A few years ago the city of Dexter decided to pull out its dam and redevelop its riverfront. The result has been a healthier Huron River and a near-downtown amenity that's enjoyed by both residents and businesses.
Until recently, when anyone from Dexter wanted to dine in a fresh sushi restaurant, they had to drive to Ann Arbor. Now, they only have to zip over to Dexter Plaza on Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd. to Sushi Time, which was opened about four weeks ago by long-time sushi chef Min Kang. "So many of my friends said Dexter is a nice place where many people like sushi," Kang says. "Then, I found a good place here." Sushi Time offers both dine-in seating for about 30 customers, as well as carryout. Kang says the restaurant's specialties are their signature rolls, which include the Dexter roll, Chelsea roll and the Lemon Wedge roll. "We have some plans to make more special rolls, and more appetizers," says Kang, "We have a lot of things to do, and it's getting busy." Kang has worked as a sushi chef in the area for 14 years, and recently decided it was time to start his own restaurant. Sushi Time is a family business, employing himself and his wife, as well as about three additional employees. Source: Min Kang, Sushi Time Writer: Natalie Burg
Until recently, St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea's Dexter Internal Medicine and Pediatrics office was bursting at the seams. But running out of space gave the clinic the opportunity to address a few other issues with their downtown Dexter location. "We were on the second floor and parking wasn't the greatest," says Chris Ray, office manager for Dexter Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. "We didn't have the greatest signage to let people know where we were. The conversation started with our providers about looking for a different space within the community." They found it in the Dexter Crossing shopping center on Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd. The 4,500 square foot space nearly doubled their original size, allowing for their growing staff and patient population to operate with a lot more elbow room. All that space, however, won't change the office's quality of care. "Regardless of the space of how big it looks, we're still providing the same great patient care we were before," says Ray. "We want to provide more opportunities to our patients and better access." Dexter Internal Medicine and Pediatrics made their move from one clinic to the next in about five highly orchestrated hours on July 15. As the provides and staff become more acquainted with their additional space, says Ray, they'll begin considering what new those new opportunities they hope to provide to their patients may be. Source: Chris Ray, Dexter Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Writer: Nataie Burg
Unresolved disputes can hurt economies or degrade the quality of life in a community. Belinda Dulin, executive director of The Dispute Resolution Center, explains why mediation is a viable alternative to costly and time-consuming court cases.
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales moved into a bigger production facility a little more than a year ago, and that investments is starting to pay off for the Dexter-based craft brewery. Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales doubled its sales last year when production could catchup with demand. Its revenue and production are trending higher again this year, as the brewery continues to up its production. It produced about 4,000 barrels of its brews last year, and another 5,000 barrels of North Peak Brewing Co's beers, to which Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales bought the distributions rights. "This new facility is five times that size," says Ron Jeffries, founder of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. "We have lots of room to expand." That includes another five acres of land adjacent to the brewery. That is enough space for Jolly Pumpkin to triple its current production. That has also meant more jobs. The craft brewery has hired five people at its production facility, which now has a staff of 15 people, over the last year. "We're constantly adding people," Jeffries says. "We just added two people over the last two weeks." Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales is also at full employment at its two restaurants in downtown Ann Arbor and Traverse City. That means 200 people working between the two locations. Jeffries adds that his company is looking at adding a third restaurant in the near future. It’s also looking to bump up its production to 10,000 barrels of beer next year and 15,000 barrels of booze by 2015. Source: Ron Jeffries, founder of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
After 14 years as a public school teacher, Denise Becker decided to spice things up with her business in downtown Dexter. The Dexter Spice House offers spices, rubs and spice blends that are unique to the area. Becker's interest in spices began when she her daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease four years ago. Rather that relying on pizza and take-out to feed her busy family as she had before, Becker was inspired to take to the kitchen and learn how to cook foods her daughter would love. Spices became key to her success. "I loved it," Becker says. "I was always on the hunt for different species and rubs and blends. When I had the idea to open my own store, I just decided to go for it." The Dexter Spice House offers a variety of unique spice rubs like honey chipotle and an adobo lime, and blends such as shawarma, spicy thai, as well as all-purpose blends named after ares of Dexter. "My blends are ones that you just can't find at any grocery store," Becker says. "Even the nice spice shop in at Ann Arbor — they have some blends that I don't have, but I have some they don't have." Becker is now working to develop her online presence and expand her business to the web. She currently operates the shop herself with help from her mother and a part-time employee. Source: Denise Becker, Dexter Spice House Writer: Natalie Burg
