The Ann Arbor Business Review, a weekly business-to-business publication, is being absorbed by AnnArbor.com and will cease its print edition on Aug. 13. Two employees of the Business Review – Paula Gardner and Nathan Bomey – are being hired by AnnArbor.com, which will keep the Business Review brand for business coverage in its online and print publications. [Source]
The Epic Portions blog reviews Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. Noting that he likes the beer and atmosphere, the reviewer writes: “The real reason I write this is because Corner recently expanded their food menu. It used to be that you could order your own food from outside, whether it be pizza or even take out from Sidetrack. I believe you can still do that, but they finally realized that they could make a few dollars serving their own food. I’ve tried their menu the last few visits and haven’t been very impressed, but the food is far from terrible. They offer a lot of basic menu options including burgers, brats, dips and sandwiches. They also pledge to use local sourcing … [Full Story]
Abracadabra is located on East Liberty across from the federal building and post office, between Chelsea Flower Shop and Sam's Clothing.
Steven Lesse has some stories to tell – making a necklace out of a gall stone is just one of them.
The co-owner of Abracadabra Jewelry and Gem Gallery has seen a lot since opening his downtown Ann Arbor shop in 1974. Originally located in the building that now houses Herb David Guitar Studio, Abracadabra moved to its current location at 205 E. Liberty in 1976 and has remained there ever since. Lesse, who co-owns the business with his wife Katherine, fell in love with Ann Arbor when he set up a booth at the art fair during the summer of 1973.
“I was tired of the gypsy lifestyle – it was like being in a rock band,” Lesse said. “You were always traveling around city to city, art fair to art fair. It was a fun lifestyle when you’re not attached and you don’t have own a house.” Soon after he visited, Lesse rented his first building in Ann Arbor and opened his first gallery, which also became his apartment. [Full Story]
Truck with handmade sticker that says, “I’m proud to be from Ypsitucky.”
The Freep reports that Eve Aronoff, owner of eve the restaurant in Kerrytown, will compete this fall on Bravo network’s “Top Chef: Las Vegas.” She’ll be one of 17 professional chefs to compete, and the only one from Michigan. The news was also posted on the Grub Street blog, which includes bios of all the competitors. [Source]
Red currants ($2.75/pint) and gooseberries ($3/pint) at the Wasem Fruit Farm stand. Blueberries everywhere!
The Washington Post reports on a study that found a gap in cancer survival rates between blacks and whites, with blacks being less likely to survive breast, prostate and ovarian cancer even if receiving equal treatment. The article quotes UM medical professor Lisa A. Newman: ”I believe this is a landmark analysis. There seems to be something associated with racial and ethnic identity that seems to confer a worse survival rate for African Americans. I think it’s likely to be hereditary and genetic factors.” [Source]
Brian Cook of MGoBlog.com is interviewed for a post on the New Business Models for News site, run by the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. Responding to a question about how he keeps fans coming to his site, Cooks says: ”My strategy has always been to just kill a category. If you want analysis of a Michigan football game there’s nowhere else you can go. A lot of newspaper sports writing strives for objectivity, and it holds itself a little bit aloof. And then when it tries to talk to about the intense emotions inspired it kind of falls flat. To the readers it’s like asking a virgin for his opinion on what an orgasm feels like.” … [Full Story]
Commercial space, in the foreground, abuts Liberty Lofts condominiums in the background. This shot is taken from West Liberty Street, looking south. (Photo by the writer.)
The cavernous commercial space next to the Liberty Lofts condo complex isn’t always empty – as recently as May, The Chronicle documented a temporary architectural exhibit there. Mostly, though, passers-by can look through the floor-to-ceiling windows and see roughly 18,000 square feet of emptiness at the corner of Liberty and First.
But on Wednesday, July 8, the former factory space will have another temporary occupant: Karen Myers and Archie Welch are holding an open house from 3:30-7 p.m., hoping to garner support for a European-style indoor farmers market. [Full Story]
Today, while walking the lovely Lola through Wurster Park, I noticed the beautiful, blue three-tiered drinking fountain. Lola and I each enjoyed a cold drink of water.
Dog in rumble seat heading north on Main at William.
In an introduction to an interview with Caryn Simon, we misreported the date of the first class session of her class on salve making. The first session is July 11. We note the mistake here and have corrected it in the original piece.
A post on the Hyde Park Progress blog takes a look at downtown Ann Arbor and compares this town with efforts to revitalize the Hyde Park area, home to the University of Chicago. The post includes lots of photos of Ann Arbor retail shops. “It has a garden supply store, a contemporary furniture store, and a brand new gym fronted by a juice bar. And as far as I could tell, it has only one Starbucks. Most importantly, old downtown Ann Arbor is a pleasure to walk around and explore. It seems to pull together most of what past surveys and workshops say people want in Hyde Park: lots of dining, lots of al fresco seating, independent retail, and boutique shopping.” [Source]
Tottering out at Caryn Simon's farm. In the background if you look close, some chickens are visible. (Photo by the writer.)
[Editor's Note: HD, a.k.a. Dave Askins, editor of The Ann Arbor Chronicle, is also publisher of an online series of interviews on a teeter totter. Introductions to new Teeter Talks appear on The Chronicle.]
I care what things are called. Therefore I do not take lightly the headline written for this introduction to the most recent Teeter Talk – with Caryn Simon. I do not prefer the term “see-saw.” In fact I rather dislike it.
It’s a teeter totter, not a see-saw, and I want you to remember that.
