By Mark | October 5, 2017
A week or so ago, unable to find any images online of the merchandise that was sold at Pear’s Clothing Store on Michigan Avenue, which, after being open for about 30 years, closed in the early ’90s, I started thinking about how we, as a community, might do a better job of documenting everyday life […]
Posted in Art and Culture, History, Special Projects, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged art exhibition, DocumentYpsi2017, First Fridays, First Fridays Ypsilanti, Mark Tucker, Ozone House, Pears Clothing, Peninsular Dam, photography, Smith Furniture, time capsule, Ypsi High, Ypsilanti Experimental Space |
By Mark | September 29, 2014
Local real estate developer Stewart Beal recently posted the following to Facebook and I’m curious to know your thoughts on it… As I’m seriously light-headed from coughing, and about half way into a bottle of Tylenol, I’ll abstain.
By Mark | September 11, 2013
As it was billed as a “no minimum bid” auction, I would have expected Ypsilanti’s long-neglected Smith Furniture building to be sold to the highest bidder this afternoon, regardless of how low that bid might have been. Apparently, though, that wasn’t the case. The highest bid, placed by Ann Arbor developer Phil Conlin, was rejected […]
By Mark | August 11, 2013
It looks as though Ypsi’s long neglected Smith Furniture Building (15 South Washington Street), after years of sitting idle in the hands of a local property speculator, may finally be coming back in play. After years of urging by the City, James Pate, the owner of the 25,000 square foot building, which was originally constructed […]
Posted in History, Local Business, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Ann Arbor SPARK, auction, Dennis Dahlman, Eric Maurer, food incubator, James Pate, Karen Maurer, Maurer Management, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Public Market, property speculation, Public Market, Smith Furniture, SPARK East, Ypsilanti real estate |
By Mark | November 26, 2012
Over the course of the past week or so, I’ve posted twice about the 38-acre vacant lot at the heart of downtown Ypsilanti commonly referred to as Water Street. In the first post, which was written in response to news that Family Dollar had expressed interest in building on the site, I outlined my objection […]
Posted in Ideas, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Amanda Edmonds, business incubators, business models, CDC, city planning, Community Development Corporation, dollar stores, Eastern Leaders, economic development, Family Dollar, farmers market, food entrepreneurship, food hub, food stamps, funding, Growing Hope, healthy food access, International Public Markets Conference, Jean Henry, John Knott, kitchen incubator, Michigan Farmers’ Market Association, national chains, North Charleston Noisette, season extension, sustainable urbanism, visioning, Water Street, Water Street Redevelopment Project |