Dexter

Dancer’s Edge to expand into nearby 12,000 sq-ft space in Dexter

●

July 31, 2013

A forthcoming Dexter Downtown Development Authority project is coinciding with the growth of a local business. The Dexter DDA-owned property at 3045 Broad Street now houses the 10-year-old Dancer's Edge Studio. Owner Valerie Potsos will be expanding the business from its current, 7,000 square-foot space into a building she is purchasing across the street that will provide an extra 5,000 square feet for Dancer's Edge. The move will come in time for the DDA to proceed with the demolition of the current building. Though the new space will give her business more space, Potsos says retaining a similar location was a big part of her decision to move right across the street. "We have students coming from all over the state within a 100-mile radius," Potsos says. "Those students and families bring revenue to downtown Dexter by visiting the village's restaurants and shops." Work on the building is slated to begin next February, and Potsos says discussions are still underway as to how the space will be utilized. The business now serves about 400 students and maintains a staff of about 20 part-time instructors. The new move not only reflects growth for Dancer's Edge, Potsos believes the entire neighborhood is growing into an artistic neighborhood. "We plan on building an arts community," she says. "With our close proximity to the theater, there are so many synergistic things we can do together!" The Dexter DDA intends to create a development plan for the property that will be demolished. Source: Valerie Potsos, Dancer's Edge Writer: Natalie Burg

Kids Fashion Jungle triples in size at new Dexter location

By Natalie Burg

●

Arts and Culture

●

July 10, 2013

Just a year after opening in a small location in Manchester, the children's resale and retail shop, Kids Fashion Jungle, is preparing to open in a new, larger location in Dexter. "Now we can breathe," says owner Tamara Douglas. "We had a lot of stuff stored in the back and had stuff stacked up to the ceiling. We just didn't have enough space." Kids Fashion Jungle will nearly triple their space in the new location, going from just over 800 square feet to 2,400. With the additional room, Douglas plans to carry bigger merchandise, as well as add a kids' entertainment element to the jungle-themed store. A craft room will be created where children can get creative. "Kids can come in and do a fun, creative gift for under 10 dollars," says Douglas. "We're just trying to make it a fun place for kids in different ways." The new store is scheduled to open July 20. In addition to the new craft room, Douglas hopes to offer crafting parties for kids' birthdays and other occasions in her expanded space. While Kids Fashion Jungle is currently operated by Douglas with some help from her family. She hopes the new space will allow her to grow enough to hire staff, as well as give back to the community. A key element to her business, she says, is supporting local charities that benefit children. Source: Tamara Douglas, Kids Fashion Jungle Writer: Natalie Burg

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

By Natalie Burg

●

Arts and Culture

●

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

Bits and Pizzas to bring unique Italian recipes to Dexter

By Natalie Burg

●

Arts and Culture

●

May 8, 2013

Rob and Mindy D'Oria's forthcoming Bits and Pizzas restaurant in Dexter won't be anyone's run of the mill pizza place. From imported Italian tomatoes to longtime family meatball recipes, the D'Orias are planning to create a restaurant unlike any Dexter has seen before. "I'm from the east coast, so I'm kind of a pizza snob," says Rob D'Oria. "We've spent the better part of the last ten years thinking about the food and testing out recipes." Patrons will get their chance to try out those recipes around mid-June. D'Oria hopes to have work completed on the downtown Dexter space and a staff of about 20 in place by that point to make and serve the New York-style pizza and other specialty Italian foods. The recipes aren't the only aspect of Bits and Pizzas that have been carefully crafted for some time. The 5,000 square-foot building on Main St. in Dexter has been under redevelopment for about a year. "The building is almost 150 years old," says D'Oria. "It's pretty well configured from a layout standpoint, and it will give us room to grow." In addition to updating the infrastructure of the historic building, the D'Orias are building a patio from the rear of the building that will hold out outdoor seating. Eventually, Bits and Pizzas will expand seating into the second floor, including a full bar. D'Oria says he's not cutting any corners to make Bits and Pizzas a truly unique place. They'll source their ingredients from local and specialty sources and be making everything – including their own Italian sausage – in house. Source: Rob D'Oria, Bits and Pizzas Writer: Natalie Burg

