsi, the economic downturn is all the more reason to shop local.
“It's especially vital to be conscious of where we spend our money, and why,” Lao said...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Luwak cooks up new breakfast menu, new look
by Christine Laughren
11/25/08
If you were hoping to swing by Café Luwak this week for a tasty sandwich, think again.
Luwak is closed until Friday for remodeling. But don’t worry, the café will be back in business at the end of the week with a fresh coat of paint, a new kitchen and several other overhauls...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Citizen
Food Stuff
11/26/08
...LOCAL YOKELS — Speaking of local food, if you're out Ypsi way, be sure to check out the Ypsilanti Food Co-op featuring more than 100 local product lines. It's open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, at 312 N. River St., Ypsilanti; 734-483-1520...
Read the rest of the article in Metro Times
CORRECTION: Wrong time published for Starlight Spree event
In today's edition of The Ypsilanti Courier in the special Holidays in Ypsilanti section, the time for the downtown Starlight Spree event was incorrectly reported. It should have been reported that the Starlight Spree will take place from 6 to 9 p.m Dec. 5 and 6 throughout downtown Ypsilanti. The following is the corrected version of the story
Merchants hosting Starlight Spree
by Austin smith
11/27/08
On Dec. 5 and 6, downtown Ypsilanti merchants will be hosting the Starlight Spree with special promotions and extended hours for a number of stores.
From 6 to 9 p.m. for both nights, the Starlight Spree will kick off the holiday season for the wide variety of homegrown shops and restaurants. The event will feature wandering carolers, and the participating retailers will be handing out information packets about the event complete with coupons and other promotional items...
Read the rest of the article here
Friends of Ypsilanti FreightHouse work to come up with rescue biz plan
By Jon Zemke
11/21/08
The small, but growing, group of volunteers working to save the Ypsilanti Freighthouse is looking for public input as they put together a business plan to save the historic structure.
The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse will hold the meeting at 6:30 p.m. today and Thursday at Ypsilanti Senior Citizens Center, 1015 Congress Street in Ypsilanti’s Recreation Park...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Alumni Excellence: Erik Dotzauer
Erik Dotzauer, at 30, has been through more adversity than most of us will ever have to face in our lifetimes. Through it all, and with the true spirit of Eastern Michigan University alum, he's learned how to put these experiences to work for positive results for himself, and the Ypsilanti community. Resilient, he has made a perfect home for himself here in Ypsilanti.
He serves as the executive director of the Depot Town Community Development Corporation, a group of local merchants and residents dedicated to the proper economic development for historic Depot Town and Ypsilanti. The Depot Town CDC is an energized collective of highly motivated professionals and private citizens planning, fundraising and working hard on improving their community for visitors and residents alike...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Local restaurants to benefit SOS
By Christine Laughen
11/20/08
Selected restaurants in Washtenaw County are accepting donations Friday and Saturday during SOS Community Services' "Dine Out to Help the Homeless."
"This is the first time we have ever done something like this thanks to the generosity of these Washtenaw County restaurants," said Chelsea Clark Community Relations Coordinator for SOS. "It's great they are willing to open their doors and collaborate with us on this event..."
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Make an all-local Thanksgiving meal
11/20/08
Still wondering what to serve for the holidays? Give the ultimate thanks to local farmers, gardeners, bakers, packaged food providers, and wine and beer makers by creating an all-local food celebration at your holiday table this year.
Not only will your commitment to local provide monetary help to Michigan's struggling economy, but locally-raised means fewer logged food miles and that translates to a fresher tasting meal, not to mention less impact on the environment...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Downtown agencies seek better traffic flow
By Khalil E. Hachem
11/17/08
Visitors to Ypsilanti have often complained to business owners about the difficulty of finding parking lots and restrictions on turning left from Michigan Avenue onto three side streets.
The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority and the Downtown Association of Ypsilanti hope to help.
Those groups say they plan to install new signs directing visitors to several downtown parking lots. And they'll ask the state to study restoring left turn access on the busy street to improve traffic circulation in the struggling business district...
read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Minor league Midwest Sliders to play at Eastern Michigan University
by Dave Gershman
11/17/08
Well before the start of the first game, a minor league baseball team that will play for one season in Ypsilanti is being cheered like a home run by some members of the city's business community.
The Midwest Sliders will play the 2009 season at Oestrike Stadium, the baseball field for Eastern Michigan University, before relocating in 2010 to a new stadium being constructed in Waterford Township...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Beezy's runs on Ypsi's harvest, enthusiasm of local customers
By Jeff Gerding
11/14/08
Beezy’s, a new café in Ypsilanti, opened its doors to customers this Monday for the first time.
The café is the brainchild of owner Bee Mayhew, a former Zingerman’s employee who decided to open her own restaurant after years of working in various cafés and restaurants throughout Michigan...
Originally from Petoskey, she fell in love with Ypsilanti right away. “Every time I set foot in Ypsilanti I feel at home,” said Mayhew. “I can feel the energy, the vibe, the potential...”
Read the rest of the article in The Echo
Downtown Ypsilanti gets a sleek new styling spot At Thomas Blondi Salon, owner says, 'it's all about the hair'
By Stefanie Murray
November 14, 2008
Dwight Thomas wanted his salon to look like a little piece of New York City in downtown Ypsilanti.
"It's modern and edgy,'' Thomas said of the sleek space - dominated by wood floors and black furniture - in a spot that used to be an 1,800-square-foot dance studio. "The layout is definitely very clean and minimalist.''
Thomas opened the full-service hair salon, Thomas Blondi Salon, at the end of October. The Ann Arbor native has been a hairdresser for five years and wanted to start his own business...
Read the rest of the article the Ann Arbor News
Ypsi Community Band Practices for Pease
Dec. 11 free holiday concert on EMU campus
By Dave Askins
11/13/08
In a battle between a band and a pipe organ to see which can play louder, the lead trombone player in the band clips a white cloth to the spit valve at the end of his slide and holds it aloft as a sign of surrender. That’s not what happened at Tuesday evening’s rehearsal by the Ypsilanti Community Band. For one thing there was no pipe organ in the Whitmore Lake High School band room where the 73-member ensemble rehearses. But the anecdote – told by assistant conductor and organist, James Wagner, during a lull in the rehearsal – is based on a true story from Texas...
The Ypsilanti Community Band could repeat that bit of Texas history when it performs the Finale from the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony at its annual holiday concert, to be held this year on Dec. 11 at Pease Auditorium on the Eastern Michigan University campus, starting at 7:30 p.m. Pease boasts a formidable pipe organ, which will be played by Wagner. The concert, which is a joint endeavor with the Ypsilanti Community Choir, is free (including parking) and open to the public...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
EMU's Pease Auditorium restoration almost complete
by Jon Zemke
11/12/08
The most visible signs that work is wrapping up on the renovation of Eastern Michigan University's Pease Auditorium can be on seen on the building's exterior.
Workers are putting the finishing touches on the landscaping around the building, including the creation of a small park at the corner of College Place and West Cross Street. The improved surrounding green space is meant to complement the $2.2 million restoration of the 94 year-old building...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti, EMU bring streetscaping to West Cross
by Jon Zemke
11/13/08
A lot of things are about to get easier along West Cross Street in Ypsilanti, such as walking, biking ...and sitting. The one thing that won't get easier is littering.
That will be thanks to new streetscape furniture to be installed along the street between the Water Tower and Huron River. Eastern Michigan University and the Depot Town Downtown Development Authority are paying for new benches, bike racks and trashcans along the thoroughfare...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Friends of Ypsilanti FreightHouse work to come up with rescue biz plan
By Jon Zemke
10/29/08
The small, but growing, group of volunteers working to save the Ypsilanti Freighthouse is looking for public input as they put together a business plan to save the historic structure.
The Friends of the Ypsilanti Frighthouse will hold the meeting at 6:30 p.m. today and Thursday at Ypsilanti Senior Citizens Center, 1015 Congress Street in Ypsilanti’s Recreation Park...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsi food co-op celebrates month
10/30/08
Despite the gray shadow looming over Wall Street and the suffering felt from our own state's economy, there is a local small business that is absolutely thriving.
The Ypsilanti Food Co-op has continued to see increased sales through the third quarter of this year as its Co-op membership base increases and as more consumers realize the importance of eating local and of focusing their shopping habits inward by supporting locally-owned businesses...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Solar project gets its day in the sun
By Pat Grimes
10/23/08
After more than a year of study, the Ypsilanti City Hall Solar Project has been approved to move ahead following the Oct. 14 meeting Ypsilanti's Historic District Commission.
After extensive questioning from commissioners and numerous statements of support from the public, the HDC gave their go-ahead to the project with a 5 to 1 vote of approval...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Ypsilanti's RealKids clothing line fills gap for big-boned, plus-sized girls and teens
by Patricia Mish
10/20/08
For children whose bodies do not match sizes found at most retailers, shopping can be a negative experience.
Girls are "left in the dressing room while Mom has to go out and paw through the racks because it doesn't fit right," says Laura Hamblin. Often, they settle for clothes that have to be shortened and still don't look quite right. Many of the clothes that do fit are made for women or plus-size teens, Hamblin says, so the girls are left with "grandma clothes" at one end of the spectrum or low-cut, strappy styles inappropriate for their age...
Read the rest of the article in The Grand Rapids Press
Survey: Washtenaw County home to lots of working artists ranging from painters to filmmakers
10/15/08
by Roger LeLievre
More than 2,500 people living in Washtenaw County consider themselves artists and more than 1,100 meet the criteria of a working artist, according to a new survey commissioned by a local arts group.
Visual artists (photographers, painters, potters) are the most common in the county, followed by performing artists (musicians, actors, dancers) and literary artists (authors, poets, playwrights)...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News
Startup companies in Saline and Ypsilanti to provide sites for charity poker games
10/16/08
by Dan Meisler
Two local companies are throwing their chips in to what is becoming a growth industry - hosting charity poker games.
The prospect of offering Texas Hold 'Em poker games to benefit nonprofits, made easier because of an expanding number of games allowed by the state, is attracting new players to the table...
Read the rest of the artice in the Ann Arbor Business review
Princeton Review names EMU's Biz School one of the best
10/15/08
by Jon Zemke
The Princeton Review is reaching out to Eastern Michigan University’s College of Business at about the same time the college is reaching out to one of India's top business schools.
The Princeton Review has named EMU's Business School as one of the most outstanding business schools for the fifth consecutive year. It may share that designation with 295 other schools but that's out of a pool of more than 1,000 for 2009...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Local activists get approval to install solar panels on Ypsilanti City Hall
10/15/08
by Jon Zemke
A group of local environmental activists are gearing up to put a modern twist on Ypsilanti's historic City Hall.
The final approval for the project is in now that the city’s Historic District Commision gave the green light last night. The group plans to start putting the solar panels on the backside of the City Hall next year...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Mongolian BBQ, salon, bakery set up shop in Ypsilanti
by Jon Zemke
10/08/08
The kitchen for downtown Ypsilanti's new Mongolian BBQ has been installed, and is yet another sign of how businesses are flocking to the city's downtown and Depot Town districts.
J Neil's Mongolian Grille will occupy most of the ground floor of the Kresge Building, one of downtown's first loft conversions. That restaurant is set to open by the end of the month...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti focuses on improving its tax base
by Khalil E. Hachem
10/07/0
After several years of budget cuts, Ypsilanti city officials are looking to redevelopment to diversify the city's tax base and generate more revenues.
For a few months, administrators have been assembling an economic development team and working on a plan to define the city's development goals, said April McGrath, who is director of administrative services with the city and in charge of economic development...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Aerotropolis bills look to spur development around Metro Airport
by Jon Zemke
10/02/08
Metro Airport has it a bit backwards. Usually good policies lead to infrastructure investment, which attracts business. Metro Airport already had the businesses there when it built the new terminals, and now it's going for the right state policies to lure even more companies.
A series of bills aimed at providing huge economic incentives for building out the Aerotropolis have been introduced into the state House of Representatives. The bills are the product of a joint venture from Detroit Renaissance, Wayne County and Washtenaw County...
Read the rest of the article in Metromode
Nearly final Ypsi Depot Town Cruise lures overflow
by Jenny King
10/02/08
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- According to Jack Miller, curator of the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum and the man behind longtime Hudson dealer Miller Motors, cars started arriving for the mid-September Ypsi cruise as early as 3 p.m.
