Natalie Burg

Natalie Burg's Latest Articles

Knights to invest $900K in second Ann Arbor location in former Borders space

By Natalie Burg

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Arts & Culture

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June 12, 2013

There's no question about it: Ann Arborites loves Knight's Steakhouse. And after looking around neighboring cities for several years to open what will be their third restaurant, the Knight family confirmed just how much they love Ann Arbor as well.  "We've looked around other cities, like Brighton," says Don Knight. "We put a lot of thought into it, but we kept coming back to Ann Arbor because we're really well known here." The newest Knight's restaurant is set to open in January of 2014 on the first floor of the former Borders building in Downtown Ann Arbor. The 4,000 sq. ft. dining area will bring the family business' signature looks and food to a whole new audience with a downtown twist.  "It's not going to stray too far from the concept," says Knight. "We're definitely going to have some change in the menus. We'll have a more updated, fresher look, but it will still be very comfortable."  One thing that won't change, promises Knight, it’s the steakhouse's signature cocktails, famous for their potency.  "We'll probably have a few more martinis and stuff like that," he says. "But they'll be the same strength."  Work on the build out will begin in August. Knight anticipates the development will be about a $900,000 investment and will create 30 to 40 jobs. The restaurant will seat around 150 diners inside and an outdoor patio could seat another 40. Source: Don Knight, Knight's Steakhouse Writer: Natalie Burg

New memory wing adds 28 beds, up to 15 jobs at Ypsi’s Gilbert Residence

By Natalie Burg

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Development News

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June 5, 2013

An effort to meet the changing needs of residents has led Ypsilanti's Gilbert Residence to complete a new 14,200-square foot, 28-bed Memory Wing to its facility. The addition is part of a $7.2 million investment in the assisted living and nursing care facility.  "The design of the unit, resident rooms, and resident bathrooms allow the resident to function independently when appropriate," says Doreen Mannino of Gilbert Residence, "as well as allowing the caregivers to provide assistance in a safe and efficient manner." According to Mannino, the project began in late 2010 when Gilbert Residence decided to purchase vacant land north of the existing facility and expand its dementia unit. The Memory Wing creates a new balance of services at Gilbert Residence, which is now one-third assisted living, one-third memory care, and one-third nursing.   Residents will begin moving into the Memory Wing this week, and renovations to the remaining 35,000 square feet of the facility will commence. This will include a "Main Street" area with common spaces for residents and their guests.  "The centerpiece of this project is the wellness center with fitness equipment and programming for residents and staff," says Mannino. "Main Street will include a library/lounge, movie theatre, game room, fitness center, and bistro-style dining." The $7.2 million project will also expand staffing at Gilbert Residence. Mannino says an additional 13 to 15 fulltime equivalent employees will be added to meet the needs of the expanded facility.   Source: Doreen Mannino, Gilbert Residence Writer: Natalie Burg

Wildly Fit offers personal training, outdoor fun with new studio

By Natalie Burg

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Development News

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June 5, 2013

Personal trainers Amy and Christian Wilds were drawn to Ann Arbor because of the community's commitment to health and fitness. Now the husband and wife team are helping Ann Arborites keep that commitment with their new personal training and fitness studio, Wildly Fit. "Both my husband and I are degreed – mine is in kinesiology and his is in exercise science," says Amy Wilds. "We started in corporate fitness, but we decided we wanted to do a small personal training studio with classes. We just settled in with Ann Arbor and love the community."  Wildly Fit opened in early 2013 in a 1,000 square-foot studio on Felch St. near downtown in Ann Arbor. Now that the weather has broken, they've expanded their usable space outdoors with an outdoor gym area. The Wilds celebrated their grand opening with a kick-off party last week.  The new studio focuses on one-on-one personal training and classes that are small enough to maintain a feeling of intimacy. Wilds says all four trainers at Wildly Fit are American College of Sports Medicine-certified, something that makes a big difference in their work.  "We feel that having that knowledge and having a small facility gives such personal attention help you focus on your goals," says Wilds. The Wilds hope to continue growing their clientele, and plan to offer more programs for kids.   Source: Amy Wilds, Wildly Fit Writer: Natalie Burg

