Retailer a2vintage upcycles into storefront in downtown Ypsilanti

Kelly and Anne Callison knew they needed a new home for their business, a2vintage, when it started to take over their home. The couple’s company upcycles forgotten junk into vintage furniture and art. It had taken off so well that it quickly outgrew the kitchen table it was born on.

“We outgrew that space,” says Kelly Callison, co-owner of a2vintage. “We decided we needed a brick-and-mortar store. It got to be overwhelming working at home with constant traffic.”

A2vintage is taking over a storefront in downtown Ypsilanti. The 1,000-square-foot space at 109 W Michigan Ave will feature their signature products that mix a lot of nostalgia with bygone products into contemporary design.

“We’re a pretty good mix of industrial style and Mid-Century Modern stuff,” Kelly Callison says.

The Callisons are raising a 3-year-old son and needed to separate their work and home lives to move forward on both fronts. Downtown Ypsilanti was attractive to them for a number of reasons, including affordability and resurgence as a downtown hot spot in Washtenaw County.

“The downtown vibe and environment is starting to come back alive,” Callison says. “It’s streets are filling with family owned businesses. We decided it was something we wanted to be a part of.”

Source: Kelly Callison, co-owner of a2vintage
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.