"We block the streets in Depot Town at 5 p.m. on Thursday cruise nights," Miller said, obviously pleased that not only some had come well in advance, but also that there were so many cars that evening that at least a dozen were forced to park on a distant hill at the entrance to Riverside Park...
Read the rest of the article in The Detroit News
Pfizer's $1 million gift to Ann Arbor to fund 3 community initiatives
By Ann Arbor Business Review
10/01/08
The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation has earmarked three areas to benefit from the $1 million donation made by Pfizer Inc. as it announced that it would close it's operation in the city.
The three strategic priorities, according to AAACF information, are...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor Business Review
EMU's College of Business Leads Next Michigan Women's Leadership Index
10/01/08
We're spilling the beans on Ypsilanti presidential straw vote
by Khalil Hachem
09/29/08
Barack Obama appears to be the winner at the Tower Inn Cafe in Ypsilanti so far, and if you don't believe it, spill the beans and count them.
Cafe owner Rois Savvides has been handing out white beans with the check to diners, who are mainly Eastern Michigan University students. He also set up a voting station on a table in the entrance of the restaurant. It includes two glass jars: one for Obama and one for John McCain...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Chili cook-off raises funds for Freighthouse
by Kathleen Conat
09/25/08
Eastern Michigan University students and faculty joined with Ypsilanti community volunteers in a chili cook-off to raise funds for the historic Ypsilanti Freighthouse Saturday afternoon.
Preservation Eastern, a society formed by students of the EMU Historical Preservation Program, joined with the Friends of the Freighthouse to sponsor the event held at the Ypsilanti Ladies Library in this kick-off effort. The society was formed to build a bond with the Ypsilanti community while building character and professional development...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Ypsilanti to begin Riverside Park improvements this fall
by Jon Zemke
09/24/08
The two big parks along the Huron River in Ypsilanti (Riverside and Frog Island) are in line for three big improvements within the next three years.
These improvements promise a new dock into the river, a new band shell for performances and extending the Border to Border Trail through both parks...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti gets price estimate for Water Street property
by Jon Zemke
09/24/08
Somewhere between $7.3 million and $11 million. That's the new price for Ypsilanti's Water Street property.
The city took out more money in bonds to buy the 42 properties on the parcel just southeast of downtown. However, April McGrath, assistant city manager for Ypsi, says the city never planned for the purchase price alone to pay off the bonds. New taxes generated by development on the 38-acre property are also a major part of the equation...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
My Business: Maggie's Organics of Ypsilanti
by Stefanie Murray
09/16/08
Maggie's Organics, a clothing company, got its start because of blue tortilla chips.
In 1992, owner Bena Burda was an executive at a company called Little Bear Organic Foods and was working with an organic farmer to improve the quality of blue corn he was growing for the business. He added cotton to the rotation to improve the crop and consequently needed to sell the cotton...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Finally getting product is sign of progress for budding RealKidz
Katherine Yung
09/23/08
Bit by bit, slowly but steadily, RealKidz is making progress.
The Ypsilanti start-up company that sells clothes for plus-size young girls has signed up four independent sales consultants in Michigan. It has also raised $150,000 from angel investors. And its new back-to-school line of clothes finally arrived early this month...
Read the rest of the article in The Detroit Free Press
Riverside Park to get improvements
By Kathleen Conat
09/18/08
The Depot Town Community Development Corporation has teamed up with Washtenaw Community College and the City of Ypsilanti to begin the first major capital improvements project by the DTCDC — repairing the dock on the river and putting a gazebo atop it at Riverside Park.
The CDC has been working in recent months to repair damage done by more than a decade of neglect by the city. The entrance gates at Cross Street and Michigan Avenue, along with the benches and picnic tables have all been freshly painted. Also newly painted are the utility "pedastools" that provide electricity and water for special events...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
A Piece of Auto History
Model T Ford show returns to Depot Town
Christine Laughren
09/18/08
Dozens of Model T Fords rolled through Depot Town Sept. 10 in celebration of the car's inception 100 years ago.
The Piquette T's, affiliated with the Model T Ford Club of America (MTFCA) and the Model T Ford Club International (MTFCI), put together a regional tour based in Ypsilanti. Among other things, the tour visited local mills and old Ford automotive plants...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Spark finds home for Ypsilanti office
by Khalil E. Hachem
09/14/08
Ann Arbor Spark has announced a new location for its proposed business incubator in downtown Ypsilanti, two months after a deal to put the incubator in a different spot fell apart.
Elizabeth Parkinson, director of marketing and public relations with economic development group Spark, said the incubator will be in the first floor of three adjacent buildings at 211, 213 and 215 W. Michigan Ave. The space is between Bombadill's Coffee House and TC's Bar and Grill...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbors News
New businesses filling vacancies in Depot Town Photographer's studio, costume shop among the newcomers
by Khalil E. Hachem
09/14/08
Mary Potts is a photographer who focuses on images, piece by piece. She takes hundreds of shots of a subject, then glues them together in a collage to create an unexpected perspective.
"It's like sponge-painting a scene,'' said Potts, 38. "It's a lot of work, but I find freedom in creating scenes...''
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
"Whip it!" returns to Ypsilanti Friday for more filming
by Susan Oppat
09/11/08
Actor/director Drew Barrymore will be back in Ypsilanti Friday night to shoot more of her film, "Whip It!"
As was the case when filming took place last week at the Wolverine Grill downtown, the set will be closed to the public.
No parking will be allowed in the west end of the parking lot north of Michigan Avenue between Adams and Washington streets, or along the east side of Washington Street between Michigan Avenue and Ferris Street after 6 p.m. Friday...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Bike Ypsi turns one year
by Christine Laughren
09/11/08
Bike Ypsi, an ad-hoc community organization committed educating bicyclists and motorists celebrated its first year Aug. 28.
"What has come to be known as our 'birthday' is the initial meeting community members had, including the Ypsilanti Police Chief, about bicycling in Ypsilanti," Kristen Cuhran, Bike Ypsi organizer, said in a media release...
Read the rea of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Special library programs for 'stay-cationers'
09/04/08
In these times of expensive gas, increasing costs for travel, and high mortgage payments, where can people still find a great value?
The answer, their library. This summer, the Ypsilanti District Library has seen record numbers of people visiting the library, attending programs, signing-up for summer reading, and checking out materials to take home...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Local art featured at Screaming Eagle
by Sotirios Adamopoulos
As live alternative rock filled the Screaming Eagle Pub, its patrons also witnessed creativity in a visual form. Framed photographs and paintings along with various crafts adorned the red walls of the bar for a one-night art show.
Last Friday, photographers from the Washtenaw County area had the opportunity to show off their pieces at the quaint Ypsilanti bar. Jason Heinrich, who organized the event, claims that —while rewarding — portraying one's art can be expensive...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Sumpter woman leads Ypsilanti library
by William Zike
09/11/08
Joy Cichewicz has been named manager of the Ypsilanti District Library- Michigan Avenue branch.
She received her Masters in Library Science from Wayne State in 1997 and has been working in libraries since 1992. But her her very personal love of libraries goes back farther than that...
Read the rest of the article in The View
SPARK East coming to city
by Christine Laughren
09/11/08
The "Mack and Mack" building on West Michigan Avenue in downtown Ypsilanti will be the new home of the SPARK East Business Incubator.
The announcement was made last Thursday after Ann Arbor SPARK signed a five-year lease agreement to operate the SPARK East Incubator as part of its Regional Incubator Network...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Friends group plans improvements for Ypsilanti Freighthouse
by Jon Zemke
09/10/08
Work on the Ypsilanti Freighthouse, both behind the scenes and in the ground, is moving forward in the city's Depot Town.
The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse just nailed down management duties with the city last week and is meeting with people today about doing some critical grounds work on the structure...
Ypsilanti opens new and improved Border to Border Trail
by Jon Zemke
09/10/08
Washtenaw County's Border to Border Trail may still have some large gaps but work on it is moving forward.
About 15 miles of the 35-mile trail, stretching from the northwest corner of the county to the southeast corner, is done. The trail runs through Dexter, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti with the latest additions coming in Ypsi...
Ann Arbor SPARK chooses new home in downtown Ypsilanti
by Jon Zemke
09/10/08
Take two! Ann Arbor SPARK's East Incubator is getting off to a fast start now that the start-up business incubator has chosen the Mack & Mack building in downtown Ypsilanti.
SPARK originally chose an old Smith Furniture store on Washington Street for its Ypsilanti satellite office earlier this summer, but that deal fell through. That led to the switch to the Mack & Mack, 211-215 W. Michigan Ave. next door to Bombadill's Cafe, and its 8,300 square feet of space...
Read the rest of the article on Concentrate
State OKs extension of deal between MDOT, SEMCOG for commuter rail demonstration
by Bill Shea
09/08/08
The State Administrative Board, which approves contracts for state agencies, last week approved the addition of $100,694 and one year to a deal between the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments to develop a demonstration of a commuter rail line linking Detroit and Ann Arbor.
The money is for infrastructure improvements and passenger rail equipment, such as train cars...
Read the rest of the article in Crain's Detroit Business
COLUMN: "Classical Roundup"
by Susan Isaacs Nisbett
09/07/08
...EMU's September music calendar brings pianist Joel Schoenhal's annual recital at Pease on Friday at 8 p.m., when Schoenhals offers a program of Rachmaninoff and Schubert on his free concert. On Sept. 21 at 4 p.m., EMU emeritus professor of music Dady Mehta takes his seat at the Pease Auditorium grand to join his son, Nuvi Mehta, in a recital of sonatas for violin and piano by Beethoven, Prokofiev and J.S. Bach. The program is sponsored by Friends of Chamber Music at Pease, and like Schoenhals' program, it is free and open to the general public. For more information on EMU music events, consult www.emich.edu/musicdance or call the Events Hotline, 734-487-2255.
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Ann Arbor SPARK settles on new site for Ypsilanti incubator
by Nathan Bomey
09/04/08
Ann Arbor SPARK, Washtenaw County's economic development organization, will open a business incubator at a building on Michigan Avenue in downtown Ypsilanti.
The decision to sign a five-year lease to locate the SPARK East Incubator at the "Mack and Mack" building (211-215 W. Michigan Ave.) means five to 10 startup companies will be eligible to move in starting this fall.
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor Business Review
Spark chooses new downtown Ypsilanti site for business incubator
by Khalil E. Hachem
09/08/08
Ann Arbor Spark announced a new location Thursday for its proposed business incubator in downtown Ypsilanti, two months after a deal to put the incubator in a different spot fell apart.
Elizabeth Parkinson, director of marketing and public relations with economic development group Spark, said the incubator will be in the first floor of three adjacent buildings at 211, 213 and 215 W. Michigan Ave. The space is between Bombadill's Coffee House and TC's Bar and Grill.
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Special library programs for 'stay-cationers'
09/04/08
In these times of expensive gas, increasing costs for travel, and high mortgage payments, where can people still find a great value?
The answer, their library. This summer, the Ypsilanti District Library has seen record numbers of people visiting the library, attending programs, signing-up for summer reading, and checking out materials to take home.
Read the rest of thea article in The Ypsilanti Courier
"Whip It!" movie crew moves filming to Ypsilanti this week
by Jordan Miller
08/28/08
If it weren't for the security guards, portable toilets and semi trucks, the run-down house on South Summit Street in Ypsilanti wouldn't warrant much attention.
The crew of the Drew Barrymore-produced movie "Whip It!," took over the house on Wednesday, moving in old furniture and broken-down cars. It's rumored to be the set of the house where several of the roller derby girls live in the film...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Downtown Ypsilanti businesses get grant for storefront improvements
by Khalil E. Hachem
08/28/08
Five Ypsilanti businesses will share a $50,000 state grant to improve their downtown storefronts.
Corner Health Center, Puffer Reds Records and Boutique, Look in the Attic, a former African food store and the former DTE building will get state money to help pay for improvements they're planning for their properties...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Fair highlights alternative transportation
by Christine Laughren
08/28/08
More and more people are thinking twice about backing their car out of the driveway these days. That's why the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority along with Bike Ypsi and the Downtown Alternative Transportation Committee held the Alternative Transportation Fair with support from the Michigan Department of Community Health.
