Tanya Muzumdar

Tanya Muzumdar's Latest Articles

Rejoice clothing store brings the fashion-minded to Depot Town

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Arts and Culture

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September 12, 2012

Another new clothing store, Rejoice, is fashioning Depot Town into a viable alternative to the mall. Rejoice opened in August and carries new men's and women's wear, with an emphasis on jeans. Most pairs cost $20 and less, according to Dorothy Blackmon who co-owns the store with with her husband Terry. "Our focus is to bring good quality to this area. Good quality at a reasonable price," she says. The Blackmons sold clothes online and out of their home for nearly six years, then "the clothing kind of outgrew the home and it was time to look for a location, and then Depot Town came to mind," Terry Blackmon says. Their future plans include a resumption of selling online, where they will carry dressier styles. "We come down to Depot Town for the festivities, for the festivals and Sidetrack for dinner," says Terry Blackmon. "What we decided is we wanted to be where the people are." The store is 1,000 square feet and had already been painted and remodeled when Rejoice moved in. It employs five people right now, with more to be added as the business grows, according to Terry Blackmon.  An Eastern Michigan University employee, he hopes that more retail will usher more students to the area. Store hours are Tuesday and Thursday 12-7:30; Wednesday and Friday from 5-7:30; and Saturday 12-7:30. The store may be reached at (734) 484-0246. Sources: Dorothy and Terry Blackmon, co-owners of Rejoice Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Food Gatherers plans 75% expansion of Ann Arbor warehouse facility

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Community Development

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September 12, 2012

It's happening in Ann Arbor's public schools, and now a large non-profit is behind the movement to serve more healthy, locally-grown food to the masses. Food Gatherers, the food rescue and food bank serving Washtenaw County, is seeking to add 12,646 square feet to its 16,977-square-foot warehouse, an approximately 75% expansion of floor space. "We have an existing warehouse here at One Carrot Way, and we are at capacity," says President and CEO Eileen Spring. "We've been distributing a lot more fresh fruits and vegetables and a lot more protein items, which require a different infrastructure than we currently have. So we are expanding freezer and cooler space and adding some space to accommodate volunteers." Last year Food Gatherers distributed 5.75 million pounds of food, of which more than half was protein items and produce, much of it locally grown, according to Spring. The organization has over 6,000 volunteers. Ann Arbor planning commissioners approved the project last month. Food Gatherers is raising funds and seeking approval from Ann Arbor City Council. If approved, Spring says the project could start by mid-October and would take at least six months to complete. Source: Eileen Spring, president and CEO, Food Gatherers Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Treecycling with Urbanwood

By Tanya Muzumdar

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General

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September 12, 2012

After the fall of many of Southeast Michigan's urban trees to the emerald ash borer and other misfortunes, a group of sustainability-minded individuals were left standing. Concentrate talks with Urbanwood, a partnership that's now a national model of recycling trees into green products.

Ypsilanti’s Crossroad’s Bar & Grill to add up to 10 jobs, plans rooftop deck

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Arts and Culture

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August 22, 2012

Another gathering spot will top off Ypsilanti's Depot Town once The Crossroad's Bar & Grill adds a rooftop deck using $11,000 in grant proceeds from the city's building façade and rehabilitation program. Once city approvals have been received, the deck addition work could begin in September and be open to the public by early October, according to owner Jesse Thomason. Thomason says he has been working on The Crossroad's property at 515-519 W. Cross St. for two years now. A previous project included purchasing the adjacent Magazine Rack, a former adult novelty bookstore, and converting it into a live music hall with pool tables and seating. The rooftop deck idea arose because "we have an outdoor service permit on our liquor license, but the city doesn't recognize our backyard as a business zone," he explains. He expects the deck to be about 1,200 square feet with a seating capacity of 50-75. About 75% of the area is to be covered, and the rest open-air. Heat poles would keep the deck comfortable during cooler fall weather.  "I'd like to get at least six or seven months [use] out of it every year." The Crossroad's has a staff of five, and Thomason is readying to add two more employees shortly. He may hire two more in September, and then "if the deck goes through, I'd be able to bring on at least anywhere between five and eight new positions, which would stay on even when the deck is closed because there's going to be lots of events here in the future." Source: Jesse Thomason, owner of The Crossroad's Bar & Grill Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Ann Arbor Greenbelt expands to over 3,700 acres of protected land