Lauren Kingsley has enjoyed fly fishing for 25 years, during which time she's become an expert in the industry. While she anticipates outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds will enjoy her new Dexter shop, Bailiwicks Outdoors, she especially hopes it will make sportswomen like herself feel welcome. "Women are the fastest growing segment in the sport, and yet when women go into the shops, they're often less than woman-friendly," Kingsley says. "We want to be known as a welcoming shop where people don't just buy stuff, but they come for help and knowledge and community — and for that to be particularly true for women." Bailiwicks Outdoors is a joint venture between Kingsley and co-owner Dirk Fischbach. The shop features high-end fly-fishing gear, adventure wear and gifts with a Michigan outdoors theme. Dexter's proximity to the Huron River and growing downtown business community made it the perfect place for such a shop. "It's a goof fit for us because it's a half a block away from the main downtown," says Kingsley. "You can walk to it, but there's ample parking. It's also a house, so it's really cozy, warm and there's great natural light." The 1,300 square foot location opened April 1. Kingsley plans to add seminars and workshops to the Bailiwicks Outdoors offerings in the near future. The shop is operated by the owners, who will soon share the workload with two part time trainees. Source: Lauren Kingsley, Bailiwicks Outdoors Writer: Natalie Burg
Though you might not know it reading the comment section of the local paper, Ann Arbor is a happy happy place. Excerpt: "Some metro areas scored higher than others for the different factors used to determine well-being. Ann Arbor, Mich., scored highest in life evaluation. Meanwhile, Honolulu, Hawaii, scored highest for emotional health and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles in California scored highest for work environment. Holland-Grand Haven in Michigan scored highest for physical heath and access to basic necessities, and Salinas, Calif., scored highest for healthy behaviors." Read the rest here.
Thomson-Shore has acquired PublishNext and its subsidiary Seattle Book Company in an effort for the Dexter-based firm to broaden its publishing platform. "It is something we have been wanting to do for sometime now," says Kevin Spall, president of Thomson-Shore. The 40-year-old company, which is 100-percent employee owned, operates as a full-service book publishing, production, and distribution company. It employs 200 people and a couple of summer interns. The firm has hired 10 people (mainly in production and manufacturing) over the last year. It is also looking to hire two more people in sales and customer service. PublishNext enables authors or small publishing houses to print their tomes or create an eBook. The Seattle Book Company has distribution channels in new markets that Thomson-Shore desires. Thomson-Shore’s acquired the two entities so it can create a broader publishing and distribution platform that allows it to fill the gaps it has with its customers. "It was a really good fit from a market-fit and customer-service standpoint," Spall says. He adds that Thomson-Shore has been looking to make an acquisition like this for the last 18 months and passed on a few other opportunities because they didn't fit Thomson-Shore's goals of supplying high-quality products and services. Source: Kevin Spall, president of Thomson-Shore Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
Downtown Dexter is now a little cozier. Boxwood Cottage and Home, a home goods retail and furniture renovation space opened in late November on Alpine St. Owners Gail Hauman and Mandy Pomo off customers home decor items, chalk-based furniture paint and furniture painting workshops. The shop is the only location in Washtenaw County now carrying the unique, eco-friendly paint. "If you haven't painted furniture before, there are so many techniques to learn," says Hauman. "We provide all of the supplies, and we just have a lot of fun. It's a really fun way to bring new life into the furniture you already have." Hauman and Promo chose the homey, 550 square foot space for its proximity to downtown. After putting their personal touch on the interior, Hauman says customers are finding the show room cozy enough to call home. "We have a lot of support from people in Dexter," Hauman says. "They love the space. People just want to sit down and read. It's very homey and cozy." Boxwood Cottage and Home is currently staff by the owners. In the spring, they plan to invest in extensive landscaping and expand their inventory to include yard and gardening decor. They are currently celebrating the recent launch of their website, and hope to add ecommerce to the site in the future. Source: Gail Hauman, Boxwood Cottage and Home Writer: Natalie Burg
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