The event was held from 2-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Ypsilanti Downtown Farmers' Market. Attendees got the opportunity to find out how to sign up for carpooling and vanpooling, grab some bus schedules, learn about bicycle safety and routes as well as check out bike accessories...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Thompson Block granted state funds
by Christine Laughren
08/28/08
Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced $185,264 in state support for the Thompson Block commercial, retail and residential redevelopment in Depot Town last Tuesday.
The Thompson Block, at the corner of River and Cross Streets, is set to receive state tax capture valued at $185,264 combined with a local OPRA (Obsolete Properties Rehabilitation Act) tax abatement...
Read the rest of the article in The Ypsilanti Courier
Artists bring more variety to Ypsilanti's Depot Town
08/27/08
There was a time when artsy-fartsy was seen as a bad thing. Not so for Ypsilanti's Depot Town, where two artists are moving their shops into the historic business district.
Say goodbye (sort of) to the Silver Spoon antique store and the Gordon's Five & Dime candy story at 23 and 25 E. Cross Street. Silver Spoon is consolidating with Apple Annie's a few doors down and Gordon's is going out of business...
Red the rest of the article in Concentrate
Thompson Block project receives $185,000 brownfield tax credit
08/27/01
The Thompson Block development in Ypsilanti's Depot Town took a small step forward after the state approved an $185,000 tax credit for the $4 million renovation.
The project qualified for the "obsolete properties" section of a brownfield tax credit because the 19th Century-era building hasn't been actively used in decades. Beal Group plans to turn the historic 3-story structure at the corner of Cross and River streets into 16 luxury rental lofts and 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail space...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti fair showcases alternate transportation
by Khalil Hachem
08/26/08
Assane Koulibali used to ride his bicycle a few times a year.
But two weeks ago, Koulibali parked his car and began riding his bike to work and running errands to offset the high price of gasoline.
"I'm saving money, and it's good for me," said Koulibali after trying on a helmet at the alternative community fair at the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers Market Tuesday. "The helmet will keep me safe..."
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Three Ann Arbor-area projects promising 186 new jobs receive state tax incentives
by Gary Gosselin
08/21/08
Three Ann Arbor-area projects promising 186 new jobs are among 20 statewide winning state tax incentives this week totaling as much as $658 million.
Incentives for developers Stewart and Fred Beal, software consultants GDI Infotech and medical device maker Terumo Cardiovascular Systems were approved by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority. Those were among projects that statewide would create 6,800 jobs all told, state officials said...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor Business Review
Ypsilanti redevelopment up for tax capture
By Dan Meisler
08/19/08
A tax capture of $185,000 will be considered by state economic development officials today for the redevelopment of the Thompson Block in the Depot Town area of Ypsilanti.
The money, captured from the education property taxes that would normally be paid from the property, would instead go toward demolition and lead or asbestos abatement, according to documents from the Michigan Economic Growth Authority. The MEGA board will consider the capture today...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor Business Review
Make most of festival's last day
by Rick Fitzgerald
08/17/08
Today may be the last day of the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, but there's still plenty to see and do as the 30th annual event comes to a close.
You could start the day by running in the Great Train Race (8:10 a.m.), then head over to the food tent at Huron and Cross streets for the Rotary Club's pancake breakfast. Once you've recovered and had your fill of pancakes and sausage, you could stroll through the arts and crafts displays in Riverside Park before the start of the Historic Home Tour at noon. Or you could take in the vintage baseball game by the La-De-Dahs at 1 p.m. in Frog Island Park, then head over to the Cross Street bridge at 3:30 p.m. for the ever-popular rubber ducky race...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Fire trucks, Model T tour coming to area
by Rick Fitzgerald
08/24/08
With the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival safely tucked away for another year, there's still plenty of action in the Ypsilanti area in the months ahead. Here are a few of the highlights...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Heritage Festival: Opening reception on EMU campus
August 14, 2008
In a nutshell: The prefestival reception is a summer party for people who live in, work in and care about the Ypsilanti community. The estimated 500 people who are expected will make it the largest gathering ever at University House, the official resident of the Eastern Michigan University president. The Ypsilanti Symphony String Quartet will perform along with the "People Dancing" dance troupe. The party is outdoor, and dress is business casual...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Ypsilanti residents to decide on design for new bike racks
Concentrate
8/13/2008
Decisions, decisions. That's what Ypsilanti residents have to make when it comes to bike racks.
The city is offering local citizens to choose which style of artistic bike rack they would like to see grace downtown and Depot Town. The art racks were custom designed by Ypsilanti-based VG Kids, which will also make the racks...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Stars dropping in at Ypsilanti's Elbow Room
Apparently Ypsilanti's Elbow Room has become the Viper Room of Southeast Michigan (the Viper Room is the club in Los Angeles where all the Hollywood young and hip hung out in the early '90s).
In the past few weeks, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Eve, and Alia Shawkat - she played Maeby on "Arrested Development" - have all been in the bar on South Washington Street in downtown Ypsilanti, and several of them have been there more than once, from what I've been told by Elbow Room regulars...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Ypsilanti works to install solar panels as soon as this fall
Concentrate
8/6/2008
This fall (or next spring), that's when the locals at Ypsilanti plan to start putting up 18 solar panels on two very visible city institutions.
Right now the local volunteers are getting structural engineering, design and installation quotes for the projects that will put new solar panels on the Ypsilanti City Hall and Food Co-op. City Hall will have 12 put on the rear of the building while the Co-op will add to the five already on its roof...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Wireless Ypsilanti expands, jump starts wireless networks elsewhere
Concentrate
8/6/2008
Grassroots free wireless Internet is spreading throughout Ypsilanti and across Metro Detroit thanks to Wireless Ypsi. What is essentially a WiFi co-op now covers large sections of the city, including downtown, Depot Town and Riverside Park.
So far the local initiative founded by community activists Steve Pierce and Brian Robb has passed 5,000 users since it launched at the beginning of this year. It averages 200 users per day and has plans to begin covering other sections of the city, such as Cross Street and various low-income housing developments...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Old World Bakery settles into its new location in Ypsilanti
Stefanie Murray
07/24/08
The tin ceiling, the wooden floors, the central downtown location - everything about the space at 40 N. Huron St. in Ypsilanti seemed to scream Old World Bakery to Tim Edinger.
He'd been scouting various sites around Washtenaw County for years for a retail location for his growing cheesecake business. He opened the store in Ypsilanti last month in a 1,200-square-foot former office space that neighbors World of Rocks. Previously, his wholesale bakery was on Plaza Drive in Pittsfield Township.
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News
Ypsilanti's Farmers' Market grows faster than the food it sells
Concentrate
7/30/2008
Evidence of downtown Ypsilanti's growing popularity is popping up everywhere this summer. The latest bit of good news comes courtesy of Ypsialnti's Downtown Farmers' Market.
The market has experienced a boom in attendance and vendors so far this summer. The market would typically attract about 450 people on a good day, during the busiest times in August and September. A new record of 763 customers was set in mid July and the number of participating vendors has jumped from 18 last year to 28 so far...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Be a good little beer scout with these tips for the Michigan Summer Beer Festival
by Josh Smith and Anne Holcomb
07/25/08
YPSILANTI -- Always be prepared.
But just in case you are having trouble channeling that inner Boy Scout/Girl Scout here are some things to keep in mind if you are planning on attending one or both days of this weekend's Michiagn Summer Beer Festivial -- or any beer festival for that matter...
Read the rest of the article on Mlive
Local homebrewer David Curtis' Top Crop Nut Brown at Michigan Brewers Guild's Summer Beer Festival -- get you some!
John Liberty and James Sanford
07/25/08
KALAMAZOO -- It's every homebrewers dream -- have the big boys recognize your product.
Kalamazoo's David Curtis won last month's homebrewers competition, organized by the Ann Arbor Brewers Guild and held at the Corner Brewery. As his reward the Arbor Brewing Co. made seven barrels of his winning Top Crop Nut Brown. It was tapped Saturday at the brewery and will also be available at this weekend's Michigan Brewers Guild's Summer Beer Festival in Ypsilanti (look for the Arbor Brewing Co. booth). Curtis, who will be attending the event Saturday, said Friday afternoon that he used an Essex Ale Yeast, which is only available two months a year...
Read the rest of the artice on Mlive
Ypsilanti takes advantage of new liquor license law to push Thompson Block forward
by Jon Zemke
07/16/08
A state law on liquor licenses is proving instrumental to development in Ypsilanti.
The law lets downtown districts offer cheap liquor license to entrepreneurs who make substantial improvements to property in a district. Ypsilanti's Depot Town Downtown Development Authority is using it as a big part to help the Thompson Block development come to fruition...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ypsilanti's art fair emerges from the shadow
Molly Mast is fascinated by feet. She fits shoes on week days and spent about 10 hours Saturday taking photos of people's feet at the Shadow Art Fair in Ypsilanti for an art project.
"Feet are interesting," said Mast, who works at her family's store Mast Shoes in Ann Arbor. "I love mine..."
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
The Shadow Art Fair
by Tom Hendrickson
7/16/2008
Back in December 50 crafters and artisans took over the Corner Brewery in Ypsi for the winter version of the Shadow Art Fair — a decidedly non-church-basement take on an arts and craft show. Handmade brew, groovy music and cooler-than-thou crafts were on display and on sale.
It's all part of the city's growing DIY culture, turning the former automotive community into the hip Brooklyn to Ann Arbor's starch-shirted Manhattan...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Fireworks show approved for Ypsilanti's Heritage Festival in mid-August
Fireworks will sparkle over Frog Island in Depot Town next month, as part of the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival.
The Ypsilanti City Council approved the show unanimously Tuesday for the festival's 30th anniversary celebration, Aug. 15-17. The festival celebrates the Ypsilanti area's heritage and is held at the Riverside Park and Depot Town...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Ypsilanti's downtown is rebounding, even in difficult times
by John Coleman
07/14/08
Have you seen the real downtown Ypsilanti lately?
In light of the poor economy, job loss and inflation - have you seen the positive growth in old Ypsilanti?
I frequently come to Ann Arbor - I dine at the Chop House, Real Seafood, and I plan on dining at the new Fondue restaurant. Main Street is one of my favorite weekend spots. I shop at many of the shops in Ann Arbor - but like all parts of Michigan, Main Street Ann Arbor has seen its share of businesses closing down - and leaving forever...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Summer Beer Festival Highlights Michigan Craft Beer Month
by Todd
07/14/08
EAST LANSING, Mich) - The Michigan Brewers Guild invites you to celebrate Michigan Craft Beer Month (July) by visiting area brewpubs and microbreweries, purchasing Michigan craft beer at retail outlets and restaurants and attending regional celebrations like the 11th Annual Michigan Summer Beer Festival (July 25-26) at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti's historic Depot Town.
Rep. Rebekah Warren (D - Ann Arbor / 53rd District) introduced Resolution 401 which passed in the Michigan House in June designating July 2008 as Michigan Craft Beer Month, commending the Michigan craft brewers for "providing jobs, improving the balance of trade, supporting Michigan agriculture, and educating residents about the history and culture of beer while promoting the responsible consumption of beer as a beverage of moderation." (Complete resolution attached)...
Read the rest of the article in BeerAdvocate
Michigan Firehouse Museum: Experience the eras of horse-drawn pumpers and 1940s cars
by Phyllis Rose
07/13/08
DAY TRIP
Ypsilanti -- Ypsilanti is the second-oldest city in Michigan, something I didn't know even though I spent four years there attending Eastern Michigan University. So Best-Ever Friend Dave and I drove to Ypsilanti in search of history, the town's and my own. What would I find in this town I left nearly 40 years ago? Would I remember anything about it or the campus?
As we walked from the car to the Michigan Firehouse Museum, 110 W. Cross St., I looked up the street and said, "Dave, there's the water tower." The brick water tower is an EMU landmark, so now I knew how close we were to the campus...
Read the rest of the article in the Kalamazoo Gazette
Elvisfest wraps up in Ypsilanti
by Santiago Esparza
07/12/08
YPSILANTI -- It isn't Graceland, but for thousands of Elvis fans, Ypsilanti was the next best thing this weekend.
The ninth annual Michigan Elvisfest wrapped up Saturday at Shady Riverside Park, attracting scores of Elvis impersonators in sparkling white jumpsuits, blue suede shoes and well-coiffed pompadours.
Organizers bill the annual festival of all things Elvis as the largest one of its kind in North America. They say it boasts the best Elvis tribute performers -- do NOT call them impersonators -- in the region. Elvis Presley Enterprises endorses the event, according to the festival's Web site...