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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August 22, 2012

With two more acquisition deals in the pipeline, Ann Arbor's Greenbelt is widening its reach around the city. The greenbelt is a program to purchase open space parks and development rights on farmland in eight bordering townships. Since its inception in 2003, it now encompasses over 3,700 acres. Last month, the Greenbelt received two grants from the USDA Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. The first, in the amount of $229,320, goes towards the purchase of development rights on 136 acres in Superior Township, the last remaining unprotected parcel of the Robert Schultz property. The other grant, in the amount of $167,580, will go towards the 90-acre Robbin Alexander property in Webster Township. Those transactions are expected to close by year-end, according to Ginny Trocchio, program manager for the Ann Arbor Greenbelt. "And both of those are in areas we've already done quite a bit of protection, and so they add to a larger block of protected land," Trocchio says. The Robbin Alexander property is adjacent to the Bloomer Farm, the Greenbelt's first easement acquisition in Webster Township. The Schultz Farm is adjacent to the LaFurge Woods Nature Preserve and the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy's Superior Greenway. A bus tour of the Ann Arbor Greenbelt's farm space and open properties will be held on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 10-1. For more information or to register, click here. Source; Ginny Trocchio, Ann Arbor Greenbelt program manager Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Ypsilanti DDA grants to upgrade 9 more downtown businesses

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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August 22, 2012

Nine businesses throughout Ypsilanti's downtown and Depot Town districts will be spreading the wealth of the latest round of building rehab and façade improvement grants announced by the Ypsilanti DDA last week. The YDDA Building Façade and Rehabilitation Grant program awards, totaling $51,000, were funded by a $30,000 contribution from Washtenaw County's Eastern Leaders Group, a $15,000 match from the DDA, and $6,000 in surplus funds from the 2011-12 W. Cross St. Building Rehabilitation and Façade Improvement Program grant round. This latest round is an expansion of the original program from solely Cross St. to all of downtown, along with an increase in funding, from $30,000 in its prior incarnation to $45,000 in the current round. Individual awards vary from $3,000 to $15,000 apiece, and businesses must match 50% of the project cost. The grantees are the Wolverine Grill at 228 W. Michigan Ave.; Mix at 128-130 W. Michigan Ave.; 12 W. Michigan Ave.; Barr, Anhut Law Firm at 105 Pearl St.; Sidetrack Bar & Grill at 54-56 E. Cross St., Standard Printing at 120 E. Cross St., Ypsilanti Food Co-Op at 308-312 N. River St., Eagle Market at 501 W. Cross St., and The Crossroad's Bar & Grill at 515-519 W. Cross St. Projects include such items as door, window, and roof replacement, tuck point repairs, and and high efficiency heating and cooling systems. Ypsilanti DDA Director Tim Colbeck says The Crossroad's Bar & Grill's plan to add a rooftop deck is a particular standout project. "That had been an abandoned space for a number of years. It was an old bookstore. And in the last two years, Crossroads has expanded their restaurant and bar into that space...now their plan is to put in a rooftop deck so they can have outdoor functions. And so again, this'll be a pretty significant project, having a real huge visual impact on the street." Source: Tim Colbeck, director of the Ypsilanti DDA Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Dexter gets more mileage out of Border to Border Trail

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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August 15, 2012