Given that I have the power to write headlines as I like, why use a term I find odious? Because “see-saw” alliterates with “salve.” And I enjoy alliteration more than I dislike the term “see-saw.” Why “salve”? Because Caryn teaches a class on salve-making. [Full Story]
The Detroit News reports on an economic forecast by UM economists Joan Crary and George Fulton, which predicts that Michigan will start seeing job growth in 2011. However, another 311,000 jobs are expected to be lost this year. Says Fulton: “I suppose the good news is we see job loss diminishing from now to the end of 2010.” [Source]
Signs up on the old Kaplan Test Prep and Instant Furniture building that say “Coming Soon” with a picture of what appears to be a brewery? Could this be the venture with Jolly Pumpkin? No website or anything, so that’s all I know.
Ann Arbor Water dept truck in the middle of the intersection pulling something from an open manhole.
Yoshi’s open in the former Dinersty space with Middle Eastern cuisine.
12:30 p.m. Three drummers making music on the corner with North University, not always in sync; Shaman Drum is officially closed, though staff appears to be cleaning and packing inside.
Construction worker breaking up a sidewalk the old-school way – pounding at it with a huge mallet.
Writing on the Huffington Post, Karen Stabiner lauds Ann Arbor and Carmel, Calif., for not allowing retail chains on their main streets – she apparently hasn’t been to town recently to see the Starbucks at Main & Liberty. Stabiner writes: “When Clint Eastwood was the mayor of Carmel, California, the city banned franchises on its main street, and Carmel, like Ann Arbor, Michigan, became something of a living museum. Both cities celebrated the individual entrepreneur and held the chains at bay. You could strike up a conversation with a local purveyor of coffee, of ice cream, of all sorts of retail treats. Borders Books had an Ann Arbor outpost only because it was born there; the rest was local.” [... [Full Story]
The Detroit News publishes an op/ed piece by University of Michigan regent Andrea Fischer Newman, who describes the university’s impact on Michigan’s economy: “University jobs create a positive ripple effect, generating jobs for thousands of other state residents. U-M employees eat at restaurants, buy groceries and shoes, pay taxes and volunteer in their communities. According to a 2003 study of the U-M’s economic impact on the state, 2.5 jobs are created for every U-M job.” [Source]
Coverage of Ann Arbor city council’s Sunday night caucus is The Chronicle’s mechanism for previewing council meetings for the following Monday. In light of another cancellation of council’s Sunday caucus this week, we’re previewing a “Chronicle’s Choice” item from Monday night’s agenda.
The parking lot at First and William streets in Ann Arbor – behind the split-rail fence and in front of the tree line. This shot is taken from Liberty, looking southeast with First Street in the foreground. (Photo by the writer.)
The idea of establishing the parcel as a green area is not at all new, but the specific timing of the move warrants analysis. Why now? [Full Story]
Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners administrative briefing (July 1, 2009): The county’s administrative staff have rearranged their offices a bit, which bumped Wednesday’s administrative briefing into a new location – a room that, unlike their previous meeting place, had windows. “Oh, it’s so bright in here – we’ll need sunglasses!” commissioner Kristin Judge said upon walking into the room.
The briefing also provided a window into the agenda for the upcoming July 8 board meeting. County treasurer Catherine McClary was on hand to brief commissioners on a land bank proposal she’ll be bringing to the board. They also were updated on several state and federal grants the county is receiving or applying for, and discussed a proposed food worker certification program. And following the briefing, a discussion about the committee appointments process brought to light a practice that some commissioners questioned – and resulted in a decision to more strictly enforce application deadlines.
We’ll start with the land bank. [Full Story]
The Kerrytown Arch by sculptor and UM graduate David Heberling.
Strolling through Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown area, you might notice the large, erratically structured arch standing on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Catherine Street, in the plaza known as Sculpture Park. Whether you’re on the way to the Smoothie King or are searching for place to sit down for a moment at one of the surrounding tables, this cubist entryway merits a closer look.
The Kerrytown Arch was created by University of Michigan graduate David Heberling in 1977. According to “Public Art in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County” by Martha Keller and Michael Curtis, it serves as a “symbolic gate” between the downtown business district and Kerrytown, akin to “triumphal archs” the Romans constructed to mark their conquests in ancient Italy, France, North Africa and Asia. [Full Story]
Stephen J. Gill
The current economic crisis is no time for Ann Arbor area nonprofits to hunker down. Whether social services, health care, arts, education or advocacy, nonprofits should use this time to re-examine themselves, ask themselves the tough questions, and develop a culture of learning that will result in long-term effectiveness and sustainability.
Local nonprofits have been hit hard by the economy. Less corporate money is going to United Way of Washtenaw County (the checking account for local nonprofits) and fewer dollars are being generated by endowments at the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (the savings account for local nonprofits). The money earned by our community’s philanthropies that then goes to nonprofits is off by 30% to 40%. [Full Story]
A New York Times article looks at how children are affected by having a parent in prison. The piece quotes UM sociologist Christopher Wildeman, who is studying the so-called “incarceration generation”: ”Parental imprisonment has emerged as a novel – and distinctly American – childhood risk that is concentrated among black children and children of low-education parents.” [Source]
The Freep publishes a short Q&A with local author Steve Amick, who’ll be holding a writer’s workshop on Saturday, July 11 at 826michigan in Ann Arbor. Responding to a question about lessons learned, Amick says: “One of the hardest lessons of grad school was accepting the truth of how many books just go in the drawer. I was 40 before I sold my first book, which is fine, but I was 12 or 13 when I first started thinking I wanted to be a writer. If you had told me I wouldn’t sell my first book for more than 20 years, I probably would have quit. I didn’t believe all that talk about how much work would never see … [Full Story]
The New York Times reports that the social safety net for the nation’s poorest is fraying. The article quotes UM economist Sheldon Danziger, who says that a mid-1990s overhaul of the welfare system which aimed to push single mothers into the workforce “makes sense when unemployment is 5 percent.But if you are out of work, the welfare system in a time of recession doesn’t have anything to offer.” [Source]