Read the rest of the article on detnews.com
Ypsilanti Shadow Art Fair set for Saturday
by Khalil E. Hachmen
07/12/08
The Shadow Art Fair began two years ago as a warm-up for the Ann Arbor Art Fairs and to bring Ypsilanti area artists together.
This year, organizers accidentally scheduled the small Ypsilanti fair to coincide with the last day of the Ann Arbor Art Fairs.
Organizers say they're not concerned because the Ypsilanti fair attracts a different crowd, and the event has grown enough to emerge from the shadows and stand on its own...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News
At Ypsilanti's Riverside Park, Elvis rocks on
by Liz Cobbs
07/12/08
Karen Braunschweider got close to the stage as Elvis tribute artist Leo Days kneeled down and shook her hand while singing, "Love Me Tender."
Days then turned to other women in the crowd with their hands outstretched and accepted a yellow and red rose from two different admirers.
Braunschweider, of Dayton, Ohio, sported a broad smile as she walked back to her seat.
Was it like shaking hands with the real Elvis?...
Read the rest of the article in The Ann Arbor News
Depot Town Dining
By Drew Dorian
July/August
Long known as Schramm’s Deli, Tucker’s or Miller’s Ice-Cream, Café Luwak, which it became know as three years ago under new owner Jim Karnopp’s management, has a history of serving its patrons the best in sweet ice cream treats. But since Karnopp has taken over, some different, but delicious new items have made quite an impact. Café Luwak serves gourmet sandwiches made with homemade ingredients and artisan bread, which had an integral role in landing the eatery impressive recognition. Café Luwak was recently voted “Best Sandwich Shop in Southeast Michigan” by WDIV Channel 4 Detroit. Votes were tallied from sandwich shop patrons from around the area and Café Luwak won, beating out sandwich shops in much more highly populated areas...
Read the rest of the article in emYOU
Corner Brewery
July/August 2008
Located off of Forest, Corner Brewery is the newest edition to the family of Depot Town establishments. A member of the Arbor Brewing Company (ABC) Corner Brewery specializes in an incredibly comfortable and relaxing environment that makes you feel like your in your living room knocking a couple back.
As a brewery, you'll find only ABC's special blends. Currently, on tap you can enjoy eight original brews consisting of a little bit of everything for everyone. From the light Brasserie Blonde Belgian to the dark, seasonal (Sept.-March) Phat Abbot Belgian Dubbel, Corner Brewery satisfies all taste buds!...
Read the rest of the article in emYOU
Great Beer, Great Times
by Nate Stemen
July/August 2008
The Frog Island Brewing Company has its roots in Ypsilanti and its delicious hoppy foliage spreads out just far enough to be enjoyed by EMU students and Ypsilanti residents alike.
Dave French, of Frog Island Brewing Company, knows a little bit about beer. His family has been serving it since he was a boy. So you could say he’s been around beer his whole life...
Read the rest of the article in emYou
Ypsilanti Heritage Festival looks to own history
by Khalil Hachem
08/09/08
For 30 years, organizers of the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival have celebrated the historical significance of the Ypsilanti area, including buildings, faces and stories.
This year, they plan to focus on the event's history, as organizers celebrate the 30th anniversary of the three-day festival, which will be held at the Riverside Park Aug. 15-17...
Read the rest of the article on Mlive
Ypsilanti businessman David Curtis singled out for award
by Jordan Miller
07/09/08
In 2001, David Curtis opened Club Divine in Ypsilanti. In 2002, he opened Pub 13 and its "Dueling Pianos" show. Later that year he opened The Best Dang Sports Bar, located in the upper level of Pub 13. His new restaurant, J. Neil's Mongolian Grille - with Key Stones Wine Bar & Desserts on the lower level - is set to open in an anchor spot in downtown Ypsilanti within the next two months.
So it's not surprising that the Ypsilanti Area Chamber of Commerce named Curtis the 2008 Small Business Person of the Year. He was honored at the chamber's monthly First Tuesday Breakfast in June...
Read the rest of the article on Mlive
The Economic Upside Of Historic Preservation
by Jon Zemke
7/9/2008
...Karen and Eric Maurer began restoring Victorian homes in the heart of Ypsilanti more than a decade ago because they liked the stately old structures. Turning 19th Century mansions into luxury apartments that served nearby Eastern Michigan University and downtown Ypsilanti quickly turned from a part time passion to a full time career as more and more renters sought out their buildings. Maurer Management Properties is now one of the biggest landowners in Ypsilanti, possessing some of the city's most sought-after real-estate. Not a bad fate for the once struggling filmmakers.
"It's very challenging but at the same time it's very rewarding because there is a lot you can do with them," Eric Maurer says...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Your Call SPECIAL DEPOT TOWN EDITION
by Jeremy Allen
July/August 2008
Since this issue of emYOU! The Magazine focuses on the Historic Depot Town District, who would be a better fit to weigh in on the great festivals of the summer season than the owners of some of the shops and boutiques of the area?
This month's "Your Call" question posed to Depot Town business owners was: "Which Depot Town summer festival(s) are you most looking forward to seeing?..
Read the rest of the article in emYOU
Taste of the Month
July/August 2008
If you’re looking for a sweet way to start off or finish up your night out, try this tantalizing concoction of Frangelico and lemon vodka. Ask Sarah or Jessica at Sticks for a German Chocolate cake shot and you’ll be delighted by this delicious treat. Start by licking the sugared rim, and finish with a tart lemon wedge. You might not guess by looking at it, what with its yellow hue and all, but this does in fact taste very chocolaty! Yum!..
Read the rest of the article in emYOU
Local Business Owner “Gets Involved”
July/August 2008
Pakmode Publications is thrilled to highlight local businesses that truly embrace our “Get Involved” mentality and make a difference within the Eastern Michigan and Ypsilanti communities. CASE Handyman owner Jay Mehta and his partner Joe Marshall, Certified Aging in Place Specialist, are truly getting involved and making a difference in the Historic Depot Town and in the lives of Eastern students...
Read the rest of the article in emYOU
The Shadow Art Fair
by Nate Stemen
July/August 2008
From the dark, hidden corners of Ypsilanti comes the appropriately named Shadow Art Fair, where local and national artists crawl out from under their paint soaked and clay crusted dwellings for one day.
On July 19, from noon to midnight, the slingers of stain and the connoisseurs of creativity will come together to bring “indie art” to The Corner Brewery (located at 720 Norris St in Ypsilanti just two blocks north of Cross Street)...
Read the rest of the article in emYOU
EMU & Ypsi History Facts About Depot Town
by Jeremy Allen
July/August 2008
Depot Town’s history runs deep. From the festivals, museums and automotive roots, to the unique blend of shops, restaurants and nightspots, there’s not a spot in the Historic area that doesn’t have a story to go with it.
Snippets of those stories have been told in other articles throughout this month’s issue of emYOU! The Magazine. Here are some interesting facts about Depot Town that might not have been mentioned in other stories and they may prove to provide you with a greater respect for Michigan’s second oldest historic district...
Read the rest of the article in emYOU
Student Spotlight: Sarah Backus
by Amanda Slater
July/August 2008
Formerly a thriving railroad city, Ypsilanti’s Depot Town is full of rich history that dates back nearly 175 years. Today, although much has changed, much remains the same. The area still experiences regular rail traffic from the Amtrak trains that cut through the district. And it’s still a booming, vibrant place which boasts some of Ypsilanti’s (the Nation’s) best restaurants and bars, as well as a variety of annual community festivals...
Read the rest of the article in emYou
Thompson Block Project
by Lucas Wilsdon
July/August 2008
Heading into Depot Town, a large brick building on the corner of River Street and Cross seems to catch one’s eye. Upon further look, the bricks and mortar that hold up its frame tell a story of historic significance.
This 30,000 square-foot building, standing at 400 North River Street, is planned to be a major attraction and economic boost for the City of Ypsilanti and Depot Town, one that has formally been recognized as “The Thompson Block Project...”
Read the rest of the article in emYOU
Car lovers turn out for Camaro Superfest in Ypsilanti
by Jessica Nunez
07/05/08
YPSILANTI --Camaro owners from all over Michigan, Ontario and seven other U.S. states shined up and displayed their cars along the Huron River in Riverside Park on Saturday as part of the 17th annual Camaro Superfest.
The Southeastern Michigan Camaro Club put together the three-day auto show. Organizers separate the cars into classes based on year and body style. Judges award winning cars in each class with a plaque...
Read the rest of the article on detnews.com
Ypsilanti's Riverside Arts Center gets into the 'Rhythms of Life'
by Jordan Miller
07/06/08
"Rhythms of Life," a new exhibit running at the Riverside Arts Center Gallery through Aug. 2, is inspired by the interactions between humans and their environment.
There are four artists featured in the show. Lois Bryant's series of weavings, "The Ground Beneath My Feet," takes imagery from asphalt, cracked cement, footprints, and surfaces usually overlooked or considered ugly. A series of quilts by Marilyn Prucka are based on photographs she took of a puddle filled with pine needles...
Read the rest of the article on Mlive.com
Editorial: Local patrons needed to sustain local stores
07/06/08
Nicolas Arreola recently celebrated a milestone - the one-year anniversary of his downtown Ypsilanti grocery, Dos Hermanos.
When people talk about the economy, it's often done in abstract terms of unemployment rates and consumer confidence surveys. But fundamentally, the economy is built one entrepreneur, one business, one job at a time...
Read the rest of the article on Mlive
Everything Elvis returns to Ypsilanti's Riverside Park July 11-12
For six years, Chris Solano has brought his moves and voice to the Michigan Elvisfest in Ypsilanti, becoming a favorite at the annual event.
This year, Solano, an Ann Arbor resident, will give fans and participants an additional thrill. He is hosting the gospel hour and will reach into his music repertoire to sing Buddy Holly songs at the 2008 Michigan Elvisfest in Ypsilanti's Riverside Park on Friday and Saturday, July 11-12...
Read the rest of the article on Mlive.com
You haven't lived here until...you've swiveled your hips at Elvisfest
by Zlati Meyer
07/06/08
Are you lonesome tonight? If it's July 11-12, gyrate your way over to the ninth annual Michigan Elvisfest at Shady Riverside Park in Ypsilanti's historic Depot Town.
Don't be cruel. We're not! The festival includes dozens of musical performances, a vendor area and events for the King's youngest fans, like Little Elvis Kid Karaoke. Organizers say it's one of the largest Elvis concerts in North America...
Read the rest of the article on Freep.com
My Business: Materials Unlimited in Ypsilanti
It was 1971 and Reynold Lowe needed bricks and a picket fence for his historic Fifth Avenue home in Ann Arbor.
He inquired about buying pieces of the Michigan Municipal League's building, which was being torn down at State and Washington streets...
Read the rest of the article on Mlive.com
Enjoy an affordable night on the town
By Phil Clark
06/24/08
Welcome, newcomers, to Ypsilanti, Michigan, where the food is cheap and the music is live! Even poor college kids need to dine and relax from time to time, so here are some money-saving restaurant and entertainment ideas.
Drinkers can try Sidetrack Bar & Grill, at 56 E. Cross St. in Depot Town. After 11 p.m. bar-goers can grab $2.95 25-ounce mugs of any draft beer, including Bell's Oberon. Just remember to bring your ID...
Read the rest of the article in
Liquor license laws loosened
By James Cavanaugh
06/24/08
Liquor license rules will soon be changing in Ypsilanti's popular Depot Town neighborhood.
As part of plans to further develop the area and spur economic development, city council has adopted a new set of standards set to take advantage of a Michigan law allowing a different type of liquor license...
Read the rest of the article in
Market 'not complaining' Arreola family completes 1st year in downtown Ypsilanti
by KHALIL E. HACHEM
06/29/08
Nicolas Arreola measures success by the smiles on his customers' faces.
His Mexican market in downtown Ypsilanti - the only grocery store in the city - draws customers from Canton, Saline and Ann Arbor.
"We see new faces every day,'' said Arreola, who is celebrating a first year of success in Ypsilanti this month. "It's good for business"...
Read the rest in mlive
Learn To Earn: Internships Work
by Tanya Muzumdar
6/26/2008
...Jacobsen/Daniels Associates, LLC, an Ypsilanti-based aviation planning firm, has hired over 35 interns since 2002; 14 of whom progressed to permanent employment. The firm works on airport projects nationwide, hiring five or six interns per year for full-time three month assignments.