The Gown Shop grows into adjacent space, expands offerings

By Natalie Burg

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Development News

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June 5, 2013

The Gown Shop in downtown Ann Arbor has nearly doubled in size, but owner Stacy Fork says the expansion won't change the bridal boutique's focus on personal service.  "The Gown Shop expansion stemmed from the desire to cater to more brides, but still offer our signature private appointment experience," Fork says. The 1,200 square-foot shop expanded into an adjacent 1,100 square-foot space, providing room for new bridal suites separated by shoppers' desired price points. Additionally, The Gown Shop now also carries social dresses for bridesmaids and special occasions.  The expanded space is currently open for business. Fork says she is currently examining the best way to grow The Gown Shop in other ways, but still maintain the atmosphere of a small shop. "We are able to service more brides and also welcome new clients that may not be in their own wedding mode quite yet," she says, "as well as offering more distinguished and exclusive designers to the state of Michigan and those who visit The Gown Shop."  Source: Stacy Fork, The Gown Shop Writer: Natalie Burg

Classic book arts meet high tech tools at new boundedition studio

By Natalie Burg

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Arts & Culture

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June 5, 2013

The book arts industry is undergoing a considerable amount of change, and so are the options for studying them in Ann Arbor. When Hollander's announced the end of their School of Book & Paper Arts, a group of local bibliophiles decided they would both pick up where the traditional books arts school left off – as well as introduce new technologies into the community.  "Ann Arbor has a rich history of producing high-quality books," says boundedition partner Laura Earle. "There are a number of people in the area who love all things bibliophile." Boundedition opened this week on Plaza Dr. inside the Maker Works space. The LLC is a partnership between five book lovers and book arts instructors, including Earle, Jim Horton, Barbara Brown, Tom Veling and Gene Alloway. The member-based community will offer classes in the classic book arts, such as bookbinding, but will also partner with Maker Works to blend high tech tools into the process.  "It's definitely old world craftsmanship meets new world technology," says Earle. This could include incorporating such tools as laser cutters into traditional bookbinding techniques, or creating books out of unconventional materials. Earle says she hopes the community will attract a new generation of people interested in learning the book arts. Ultimately, she says, the member-based business will become whatever the members make it.  "This is a really innovative, creative community," she says. "I have high hopes that they'll do interesting things with it."   Source: Laura Earle, boundedition Writer: Natalie Burg

Navigating Cinetopia

By Natalie Burg

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General

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June 5, 2013

You can watch a movie or you can get to know a movie. Natalie Burg offers up some tips for getting to know the films and filmmakers at this week's Cinetopia Film festival.

VEO Art Studio brings classes and community to Chelsea art scene

By Natalie Burg

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Arts & Culture

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June 5, 2013

Elizabeth Wilson knows art, and she knows education. With two master's degrees, one in fine art and the other in health education, she has worked for the University of Michigan since 1985 in a number of positions including medical illustrator. Now she's returning to the basics of her passion for art with VEO Art Studio in downtown Chelsea, offering a variety of classes in sculpture, drawing and more. "I started looking around Chelsea and I fell in love with the space," Wilson says. "It's so warm, and it just feels good to be here. You walk across the street for some coffee and run into people you know. It's an ideal work environment." Though VEO Art Studio began taking its first students in January, Wilson has been dreaming up the concept for some time. In fact, she came up with the name a decade ago. "'Veo' means 'I see' [in Spanish]," says Wilson, "and in teaching art, I think that one of the biggest thing you learn is how to see, to be analytical about seeing. The core of learning and teaching art is seeing."  Wilson offers single introductory courses as well as a series of classes and intensive courses. She has partnered with other local artists to expand her class offerings. Wilson hopes to continue making partnerships in the art community in Chelsea to eventually built a cooperative where artists can share resources and provide a larger variety of courses and events.  VEO Art Studio is located in an 800-square foot space on N. Main St. in Chelsea.    Source: Elizabeth Wilson, VEO Art Studio Writer: Natalie Burg