The village of Dexter has a walkability score of 66 out of 100, according to Walkscore.com. But with the completion of another segment on the county-spanning Border to Border Trail, that score may rise.   Construction on the remaining portion of the first phase of the 1.42-mile River Terrace Trail, a segment of the Border-to-BorderTrail that connects downtown Dexter with Dexter-Huron Metropark, is to commence in September and should be finished up later this fall, says Coy Vaughn, deputy director of the Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission. This stretch includes another 650 linear feet of boardwalk and 235 feet of paved trail. An additional 3,195-foot length of trail base will be laid, with plans to pave it as part of the second phase next spring. The county is also working to obtain an easement from Norfolk Southern Railroad to install the last 1,400-foot length to run up to Central Street. And another three-mile asphalt and boardwalk segment running north from Dexter to existing trail in Hudson Mills Metropark is now going out for bids, and should be finished by late summer of 2013, according to Vaughn. "When this is completed, from downtown Dexter, you'll be able to take a 12-mile roundtrip bike ride through the metro parks and stay all on off-road trails." Once that section is laid, over 20 miles out of 35 Border-to-Border Trail miles will be complete, Vaughn says. "We're just getting over the halfway mark, but we're piecing it together and it's one of our priority projects. It's having a lot of impact on the communities along the Huron River." Source: Coy Vaughn, deputy director, Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Newly completed Mill Creek Park adds to draw of downtown Dexter

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Community Development

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August 15, 2012

The village of Dexter has a new face on the waterfront after the official opening of Mill Creek Park during the Dexter Daze festival last weekend. The $1.24 million, 2.15-acre downtown park has an amphitheater, a pair of boat launches, observation and fishing decks, plazas, and a quarter-mile pathway bridging Mill Creek around the park's perimeter. Workers are completing the stairway from the park to the library and farmers market and installing more railing on the boardwalk. "I think that the benefit to the community with respect to creating a destination in our downtown is going to have a huge economic impact, both with residential development and people visiting our community," says Allison Bishop, Dexter's community development director. Included in the village's master plan is Mill Creek Park Phase 2, a trail segment connecting the park south to Shield Road, but the need for more grant funding and collaboration with local schools will probably push that project out for another five years, Bishop says. Source: Allison Bishop, community development director, village of Dexter Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

OneLove Culture Shop brings hula-hoops, handmade goods to Depot Town

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Community Development

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August 15, 2012

Circle Ypsi's Depot Town on Cruise Night Thursdays, and you'll see hula hoops are new on the scene. Trick hula hooper Brooke Wilbanks plans to offer hooping lessons near the DJ tent during the weekly Cruise Nights. Wilbanks also makes decorative hula hoops for adults and kids, which will be for sale at OneLove Culture Shop, her new store in Depot Town. "Hula hooping actually is a big sport around the nation. It just needs to be, I feel like, more recognized in smaller towns. I'm kind of trying to bring hula hooping to Ypsilanti a little bit," Wilbanks says. Besides hula hoops, OneLove Culture Shop has an array of fair trade and locally made items, including clothing, patches, stickers, hand made and hand-dyed wall hangings and tapestries, posters, lotions and body oils, and kitchen utensils, in a 900-square foot space at 27 E. Cross Street. Wilbanks co-owns the store with her fiancee, Jonathon Doyle. "We've been building [display] tables and trying to go about doing things as frugally and crafty as possible," she says. They have re-painted the walls and installed bamboo wall coverings. The bamboo originally hung in Ann Arbor's The Oasis hot tub garden and would otherwise have been discarded during a remodeling. The diverse community and activities in Depot Town were enticement enough for Wilbanks to open her business there. "We're having an antique festival at the same time as Heritage Fest is down there. We just had the Color Run, we just had the Brew Fest. There's just a lot of stuff in Depot Town that would draw people to come to the area," Wilbanks says. Source: Brooke Wilbanks, co-owner of OneLove Culture Shop Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

German Park Is Heimplatz for Summer Festivities

By Tanya Muzumdar

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General

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August 15, 2012

Grab your lederhosen and get your spaetzle on! This weekend is the last of the German summer shindigs at Ann Arbor's German Park. Since 1938 this Teutonic social club has been hosting dances and parties. Today it attracts summer crowds in the thousands. No surprise really. The Mitten is home to nearly 350 German-owned companies.