Managing Partner Bradley Jacobsen explains that, initially, the young start-up used interns to balance its staffing loads. Now the company has grown to 16 employees, but each hire still means a change of "between 6 and 7% of our staff. … The internships allowed us to test our potential candidates, and early on that's what we used the program for, as a kind of rent-to-own scenario"...
Read the rest of the article in metromode
What Is That Gallery in Ypsilanti to double space
by Janet Miller
06/26/08
Artists David and Leslie Austin opened their downtown Ypsilanti gallery in February and now are in the midst of their first expansion to double their space.
"What typically happens is the artists come first, followed by the art galleries, the coffee shops and the housing," said David Austin. "We can see the future. This will be a really fabulous location"...
Read the rest of the article in Ann Arbor Business Review
Maurer family to wrap up one Ypsilanti project, start another this fall
by Jon Zemke
6/25/2008
One project down (almost). Another begins. It's the cycle of redevelopment life for the Maurers.
Ypsilanti residents Eric and Karen Maurer, who own Maurer Management & Properties, are nearly finished building the J Neil's Mongolian Grille on the ground floor of the Kresge Building on Michigan Avenue in downtown Ypsilanti. Construction is set to wrap up this summer so the restaurant can open in that same month...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate.
Haab's Restaurant donates 10% of sales to Ypsilanti freighthouse
by Rick Fitzgerald
June 22, 2008
Haab's Restaurant, 18 W. Michigan Ave., is donating 10 percent of sales today, between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m., to the effort to renovate the historic freighthouse in Depot Town.
The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse organization told The News in May the group needed close to $400,000 to bring the building up to city fire and building codes. The FOYF took over management of the 129-year-old structure four years ago, and have so far raised about $80,000...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor News.
Fabled Tucker turns 60
by Inside Autos staff writers
June 22, 2008
This year marks the 60th anniversary of a rare but noted American automobile.
Members of the Tucker Automobile Club of America held their annual convention this weekend in Ypsilanti, the home of Tucker founder Preston Tucker. Only 51 Tuckers were made in 1948 before the Tucker Corp. collapsed...
Read the rest of the article in the Detroit Free Press.
The Tucker automobile takes center stage
by Leisa Thompson
June 20, 2008
Michigan's MotorCities National Heritage Area will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the legendary 1948 Tucker automobile during the annual Tucker Automobile Club of America Convention in Ypsilanti, which runs today through Sunday.
The Tucker car, which revolutionized the automotive industry in the 1940s, was created by Ypsilanti resident Preston Tucker and introduced many new features. The Tucker Corp. collapsed shortly after the car's launch, producing only 51 prototypes...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
Bigger Kids Want to Dress Cool, Too
by Aili McConnon
June 19, 2008
Merrill Guerra of Ypsilanti, Mich., used to despair when buying clothes for her overweight daughter Gabi, now 11. Older children's sizes that fit Gabi's torso would be too long in the pant legs and shirtsleeves, and the styles were often too sexy for a young girl. "When I talked to other girlfriends, I realized I was not alone in my frustrations," Guerra says. So she decided to form RealKidz, a plus-sized clothing company for girls ages 5 to 12. She started selling capris, leggings, and T-shirts online in May and plans to roll out a back-to-school line this August.
Guerra is tapping into one of the hottest areas of retail: fashion for overweight kids. The $6.2 billion market in plus-sized children's clothes is proving to be as lucrative as the clothing market for overweight adults. Together, sales are expected to grow 41% by 2012, according to market research firm Packaged Facts. With overall clothing sales in a funk, established brands such as Lands' End, J.C. Penney (JCP), and Old Navy are competing with a growing number of specialty retailers to expand their offerings for "plus" and "husky" junior customers...
Read the rest of the story in BusinessWeek Magazine.
Beer flows in Ypsi
by Sylvia Rector
June 19, 2008
Ypsilanti's fun-filled Depot Town hosts the 11th annual Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival on July 25-26, featuring more than 200 craft beers from more than 30 Michigan microbreweries and brew pubs...
Read the rest of the article in the Detroit Free Press.
City to borrow $750,000 for Water Street
by Christine Laughren
June 19, 2008
In an effort to spur economic development of its Water Street property, city of Ypsilanti offciials are seeking nearly $900,000 of funds available through the Environmental Protection Agency.
In a five to one vote the City Council granted approval Tuesday evening to begin the grant and loan application process for $750,000 in loans and $120,000 in grants from the Washtenaw County Brownfield Authority...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Courier.
SEMCOG, train companies reviewing latest study for Detroit-Ann Arbor line
by Jon Zemke
6/19/2008
One small step for Metro Detroit... is the one just taken by the commuter rail project connecting Detroit, Ann Arbor and Metro Airport.
Officials from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and the myriad of train companies that control the track are now meeting to discuss the recently completed infrastructure capacity and fare-box studies...
Read the rest of the article about the rail line that will stop in Ypsilanti at MetroMode.
Ypsilanti borrows cash to jump start Water St. project
by Khalil E. Hachem
June 18, 2008
The city of Ypsilanti will give up $1 million of state grants and low-interest loans for the stalled Water Street project because it cannot use the money if the project does not have a developer.
To help replace that money, the City Council decided Tuesday to borrow about $750,000 from the Washtenaw County Brownfield Authority to demolish former industrial buildings along Michigan Avenue. The county's loan does not require a signed agreement with a developer before spending the money on demolition, said April McGrath, director of administrative services with the city...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
Brownfield Conference attracts developers to Ypsilanti's Water Street project
by Jon Zemke
6/18/2008
There is hope yet for Ypsilanti's Water Street property, the red-headed stepchild of local development.
City officials are banking that exposure at the Brownfields conference in Detroit earlier this spring will breath new life into the project. It appears the work may pay off in attracting interest in developing the largely vacant 38-acre parcel...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate.
Elevator to alter Riverside; Ypsilanti arts center will finally be able to use upper floors
by Khalil E. Hachem
June 17, 2008
The upper floors at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti have been unused for years because they do not include a required second exit and handicapped access.
A major construction project starting in the next couple of weeks will change that, with the installation of an elevator between the center and an adjacent building. The renovation will not only significantly improve options for the arts center, but also provide an important improvement for the downtown area...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor News.
Funding isn't child's play
by Katherine Yung
June 15, 2008
Four weeks ago, first-time entrepreneur Merrill Guerra thought all her money problems were about to be solved.
At the MidMichigan Innovation Center in Midland, the chief executive and founder of RealKidz Inc. had just delivered a presentation about her Ypsilanti start-up company in front of 15 potential investors. The wealthy individuals belonged to a Midland group called the BlueWater Angels that provides seed money for fledgling companies...
Read the rest of the article in the Detroit Free Press.
Cruisin'
by Christine Laughren
June 12, 2008
Sunny weather and a lot of cool cars brought people to Depot Town last Thursday evening for the first cruise night of the year. Cruise nights will continue every Thursday (weather permitting) through September 18. Five-year-old Jack DeBona of Ypsilanti gets ready for the hula hoop contest...
Read the rest of the article (and see the picture) in the Ypsilanti Courier.
UNWIND: Downtown Ypsilanti's Bowerbird Mongo store - A passion for collecting
by Janet Miller
June 12, 2008
When Joyce Ramsey met Ward Freeman in the 1990s, he was a minimalist when it came to home decor. "He was Spartan," she said. He offers a different take on it: "I was streamlined." But a trip to Treasure Mart in Ann Arbor changed all that. Today, the couple's interest in collecting everything from pottery to World's Fair souvenirs has grown into a passion and, more recently, a business.
While their historic, three-story home in the heart of Ypsilanti's downtown has housed their growing collection of treasures for nearly six years, it spilled over to a business venture when they opened Bowerbird Mongo on the street level of their 130-year-old building nearly two years ago. When they first bought the building, they didn't know what they were going to do with the long-vacant 890-square-foot first floor...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor Business Review.
SEMCOG releases Ann Arbor to Detroit Regional Rail Project Video
by SEMCOG Staff
June 11, 2008
The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments has released a video for the Ann Arbor to Detroit Regional Rail Project. Ypsilanti's Depot Town stop is featured in the video.
See the video at SEMCOG.
Puffer Reds
by Tom Hendrickson
6/11/2008
There are places you buy your stuff. And then there's Puffer Reds. From clothes to shoes to music, this downtown Ypsilanti mainstay is nationally recognized as both a trendsetter and tastemaker.
You know you're 'all that' when Adidas decides to unveil a sneaker named and designed after your store and it not only brings out Detroit Piston Chauncey Billups but leads to lines circling the block...
See the video at Concentrate.
PREVIEW: 'And Then There Were None' at Riverside
by Roger LeLievre
June 10, 2008
When it comes to Agatha Christie whodunnits, "And Then There Were None" is a classic. That's one of the reasons the folks in Ypsilanti's P.T.D. Productions chose it for their next show, director Rick Katon said.
"It's a real headscratcher of a mystery," he said...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
12th Annual Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show: Eight-year orphan Plymouth welcomed at last
by Frank Markus
June 6, 2008
For the last dozen years, serious automotive history nuts have known that the place to be on the first Sunday in June is Ypsilanti's Riverside Park, which fills with the sounds and smells of 300 automotive oddballs and eccentricities. Brands that have fallen by the wayside for myriad reasons are celebrated here, and several of the best automotive historians spend the day sharing their knowledge of these forgotten flivvers, which hail from around the globe and span most of the first automotive century. Plymouth and DeSoto were the featured marques this year, but Plymouth participation was restricted to 1959 and earlier (expect the same when Olds becomes eligible in four years, and don't hold your breath for Eagle brand participation any time soon). If you like seeing unfamiliar cars, this is the place to find them. We have highlights, and we once again commend Jack Miller and his crew at Ypsilanti's Automotive Heritage Museum and Miller Motors Hudson for the spectacular job they do...
Read the rest of the article in Motor Trend Magazine.
New business opens in Depot Town
by Christine Laughren
June 5, 2008
Americans use computers a lot.
In fact, more than 70 million American households, or 62 percent, had one or more computers according to the Oct. 2003 Current Population Survey...
Read the rest of the story in the Ypsilanti Courier.
Solar Panels being discussed for Ypsilanti City Hall
by Terry Parris, Jr.
6/5/2008
The Ypsilanti City Hall could get some new dressings soon, at least on the south side of the building.
Dave Strenski has proposed lining the south-facing wall of city hall with 12-205 watt solar panels, bringing in nearly 10,000 watts a day. Strenski was responsible for the solar panels on the Yspi food co-op in Depot Town...
Read the rest of the article in MetroMode.
2008 Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show
by Evan McCausland
June 4, 2008
Late Saturday afternoon - technically a day before the 12th annual Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show - a group of cars gathered to cruise through the Michigan countryside. I found myself riding in a 1967 American Motors Ambassador convertible when my driver, Tom Wilson of Ypsilanti, Michigan, asked if I planned to attend the show. I nodded my head in affirmation...
Read the rest of the article in Automobile Magazine.
Site chosen for Ypsilanti SPARK incubator
by Terry Parris, Jr.
6/4/2008
Ypsilanti may be the next big thing on the horizon in Southeast Michigan. With the influx of niche shops, art galleries, and new businesses in general, this other university town is getting its fair share of attention. It’s almost like a little brother, living for so long in the shadow of his older sibling, finally getting the spotlight.
Ann Arbor SPARK, an organization that strives to advance innovative business development in the Ann Arbor region, have seen the spotlight and are about to put down roots in Ann Arbor’s eastern neighbor.
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate.
Orphaned cars roll into Depot Town
Summer automotive events in Ypsilanti
Read the list in the Eastern Echo.
Soberfest rocks Riverside
Hundreds of people gathered in Riverside Park Saturday afternoon for Soberfest, an annual celebration of addiction recovery.
"The mission of Soberfest is to bring people in recovery and the community together," said the festival's website. "Alcoholism, drug addiction and all addictions are not just a personal problem; they are a community problem as well."...
Read the rest of the article in the Eastern Echo.
Ypsilanti festivals full of free new concerts in 2008
by Jordan Miller
June 01, 2008
Adding to the roster of great - and free - activities in Ypsilanti this summer, the Crossroads Music Festival and the new Ypsilanti Summer Series will offer free outdoor concerts every week of the season.