Jolly Pumpkin doubles production staffing in Dexter

By Newsroom

●

Healthy Communities

●

May 8, 2013

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales is living up to its name this year, or at least the jolly and the artisan parts. The Dexter-based craft brewery is quickly filling up its new production facility and watching sales go up at its restaurants in Ann Arbor and Traverse City. The 9-year-old firm has also been doing some collaborative brewing with Maui Brewing Co. The result is Sobrehumano Palena 'Olo, a red ale brewed with liliko'i and Michigan cherries. "It's usually a lot of fun because you get to learn something from a different brewer," says Ron Jeffries, founder of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. The brewery executed its move into a larger facility in February. Its 70,000 square feet of space (up from 10,000 square feet in its last location) has a 20,000 square-foot office that Jeffries is looking to turn into a pub later this year. It also has 50,000 square feet of production space that is helping quench the thirst for Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales' award-winning lineup. "It's filling up alarmingly fast," Jeffries says. "We're going to have to figure something out next year." Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales produced 10,000 barrels of its brews last year and is on track to sell as many as 13,000 barrels this year. That number can keep going up because its new facility provides it with the capability of doubling production. More production space has also allowed the brewery to double its production staffing to 15, after hiring seven people. It is currently looking to hire five more to do beer delivery, general labor and brewery work. The brewery also employs another 200 people at its restaurants, which have watched their sales increase significantly over the last year. Source: Ron Jeffries, founder of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Dexter’s MedHub to invest $1.7M in historic Old Grain Mill building

By Natalie Burg

●

Community Development

●

April 3, 2013

Healthcare software company MedHub has received a boost from the village of Dexter that will help the firm move toward its goal of renovating and relocating in the historic Old Grain Mill. The recently awarded industrial facilities tax exemption is expected to save the firm $24,000 per year as a 50-percent tax abatement for six years on real property and two years on personal property. "Dexter is a vibrant and dynamic community that understands economic growth and vitality," says MedHub President Peter Orr. "We considered Ann Arbor, but with just nine miles separating the two, we felt the flexible opportunities available for expansion in Dexter coupled with the close proximity to Ann Arbor was a very easy decision." MedHub intends to invest $1.7 million into the 1899 structure. Though Orr says the cost to renovate the building will be triple what it might have been to demolish it and rebuild, both his firm and the village of Dexter recognized the importance of saving a community landmark and made a collaborative effort to preserve it. While the tax abatement incentivized MedHub's investment, it will also benefit the village, as it will increase the taxable value of the long-abandoned, 22,000 sq. ft. facility, as well as bring new employees to the downtown. Now employing a staff of seven, Orr expects to double MedHub's staff in the new space. "We not only have the space we are currently in the process of redeveloping," say Orr, "but we also have room to develop a training facility in a large non-contiguous out building on the property. Our clients from across the country could eventually congregate in this facility for intensified training. This will add to the economic vitality of Dexter because our new location will be a true campus in every sense of the word." MedHub purchased the historic mill in 2011, and expects to renovate and move into the facility in this spring. Source: Peter Orr, MedHub Writer: Natalie Burg