SVS Vision celebrates grand opening in Westgate

By Natalie Burg

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Development News

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May 22, 2013

Like Goldilocks' search of the best porridge, chair and bed, Cathy Walker, VP of marketing and advertising for SVS Vision, says the company's new branch in Ann Arbor's Westgate Shopping Center offers customers the benefits of being not too big, not too small, but just right.  "We can offer more than what some of the smaller places can because of our size," she says of the Mt. Clemens-based SVS Vision, "but we're not huge. We have a much more personal touch than what some of the big places have." The 2,000 square-foot Westgate SVS Vision first opened in January, but celebrated its grand opening last weekend as the company's 57th branch. It the Ann Arbor area's second, joining an Ypsilanti location.  "We knew we didn't have enough locations in Washtenaw County, and we knew Ann Arbor was a place we wanted to be," says Walker. "The location in Westgate opened up and it made a lot of sense to us." SVS Vision began nearly 40 years ago as a vision center servicing the auto industry. Walker says the company began to expand its brand in 2008 by opening retail stores for the general public. The company is now in a growth mode, with locations throughout Michigan and seven other states. Walker expects at least one more SVS Vision location to eventually open in the Ann Arbor area.  Source: Cathy Walker, SVS Vision Writer: Natalie Burg

Dexter artist opens art, gardening, & design hub with 3.5-acre Bloom!

By Natalie Burg

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Arts & Culture

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May 22, 2013

To say that the former Sloan's Nursery and Dexter Gardens has reopened under new ownership doesn't quite cover it. The new Bloom! Garden Center and Elemental Design on Baker Rd. in Dexter is a nursery, garden boutique, art gallery and hub of landscaping and design-related businesses.  "[Owner Traven Pelletier] wanted to have a place where a lot of people could explore their passion and work collectively," says Gretchen Warner of Bloom! The eight-person office staff of Bloom! and Elemental Design is housed in a 1,600 square-foot space in a renovated historic barn on the 3.5 acre property. The innovative space also includes a 2,000 square-foot retail shop and a 700 square-foot art gallery.  "The gallery space is very neat because you can see up to the ceiling," says Warner. "We currently have four artists exhibiting and they're all local." The businesses owned by Pelletier are joined by Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping and Serge van der Voo Landscapes, companies that serve as collaborators with Bloom! and Elemental Design as well as offering expanded services to customers.  Bloom! Garden Center opened in April just a few months after Pelletier took ownership of the property in January. After a tough month of weather, they celebrated their grand opening during the first weekend of May with sunshine and an outpouring of community support. Bloom! features locally-sourced flowers, trees and shrubs, and offers free gardening workshops. In addition to office staff, Bloom! employs three project supervisors and seasonal work crews. Beginning this week, the business will host a booth from nearby White Lotus Farms offering fresh goat cheese, breads and produce.   Source: Gretchen Warner, Bloom! Garden Center Writer: Natalie Burg

Herb David luthier traditions carried on with Ann Arbor Guitars

By Natalie Burg

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Arts & Culture

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May 22, 2013

Hesh Breakstone and David Collins never intended to be business owners. But when the pair of luthiers recently learned that their employer, Herb David Guitar Studio, would be going out of business, they decided to form their own business to carry on their guitar repair work, opening Ann Arbor Guitars just two months ago. "It's had its challenges, but we've pulled it off much more smoothly than I thought we could," says Collins of the transition. "We kept the customers' instruments going through."  Tucked into the 1,000 square-foot workshop on the third floor of the iconic Herb David Guitar building on the corner of Liberty and Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor Guitars is building a business based on a set of harmonious opposites: old world repair tools and custom-designed guitar repair software, as well as corporate-minded business ethics and hands-on customer service.  "We both tend to be technologists," says Breakstone, "which is interesting, because we'll also use couple-thousand-year-old hide glue." Between Breakstone, Collins and their third technician, Brian DeLaney, Ann Arbor Guitars brings an eclectic mix of resumes to their guitar repair operations. Breakstone, a retired corporate executive, began working with Collins as an apprentice some years ago. He picked an apt teacher. A former student and instructor at Galloup School of Guitar Building and Repair, Collins worked with Old Town Lansing's Elderly Instruments before joining the team at Herb David. DeLaney has worked as a guitar tech for such big names as Ted Nugent, Sarah McLachlan, and Elvis Costello. Though Collins says the growth of Ann Arbor Guitars is inevitable – due to the lack of luthiers in southeast Michigan, he says they could stay busy even if operating in secret – the team is committed to slow, steady growth, so as to keep turnaround time on their guitar repairs reasonable for customers.  Source: Hesh Breakstone, Ann Arbor Guitars Writer: Natalie Burg