The Ypsilanti Summer Series was created by the Depot Town Community Development Corp. to get more people to come downtown on weeknights, says Director Erik Dotzauer...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
Vintage orphans attract families to Ypsilanti car shows
by Khalil E. Hachem
May 30, 2008
Pointed-nose Plymouths and DeSotos with toothy grins will be in Ypsilanti this weekend to thrill auto enthusiasts and inaugurate a new season of car shows this summer in a city that has become a hot spot for them.
The popular Orphan Car Show is scheduled for Sunday with a display of DeSoto and Plymouth cars in Riverside Park. Orphan cars are those no longer manufactured or imported to the United States...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
10 Summer Festivals You'd Hate to Miss
by Scotter Bragg
May 28th, 2008
Music, wenches and wine, Oh My! Michigan offers a ton of unique fabulous festivals that you really can’t find anywhere else in the country. Here are 10 worth your time and money...
See how Ypsi's Michigan ElvisFest stacks up against the rest of the state's festivals (including the Ann Arbor Art Fair) at MiLifeMiTimes.
Thompson Block project slices through red tape, sets fall construction
by Jon Zemke
5/28/2008
Stewart Beal must be getting in better and better shape these days as he continues to jump through hoop after hoop to lift the big Thompson Block project in Ypsilanti's Depot Town off the ground.
The young developer is currently doing a little extra work to shore up the historic structure but now plans to start construction in earnest this fall...
Read the rest of the story in Concentrate.
Cool businesses expanding or moving into Ypsilanti's downtown and Depot Town
by Jon Zemke
5/28/2008
The quirky shops that used to define downtown Ann Arbor decades ago are either moving into or expanding in Ypsilanti's downtown and Depot Town areas...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate.
Drew Barrymore sightings are the big buzz this week in Ypsilanti
by Roger LeLievre
May 23, 2008
Did actress and budding producer/director Drew Barrymore swoop into Ypsilanti unannounced this week?
Local Internet blogs were abuzz with sightings and at least one resident says Barrymore posed for a photo with her...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
Ypsilanti leaders look ahead
by Khalil Hachem
May 23, 2008
Ypsilanti is facing challenges, but the area is well-positioned for success in the future, a group of Ypsilanti and Washtenaw County leaders said Thursday.
"Our condition is strong," Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Ruth Ann Jamnick told about 200 members of the business community during a "Michigan Leaders Speak" forum at Barton Hills Country Club. The event was sponsored by the Ann Arbor Business Review, owned by the same company as The Ann Arbor News...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
The Future of Ypsilanti
May 22, 2008
See the full video of the Ann Arbor Business Review discussion at Barton Hills Country Club about "The Future of Ypsilanti" with City of Ypsilanti Mayor Paul Schreiber, Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Ruth Ann Jamnick, Washtenaw County Administrator Robert Gunzel, Phoenix Contractors President William Kinley and Ann Arbor Business Review Editor Paula Gardner here.
Ypsilanti leaders stay focused on economic development
by Janet Miller
May 22, 2008
Ypsilanti's past, present and future took the stage Thursday morning as a four-member panel discussed a range of issues, from the area's reputation to establishing a business incubator to participating in the massive "aerotropolis" project between Detroit Metro Airport and Willow Run Airport...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor Business Review.
Spark to lease Ypsilanti site
by Khalil Hachem and Tina Reed
May 22, 2008
Ann Arbor Spark announced Wednesday that it plans to lease a vacant former furniture store in downtown Ypsilanti for a business incubator to serve eastern Washtenaw County.
Mike Finney, Spark president and chief executive officer, said the building at 15 S. Washington St. is large enough to house the incubator and two classrooms to be shared with Eastern Michigan University's business program...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor News.
YSO to perform at Riverside Park
By Kathleen Conat
May 22, 2008
For the first time ever, the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra will hold an outdoor concert at the Pavilion in Riverside Park 2 p.m. Saturday. This is the opening of a planned summer concert series in the park.
"We're excited about being a part of establishing a summer venue," said the orchestra's music director, Adam Riccinto...
Read the rest of the story in the Ypsilanti Courier.
Ann Arbor SPARK settles on Ypsilanti business incubator site
by Nathan Bomey
May 21, 2008
Economic development organization Ann Arbor SPARK expects to open its long-anticipated Ypsilanti business incubator in the fall at the former Smith Furniture building on South Washington Street.
SPARK's board this afternoon officially authorized the signing of a lease for the 13,000-square-foot first level of the 24,168-square-foot facility, said Elizabeth Parkinson, SPARK's director of marketing and public relations...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor Business Review.
Ypsilanti's LookInTheAttic grows local and online presence, looks to add positions
by Jon Zemke
5/21/2008
Downtown Ypsilanti's LookInTheAttic is finding profits and jobs in some interesting places.
The store specializes in selling antique reproduction hardware and housewares both at its storefront and online. And it's making a good business of it, achieving 40 to 50 percent growth since last year and expanding its workforce by four to seven people with plans to hire another one or two within the next year...
Read the rest of the story in Concentrate.
Solar panels coming to Ypsilanti city hall, Food Co-op
by Jon Zemke
5/21/2008
The sun is smiling on Ypsilanti and the city's residents are aiming to capture that radiance and turn it into electricity.
Nineteen solar panels are planned to be installed on the Ypsilanti City Hall and Food Co-operative later this year. Making all of this possible is a $36,000 grant awarded to the city and co-op by the state...
Read the rest of the story in Concentrate.
Freighthouse rescue chugs on
by Khalil E. Hachem
May 18, 2008
When Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse took over management of the historic structure in Depot Town four years ago, they had hoped to restore the building and reopen it to the public quickly.
But the deterioration of the 129-year-old Freighthouse was worse than predicted, and raising the $365,000 needed to repair the building proved difficult in a slow economy...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor News.
Clothes need customers
by Katherine Yung
May 18, 2008
After months of planning and product development, first-time entrepreneur Merrill Guerra and her start-up company, RealKidz Inc., face their first big test. With a limited budget, can they sell 817 pants and shirts for plus-size young girls?
Everything's ready to go. Piles of 11 different kinds of shirts and pants for girls ages 5 to 12 sit stacked on shelves in RealKidz's office in Ypsilanti's Depot Town. Boxes, envelopes, tissue paper and clear plastic bags are nearby...
Read the rest of the story in the Detroit Free Press.
Ypsilanti District Library fountain flowing and glowing again
by Jordan Miller
May 18, 2008
The Patsy Chandler Fountain is up and running for the season.
The fountain is located in the Library Plaza park next to the downtown Ypsilanti District Library at 229 W. Michigan Ave...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor News.
Ypsilanti hopes business incubator, Water St. project can fuel revival
by Dan Meisler
May 15, 2008
Ypsilanti officials report progress in their search for developers for the 38-acre city-owned Water Street property, just east of downtown, at the recent National Brownfields Conference in Detroit.
The city connected with multiple potential developers, announced that it's willing to divide the parcel and said it is on the verge of hiring a commercial brokerage to keep momentum going...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor Business Review.
HANGOUTS: Cafe Luwak
by Courtney Ceronsky
May 15, 2008
The sunny, friendly coffeehouse in Depot Town called Cafe Luwak occupies a space that over the years has been home to some of the historical neighborhood's most fondly remembered businesses. It was best known most recently as Schramm's Deli and prior to that Tucker's Cafe, owned by John Tucker, grandson of Preston Tucker, inventor of the Tucker automobile. In another incarnation, the location was known as Miller's Ice Cream.
Cafe Luwak's customers who are longtime residents of Ypsilanti often still call the shop Miller's, says current owner Jim Karnopp. That's OK with him, though. The area's rich past is largely what appealed to Karnopp about the Cross Street building, which he purchased in 2005. He'd spent the previous two decades working in the IT field, thinking more and more about owning his own coffee shop. When he discovered the former Schramm's space was up for sale, he knew the time was right and Cafe Luwak was born, quickly becoming an integral member of the close-knit Depot Town community...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
Retail Report: Ugly Mug Cafe in Ypsilanti gets a facelift
by Stephanie Murray
May 8, 2008
Since opening four years ago, Ypsilanti's Ugly Mug Cafe has gotten some fantastic reviews for the coffee it carefully roasts on site - the shop even roasts beans for other coffee houses. But owner Melody Rye knew a lot of people avoided hanging out there because of the thick cigarette smoke that choked up the place. She and partner Jim Johnson tried air purifiers, countless filters and fans.
"It was just impossible to vent it properly and we were alienating the other 80 percent of the population," Rye said.
So earlier this year, the Ugly Mug undertook its first major interior renovation. New wood floors, new blue paint and new seats were unveiled last month and now the coffee shop is - you guessed it - smoke-free...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor News.
Hot Rods!
by Christine Laughren
May 8, 2008
You know summer is coming when you hear the roar of car engines echoing through the streets of Depot Town.
And there was plenty of rumbling Sunday as people gathered for the Ypsilanti Area Street Rods 29th year of "Show and Shine."...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Courier.
Ypsilanti Food Co-Op more than just a supermarket
by Christine Laughren
May 8, 2008
It's different than going to the supermarket. It's a community place. You see your neighbors there. It's close to home. It's the Ypsilanti Food Co-op.
For more than 40 years the Ypsilanti Food Cooperative has been a staple of the area and what originally started out as a food-buying club in the late '60s is now a successful venture owned and operated by community members...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Courier.
Ypsilanti bike shop is back in the spin
by Khalil E. Hachem
May 07, 2008
Ralph Ellis is determined to keep a bicycle shop in Ypsilanti to help its downtown pedal toward success.
Ellis started Ypsilanti Cycle LLC in 1982. He sold the cycle shop on Michigan Avenue in 1997, leasing the storefront to several people. And when the last owner moved to Canton in February, Ellis decided to reopen his bicycle shop the next day...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
Superior Twp. contributes to Ypsilanti business incubator
by Ann Arbor News Staff
May 06, 2008
The Superior Township Board of Trustees voted Monday to contribute $15,000 over three years toward a business incubator in eastern Washtenaw County.
Township Supervisor William McFarlane said the township approved $5,000 for the project this year. If it's successful, the township will contribute the rest of the money in the following two years. "We would want them to come to us and report on the project," McFarlane said...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor News.
Ypsilanti Water Street parcels draw developers' interest
by Dan Meisler
May 6, 2008
Marketing the 38-acre, city-owned Water Street property in Ypsilanti has proven easier now that the city is willing to split it up into parcels – at least so far.
City and county officials said they were pleased with the response to their marketing efforts at the 2008 National Brownfields Conference being held this week at the Cobo Center in Detroit.
Instead of seeking a large developer to take on the entire project, Assistant City Manager April McGrath said, smaller companies expressed some interest at the brownfield event...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor Business Review.
City proposes to sell parcels of Water Street
by Christine Laughren
May 1, 2008
The city of Ypsilanti is hoping to stimulate development of its Water Street property by possibly selling the land on a piece-by-piece basis.
Parceling the property is one of several short-term strategies the city manager's office presented to members of City Council during a special work session last Thursday...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Courier.
Downtown Ypsilanti's old Kresge building to house Mongolian barbeque, martini bar
by Jon Zemke
4/30/2008
The rebirth of Ypsilanti's old Kresge building is nigh now that Mauer Management & Properties has nearly completed its ground floor renovation.
J Neil’s Mongolian Grille and the Keystone Martini Bar are set to open in the ground floor and basement of 200 W Michigan Ave. within seven weeks...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate.
Ypsilanti to demo Water Street buildings, put best foot forward
by Jon Zemke
4/30/2008
It looks like some buildings are ready to fall on Ypsilanti's Water Street property to help jump start the redevelopment project.
City officials are considering taking out a $650,000 loan from Washtenaw County to help tear down some of the buildings on the 38-acre parcel and start removing some of the pollution...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate.
Zingerman's considers expansion into Ypsilanti
by Jon Zemke
4/28/2008
The folks at Zingerman's pride themselves on making the most of their little corner of Ann Arbor's Kerrytown district. Now they are looking at the possibility of doing the same thing in Ypsilanti.
Paul Saginaw, one of Zingerman's co-founders, is looking into the idea of setting up an restaurant/cafe in either Depot Town or downtown Ypsilanti. The eatery would focus on local food and services as much as possible...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate.