Washtenaw County awards $600,000 in trail grants to four communities

By Natalie Burg

●

Community Development

●

March 20, 2013

In four Washtenaw County communities, projects intended to help people get places will soon be really getting somewhere. Ann Arbor, Dexter, Pittsfield Twp. and Ypsilanti Twp. will each receive a portion of the $600,000 awarded this month by Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission. The awards were a part of the Connecting Communities Initiative, a five-year program intended to invest in the County's non-motorized trail systems. "Every once in awhile we'll update our parks and recreation master plan for the county, which includes doing a survey to the public," says Coy Vaugh, deputy director of the Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission. "Trails are always number one on the list. This program allows local municipalities to create connections between trails maintained by the County and key points in their communities. Now in its fourth year, Connecting Communities has supported such projects as the trail connecting Whitmore Lake Elementary School to surrounding residential neighborhoods in Northfield Twp. and a 950-foot Chelsea trail along Old US-12 connecting the boardwalk system at Pierce Lake Golf Course with neighborhoods and schools. Of the total $600,000 grant, Ann Arbor and Pittsfield Twp. each received $150,000. Dexter received $225,000 and Ypsilanti Twp. received $75,000. The communities were required to match the funds, which are earmarked for construction only, with the cost of engineering the projects. Eight projects in six communities vied for the funding this year. Source: Coy Vaughn, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Writer: Natalie Burg

Local doc donates nature preserve to Legacy Land Conservancy

By Newsroom

●

In The News

●

February 27, 2013

A retired Ann Arbor surgeon has spent nearly 40 years purchasing 92 acres of land near Dexter. Now he's handing it over to the Legacy Land Conservancy in order to safeguard its future as a sensitive nature preserve. Excerpt: "The land, located in Dexter and Putman townships, was previously protected with a conservation easement held jointly by Legacy Land Conservancy and Livingston Land Conservancy. The terrain consists of two kettle lakes, several ponds, near-shore habitat abutting Portage Creek and Little Portage Lake, wetlands, swamp, marsh, and dry oak forests. Such habitat diversity provides a home for many Michigan species, including the Dwarf Hackberry and Massasauga Rattlesnakes." Read the rest here.

Ann Arbor SPARK lands $1M to expand reach regionally

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

January 30, 2013

Ann Arbor SPARK has landed $1 million in funding from the Michigan Strategic Fund that will help the economic accelerator expand its reach across Washtenaw County. "This broadens the geography and the number of companies that we can serve," says Paul Krutko, president & CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK. The money will go toward creating the Washtenaw County Incubator Collaborative, which will help bring Ann Arbor SPARK's business incubator activities across the county. The idea is to help further the growth of tech-based start-ups and jobs across the county. Ann Arbor SPARK will partner with the MC3 Business Accelerator and the Michigan Research Institute to leverage the $1 million in state funding (and $722,500 in matching funds from the participating agencies) to create the the Washtenaw County Incubator Collaborative. The new partnership will focus on the medical device and defense industries as well as other high-growth industries in Washtenaw County. "We need to deal with regional solutions," Krutko says. Source: Paul Krutko, president & CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

In Dexter, 3-mile B2B Trail link hits the ground running this February

By Tanya Muzumdar

●

Development News

●

January 23, 2013

It's full-on winter now, but that's not stopping the Border to Border Trail from growing. In February, work begins in Dexter on a new three-mile segment of what will be a 35-mile non-motorized trail connecting Washtenaw County to Livingston and Wayne Counties along the Huron River. This three-mile leg is expected to be completed by fall 2013. At that point, 23 miles of the planned 35 will be completed, says Coy Vaughn, deputy director of the Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission. This new portion will run from Hudson Mills Metropark to Dexter, linking up to Warrior Creek Park. It will be mostly asphalt, but there will be a boardwalk through the wetlands and a small pedestrian bridge. "Once this is done, it will create a 13-mile round trip that you can take from downtown Dexter up through Hudson Mills Metropark. They already had three miles of trails on the other side of the [Huron] River, so overall it will be a 13-mile round trip bike ride, walk, run, or whatever from downtown Dexter," Vaughn says. On the east side of Dexter, work has concluded on a 1.25-mile trail headed towards Ann Arbor and ending at Dexter-Huron Metropark. That segment connects to the DPW yard in the village, with a small section adjoining Central St. Vaughn says it's not open to the public yet, as the county is in the process of obtaining a railroad easement. Hudson Mills Metropark is north of Dexter on the river, and to the southeast of Dexter is Dexter-Huron and Delhi Metroparks. "We're trying to connect all the Metroparks to the village [of Dexter] and the city of Ann Arbor," sayas Vaughn. Source: Coy Vaughn, deputy director, Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission Writer: Tanya Muzumdar