Local coffeehouse goes smoke free
by Christine Laughren
April 24, 2008
The Ugly Mug in Ypsilanti has gotten a makeover.
Along with new floors, tables, chairs and a fresh coat of paint, the coffee shop went smoke free Monday...
Read the rest of the story in the Ypsilanti Courier.
Delivery puts firm in gear
by Katherine Yung
April 23, 2008
It seemed like the most ordinary thing, the big brown truck rolling to a stop behind an Ypsilanti office on a sunny spring afternoon. But for Merrill Guerra, this wasn't your average delivery.
Five minutes later, the founder and CEO of RealKidz Inc. was eagerly cutting open a tall rectangular box. She quickly pulled out a white shirt with short orange sleeves and began carefully examining it.
After months of designing, planning and fitting, Monday marked the arrival of RealKidz's first products -- some of the 817 shirts and pants it hopes to sell to plus-size young girls. The clothes were made at a Chicago-area manufacturer...
Read the rest of the article in the Detroit Free Press.
Spark needs money to get business incubator started in Ypsilanti
by Khalil E. Hachem
Wednesday April 16, 2008
Organizers of a business incubator in Ypsilanti are asking eastern Washtenaw County municipalities to contribute to the proposed project.
Representatives from Ann Arbor Spark and Washtenaw County told the Ypsilanti City Council Tuesday that organizers are still looking for $65,000 for the project. The incubator, slated to open in September in downtown Ypsilanti, will cost about $200,000 to run and will serve the eastern part of the county...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
Friends of Ypsilanti's Freighthouse work to restore landmark
by Jon Zemke
4/16/2008
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead
Just such a small group is trying to make changes in Ypsilanti's Depot Town. The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse are within a few grants (and about $400,000) of changing the local icon from a vacant, decaying structure to a symbol of resurgence.
"It's the heart and soul of the community," says Bonnie Penet, co-chair of the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse. "It's the one place the community gathers on a regular basis. The farmers market is there and our arts and crafts shows [too]. We voted there."...
Read the rest of the article at Concentrate.
Customer service is more than mere words
by Neal Rubin
April 14, 2008
Jaws Jumbo Burgers in Farmington Hills knows what its customers want.
Café Luwak in Ypsilanti knows who its customers are.
Read the rest of the column in the Detroit News.
Guest Blogger: Mark Maynard
4/14/2008
Read Ypsi resident Mark Maynard's guest blog for the week at Concentrate.
Price, attitude attractive Ypsilanti environment may be getting friendlier for art galleries
by Jordan Miller
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Although Leslie and David Austin's art gallery in Petoskey was doing well, they realized that most of their clients spent most of the year in the southern part of the state, and they wanted to monopolize on that. So they settled on a space in downtown Ypsilanti, moved down here, and opened the What Is That gallery in early February.
The couple renovated a large space formerly occupied by a hair-braiding business at Michigan Avenue and Washington Street. They cleaned up debris, knocked out walls, ripped up carpet, and did a lot of painting.
The Austins said that, although they checked out locations in Ann Arbor, they settled on their Michigan Avenue location in downtown Ypsilanti for one main reason: price...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
Volunteers scour Ypsilanti parks, downtown in Capture the Trash effort
by Amanda Hamon
April 12, 2008
Tony Davis and Rachel Webster grabbed their trash bags and gazed over Ypsilanti's Riverside Park Saturday.
Although it was a chilly, rainy day, the two Eastern Michigan University students were eager to participate in Capture the Trash, an event meant to spruce up Riverside and Frog Island parks, among other areas.
"Whenever you get a chance to go out and clean up, it's better to go out and do it with a whole bunch of people. It's just more fun," said Davis, an EMU sophomore and member of the community-service organization Circle K...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor News.
MASTERMIND: James Marks
by Terry Parris, Jr.
4/9/2008
James Marks is sitting in a black, plastic swivel chair at the end of the counter in his downtown Ypsi storefront company - VGKids. His feet are kicked out. His mop of hair falls over his eyes and every few seconds he pushes it out. He's watching the sky dump six inches of snow on Michigan Avenue, where just two days prior the thermometer broke 50 and coats were being left in the car.
"I wanted to change the world," the 29-year-old unflinchingly says, recalling the only thing he really wanted to do after graduating high school. "And it's still my plan."...
Read the rest of the story in Concentrate
SPARK to choose Ypsilanti location within a month
by Jon Zemke
4/9/2008
One of these buildings is not like the other... because one of them will be the new home of Ann Arbor SPARK's Ypsilanti satellite office.
The new economy business incubator is deciding which downtown storefront to set up its Ypsilanti extension. The choices are the Mack & Mack building on Michigan Avenue by Bombadills or the Smith Furniture building at 115 S Washington St...
Read the rest of the article in Concentrate
Ugly Mug Cafe gets a major facelift
Wednesday, April 4, 2008
The Ugly Mug coffee shop is expected to temporarily close while it undergoes drastic changes -- including a different name, a smoke-free indoor atmosphere and extensive remodeling.
"We're planning on having a contest to rename the cafe," said owner Zak Rye. "With all the renovations and changes, it just felt like a good time for change."...
Read the rest of the story in the Eatern Echo.
World of Rocks not your typical gift shop
by Austen Smith
April 3, 2008
After 22 years in business, Gail Kornbluth says she has developed a loyal following.
The owner and operator of downtown Ypsilanti's World of Rocks, 43 N. Huron St., says after moving her business from Ann Arbor, to Canton, to Belleville and finally settling in their current location eight years ago - she is amazed to see the same people visiting her store as when they first set up shop...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Courier
Start-up efforts struggle, advance in tough economy
by Katherine Yung
March 27, 2008
Production delays. Money worries. Work-filled weekends.
As two of Michigan's newest start-up companies move closer to their launch dates in April, the pressure is mounting...
Read the rest of the story in the Detroit Free Press
Ypsilanti's Thompson Block gets key tenant, work to begin
by Jon Zemke
3/24/2008
One of the last stalwarts of blight in Ypsilanti's Depot Town is about to go away and be replaced with a new, vibrant mixed-use development.
The developer behind the Thompson Block project, Stewart W. Beal, signed a key tenant this week and expects to start construction in earnest later this month or early April. The development will breathe new life into a long-blighted building overlooking the railroad tracks at Cross and River streets, turning it into 16 luxury lofts above 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail space...
Read the rest of the article at Concetrate.
Thompson Block may be Depot Town bar
Monday, March 24, 2008
Youngsters can sign up for Riverside art classes
by Jordan Miller
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Ypsilanti's Riverside Arts Center has a new children's program: "Art Adventures at Riverside Off Center,'' a series of art enrichment classes for elementary school students.
Kids will have the opportunity to draw, paint, sculpt, and more...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor News
Guest Opinion: Ideas to guide downtown Ypsilanti
by Brian Vosburg
March 20, 2008
The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority recently completed a five-year strategic plan with the assistance of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority...
The report, and the months of planning and input involved in creating it, have added to the buzz downtown Ypsilanti is generating around the state. The results of the study have been summarized into eight guidelines...
Read the rest of the Guest Opinion column in the Ann Arbor Business Review
Local Alternative Energy Initiatives
by Jon Zemke
3/20/2008
Green is not a color that is usually associated with Metro Detroit. We identify colors like blue with workforce collars and local waterways. Red brings to mind Red Wings and apples. Gray paints pictures of Michigan skies and Rustbelt factories...
A group of Ypsilanti residents are working to install solar panels on as many institutions with viable southern exposure. Solar panels are already up and functioning on the Ypsilanti Food Co-operative and there are plans to put up yet more on the back of city hall and the Rutherford Pool...
Read the rest of the article at MetroMode
Merchants to stay open later, offer incentives: Business owners react to Blueprints plan
By Christine Laughren
March 20, 2008
The recently released Downtown Ypsilanti Blueprints report encourages retail businesses in the area to stay open later. And that is exactly what some shops are doing.
Businesses are attempting to lure people downtown by keeping later hours and offering incentives to shoppers such as gift baskets...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Courier
Chauncey Billups celebrates with Adidas in Ypsilanti store
Investing In Vintage Ypsi
by Jon Zemke
3/18/2008
Living in Ypsilanti is sort of like a kid growing up in a candy store for Eric and Karen Maurer.
The city has the second-largest historic district in the state, filled with picturesque Victorian homes on tree-lined streets. You want houses with towers and oculus windows? Ypsi has them. How about artistic detailing like gingerbread siding or plaster medallions? Ypsi has more than it knows what to do with. What about big, wrap-around porches and Mansard roofs? They're in Ypsi, and the Maurers own them the way little girls own doll houses...
Read the rest of the article at Concentrate.
Ypsilanti's task: to build on a solid foundation
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Fun, funky, edgy, gritty, cool, historic, safe and full of vitality.
You could argue that downtown Ypsilanti already has some of those attributes, and a new report suggests it's an image that residents and business owners hope to build, helping bolster the city's economy in the coming years...
Read the rest of the editorial in the Ann Arbor News
Some Ypsilanti businesses go wireless
by Kathleen Conat
March 13, 2008
Don't look now, but Ypsilanti has gone wireless.
A community collective of residents and business owners have begun providing free broadband Internet access with the mission of bridging the digital divide and help everyone gain access to technology and the Internet...
Read the rest of the story in the Ypsilanti Courier
On the Record with Brian Vosburg
March 13, 2008
What would you like to see accomplished in downtown over the next five years?
For Downtown Ypsilanti, I would like to see it become a regional destination over the next 5 years that is well know for providing a unique and outstanding experience with in several well defined niches. I would also like to see the already large stock of downtown housing expand in its diversity and price points...
Read the rest of the Q & A in the Ypsilanti Courier
Bar lease moves key Depot Town project forward
by Carol Marshall
March 13, 2008
The last piece of Ypsilanti's Depot Town's historic redevelopment will soon be put in place, as the developer of Thompson Block pursues financing for the project.
Stewart Beal, president of Beal Properties LLC, signed a lease with Andrew Garris, who plans to open a 200-seat bar and music venue in the historic building. Garris, who has tentative plans to call the bar The Barracks, in keeping with the building's history, is the second commercial tenant; the first, a 10-year lease with Broughton Music, was signed in September...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor Business Review
Adidas picks Ypsilanti store to help mark Forum's 25th year
by Jordan Miller
Thursday March 13, 2008
Detroit Pistons basketball star Chauncey Billups will be at Puffer Red's in Ypsilanti on Saturday to unveil the "Puffer Red's Limited Edition Forum" sneaker, part of a national Adidas promotion.
The shoe company is marking the 25th anniversary of its Forum basketball shoe, and Puffer Red's, an apparel and music store in downtown Ypsilanti, is one of four retailers nationwide selected to be part of the celebration...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor News
Ypsilanti stores to try late Fridays
by Jordan Miller
Thursday, March 13, 2008
In a group push to get more people into their stores, many downtown Ypsilanti merchants will stay open until 9 p.m. on the second Friday of every month and offer special events and incentives, starting this week.
Participating stores have been hanging bright posters in their windows, promoting the event and tying it into Easter and St. Patrick's Day holiday shopping...
Read the rest of the article at the Ann Arbor News
New restaurant nearing completion
by Christine Laughren
March 13, 2008
After several delays and setbacks, Ypsilanti's Mongolian Grill is nearing completion and is expected to be open in about eight to 10 weeks...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Courier
Partners in finance - Women make up local financial hub
by Kathleen Conat
March 13, 2008
Candace Pinaud and Kaci Sicheneder met at an Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce breakfast in November of 2006. In January of this year, Sicheneder moved her business, Velocity Investment Partners, LLC into the office of Pinaud's Leave No Stone Mortgage Lending. Together, they are the financial hub of Depot Town...
Read the rest of the article in the Ypsilanti Courier
Residents attend Final Blueprints Meeting
by Christine Laughren
March 13, 2008
HyattPalma returned to Ypsilanti Monday evening to give their final presentation for the city's Downtown Blueprint.
The nearly two-hour presentation was given at the Riverside Arts Center. Approximately 100 people were in attendance...
Read the rest of the article at the Ypsilanti Courier
Ypsi's 5-year downtown plan calls for marketing, business building
by Jon Zemke
3/13/2008
Most strategic plans for downtowns include some sort of major infrastructure project, such as streetscape improvements, restoring historic buildings and improving the pedestrian environment.
Downtown Ypsilanit's new five-year strategic plan doesn't really touch on those subjects, saying the city center has already accomplished most of those basic goals. Instead the plan, prepared by city officials and downtown revitalization consultants HyettPalma, calls for marketing the downtown better, letting locals define it first, facilitating more cooperation between institutions and developing a better business environment...
Read the rest of the article at MetroMode
A solar powered Ypsilanti?
by Jon Zemke
3/13/2008
They may be baby steps, but a group of local residents are moving toward making solar energy a bigger and more visible part of life in Ypsilanti.
The group has raised $900 of the $3,800 needed to install a series of 12 solar panels on the south side of City Hall. City officials are also working to land several thousands dollars in state grants to buy and install another $19,000 worth of solar panels...
Read the rest of the article at MetroMode
Ypsilanti's ShadePlex ready to launch, looks to add five
by Jon Zemke
3/13/2008
A glass of beer, a good friend and a hot summer's night. That’s the genesis of the idea behind the ShadePlex startup in Ypsilanti.
ShadePlex is a company that specializes in making tents with solar panels built into them...
Read the rest of the article at MetroMode
Firm to develop Ypsilanti area
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Members of Ypsilanti's Downtown Development Authority are working to make Ypsilanti a more exciting place to live and visit, despite the region's economic problems.
HyettPalma, an urban planning firm based in Alexandria, Va., was hired by the Ypsilanti DDA to provide a five-year development blueprint. According to their Web site, HyettPalma "specializes in discovering the unique economic potentials dormant in every older business district."...
Read the rest of the article in the Eastern Echo.
Downtown Ypsilanti on WDET's "Detroit Today"
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Ypsilanti's downtown may be changing dramatically in the next 5 years. A new report commisioned by the city recommendeds long-term strategy for downtown...
Listen to the interview at WDET
Improving Ypsilanti's Downtown
by Bob Eccles
2008-03-11
The Riverside Arts Center was the scene as the consulting firm of Hyett-Palma presented its five-year blueprint for improving Ypsilanti's downtown area...
Listen to the rest of the story at WEMU
Ypsilanti looks to build downtown buzz
by Khalil Hachem
March 11, 2008
Food, arts and entertainment are becoming a niche for downtown Ypsilanti, but more business development and marketing are needed to propel the business district forward in the next five years, a consultant says.
"There is a renewed energy and buzz in downtown," said Doyle Hyett told about 125 people who gathered at the Riverside Arts Center Monday to hear recommendations on improving downtown. "Ypsilanti is going in the right direction, but you need to get the word out and take risk."...
Read the rest of the story in the Ann Arbor News.
Wireless Ypsi on WDET's "Detroit Today"
Monday, March 10 2008
Wireless Ypsi is a community collective dedicated to bringing free broadband internet access to Ypsilanti and they seem to be moving along faster than some other local wireless initiatives. We'll talk with Wireless Ypsi's founder, Steve Pierce, this morning...
Listen to the interview at WDET
Sales hold steady in Washtenaw
by Jordan Miller
Sunday, March 09, 2008
The downtown area seems to be faring slightly better, he said, with all of the retailers reporting meeting their targets for growth. One of the reasons, he speculates, is that most of the stores downtown fulfill niche needs.
"Small businesses are not going to compete with the chains on the breadth of selection, they're not going to compete on cost, but what they will continue to beat them on ... is the uniqueness of what they're providing and the service,'' Vosburg said.
Read the rest of the article at the Ann Arbor News
Sidetracked in Depot Town
by Terry Foster
3/9/2008
Ypsilanti - I don't go to this town much.
Why? I really do not know. But I made a discovery many of you already know about. Sidetrack Bar and Grille in Depot Town is a great place for a burger and a brew...
Read the rest of Detroit News sports writter Terry Foster's experience at Sidetracks while in Ypsilanti for the girl's state high school basketball finals at Eastern Michigan University here.
Vacant storefront transforms into art gallery
by Stephanie Miller
March 6, 2008
What a difference art can make - especially in a vacant, unwelcoming storefront on a downtown Ypsilanti corner.
Husband and wife team David and Leslie Austin have transformed the 2,300-square-foot space at the northeast corner of West Michigan Avenue and North Washington Street into an art and craft gallery called What Is That. Formerly, the building housed a hair braiding salon...
Read the rest of the article at the Ann Arbor News
Future Visions
by Christine Laughren
March 6, 2008
He can't quite put his finger on it but he said there is something different about Ypsilanti — a change for the better.
Doyle Hyett, co-founder and chairman of HyettPalma, a national consulting firm specializing in the economic enhancement of downtowns, said there is an air of optimism that wasn't here last time he visited on official business in 1992...
Read the rest of the story at the Ypsilanti Courier
Ypsi will unveil downtown plans on Monday
by Jon Zemke
3/6/08
Identity creation. Those two words will play a critical role in downtown Ypsilanti's new five-year strategic plan, which is set to be unveiled on Monday evening.
The plan will plot the course for how to improve Ypsi's downtown district over the next half decade. City officials and downtown revitalization consultants HyettPalma met with local residents late last month to come up with the plan. The popular sentiment was to that Ypsi needed to assert itself and take control of its identity...
Read the rest of the article at MetroMode
Local Bloggers Write Ypsi's Kick-_ _ _ Anthem
by Julie Cook
March 3rd, 2008
Word of mouth has given Ypsilanti its hip cred for years. Refusal to fall in line with Ann Arbor — the polished, overpriced and squeaky clean neighbor — finds many young people living and working in Ypsi.
The “it” stuff that makes a place charming — unique housing, independent restaurants, shopping, history, off-the-beaten-path fun and walkable downtown spaces — has been around for years. But the loyal residents of Ypsilanti transform the old by shouting their praises through a concept more modern: Web 2.0...
Read the rest of the article at MiLife MiTimes
DDA allocates funds for RAC
Officials give Center $25,000 to elevator project
by Christine Laughren
February 28, 2008
The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority reauthorized $25,000 for the Riverside Arts Center elevator project at its regularly scheduled meeting last Thursday...
Read the rest of the article at the Ypsilanti Courier
Projecting Ypsilanti's Future
by Bob Eccles
2008-2-27
More than one hundred people turned out for a meeting Tuesday night to provide input into the process of developing a vision for the future of Ypsilanti's downtown area...
Hear the rest of the story at WEMU
Ypsi DDA seeks public input
by Khalil Hachem
February 25, 2008
If you have ideas to improve downtown Ypsilanti and attract new development to the struggling business district, the city wants to hear from you.
The Downtown Development Authority is sponsoring a public meeting Tuesday to solicit ideas from residents, patrons and business owners on making downtown more appealing to customers and developers.
The DDA is working with representatives from the Michgian State Housing Development Authority and HyettPalma, a Virginia consultant firm, to prepare a five-year plan to market and improve downtown...
Read the rest of the article at the Ann Arbor News
Plans for business incubator under way
by Khalil Hachem
February 24, 2008
A business incubator is in the works for downtown Ypsilanti.
Organizers hope to offer space for 10 startup high-tech businesses and foster economic development in the struggling area.
The Eastern Washtenaw Leaders Group and Ann Arbor Spark are negotiating with two downtown property owners for a site for the incubator, said David Behen, deputy Washtenaw County administrator. The Leaders Group - which includes various community, business and educational leaders - was formed last year to bring economic development to the eastern side of the county.
Read the rest of the article at the Ann Arbor News
College of Business goes Google
Friday, February 22, 2008
Google and Eastern Michigan College of Business have partnered up for a program that helps make local non-profit organizations more marketable, meanwhile, putting that influence in the hands of the students in the College of Business.
Google had a program in which grants were available to non-profit organizations. The grants were for a program called AdWord, which is the sponsored links on the right side of the Google page that show up after an individual completes a search...
Read the rest of the article in the Eatern Echo.
Ypsilanti is getting a Spark
by Khalil E. Hachem
February 21, 2008
A business incubator is in the works for downtown Ypsilanti.
Organizers hope to offer space for 10 startup high-tech businesses and foster economic development in the struggling area.
The Eastern Washtenaw Leaders Group and Ann Arbor Spark are negotiating with two downtown property owners for a site for the incubator, said David Behen, deputy Washtenaw County administrator. The Leaders Group - which includes various community, business and educational leaders - was formed last year to bring economic development to the eastern side of the county...
Read the rest of the article in the Ann Arbor Business Review.
Ypsilanti screen printer opens California location
by Janet Miller
February 21, 2008
VGKids, an Ypsilanti-based screen printing company that caters to the subculture and alternative markets, is looking west.
The company, which experienced 150 percent growth last year, recently opened a satellite facility in Oakland, Calif.
The new location positions VGKids closer to indie bands and alternative markets, significantly reducing turnaround time for West coast clients, said James Marks, VGKids founder and creative director.
Read the rest of the article at the Ann Arbor Business Review
Ypsi's Wireless Co-op
by Jon Zemke
2/21/2008
Parks along Huron River in Ypsi get boost from revitalization plans, grants
by Jon Zemke
2/21/2008
Ypsi DDA seeks help to create a vision for central business district
by Jon Zemke
2/21/2008
Maurer family plans to renovate Mack & Mack building in downtown Ypsi
by Jon Zemke
2/21/2008
Ypsilanti residents Eric and Karen Mauer, who own Mauer Management & Properties, recently bought the Mack & Mack building at 211-215 W Michigan Ave. and plan to turn it into lofts with ground floor retail space. The Mack & Mack building, at the corner of Michigan and Washington Street, was put up for auction last summer but did not sell. Largely vacant for a number of years, it is one of the last neglected storefronts in downtown Ypsi...
Read the rest of the article at MetroMode
Downtown visioning meeting set for Tuesday
Officials hope for community input for strategic plan
by Christine Laughren
February 21, 2008
Ypsilanti residents and community members are invited to a planning/visioning meeting Tuesday evening to weigh in on the future of downtown Ypsilanti.
HyettPalma, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in the economic enhancement of downtowns, will be in town next week to kick off Ypsilanti's $50,000 downtown improvement study.
Brian Vosburg, director of the Downtown and Depot Town Development Authority, said the meeting is a chance for community members to give input into the creation of a five-year strategic plan for the downtown area...
Read the rest of the article at the Ypsilanti Courier
Developers acquire more of downtown Ypsilanti
"There is a demand for quality lofts in downtown, and we hope to keep the momentum going." - Property owner Eric Maurer
by Khalil Hachem
February 14, 2008
Eric and Karen Maurer have added three more buildings to their holdings in downtown Ypsilanti, becoming the largest property owners along Michigan Avenue.
The buildings, located at 211, 213 and 215 W. Michigan Ave., are adjacent to each other between Bombadill's Coffee House and TC's Bar and Grill. Two of the buildings are attached.
The Maurers already owned the Kresge building, which they bought in 2002, and another building to the east along Michigan Avenue, which they bought last year. They converted the top floors of both properties into lofts and the first floors into retail space.
Read the rest of the article at the Ann Arbor News
Wireless Ypsi gets bounce
by Jordan Miller
February 04, 2008
Unlike its larger countywide counterpart, Wireless Ypsi is up and running.
And credit goes to a $1,200 investment, research and good old pavement pounding from residents Brian Robb and Steve Pierce.
"Most of the time, when you don't have institutional involvement, things happen much quicker,'' Robb said. "We didn't need committees, we didn't need an advisory board, we didn't need anything. ... Seriously, in three weeks, we've done what (Wireless Washtenaw has) promised to do for four years.''...
Read the rest of the article at the Ann Arbor News
Ypsi's Depot Town wins $15,000 grant to develop nearby parks
by Jon Zemke
1/31/2008
Life at Ypsilanti's two marquee parks is about to get a little bit better now that Fifth Third Bank has given a $15,000 to the Depot Town Community Development Corp. to improve nearby parks.
The money will help redevelop and revitalize the parks by supporting capital improvements and community programs.
Frog Island and Riverside parks line the Huron River, connecting Ypsilanti's two city centers: downtown and Depot Town. Many of the city's big festivals, such as The Michigan Elvisfest, are held in the parks each year. The improvements will be just the latest in a series of recent upgrades that have included installing new lighting.
Read the rest of the article at MetroMode
Building a Business
by Katherine Yung
January 27, 2008
Follow Depot Town entrepreneur Merrill Guerra as she works on the final steps to open her business in this Detroit Free Press series.
