Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

You Win Some, you Lose Some

15. February 2006 • Juliew
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In several recent discussions about downtown, “those in the know” have commented about the closing of seven downtown businesses. While some of these, like Ehnis & Sons, Afterwords, and John Leidy (East) involved long-time businesses, others were much newer. The Sunday Ann Arbor News ran an article enumerating the seven (which turned out all to be in the Main Street area). Below is their list and a few others from other areas downtown. On a positive note, several new businesses are also opening at roughly the same time and demand for street level retail space seems to remain high.

The reasons for closing are numerous. Reduced foot traffic and changing buying patterns seemed to be the two most often mentioned.

Closing or closed:
Ehnis and Sons, Afterwords, Seychelle, Love From Michigan, Forma, Moderno, Tabor Hill Winery, the east half of John Leidy, Shayani Rugs, and Options 4.

Opening or opened:
Pepperz, Hawkers Deli (surprisingly not a chain), Underground Printing, Everyday Cook, Moosejaw Mountaineering (a regional chain), Ana Banana, and Campus Nails.



  1. I talked to the Hawkers owner, a tall muscular guy, when I went in to try it out. Their corned beef on marble rye is decent (but not great) and affordable. Nice guy.

    The owners of Afterwords and Ehnis & Sons decided they could make more money on real estate than they could on retail (both proprieters own their buildings and will lease them to some other business[es]). This is a structural economic shift.


       —Dale    Feb. 15 '06 - 07:04AM    #
  2. Ugh, Hawkers Deli – all 4 people I know who ate there were sick afterwards. I for one won’t risk eating there.


       —KGS    Feb. 15 '06 - 06:48PM    #
  3. More of the same to follow, I can assure you.

    So to those twits who have denigrated the Calthorpe plan or any other plans to revitalize downtown, but have failed to see that our current methods are killing local businesses and the unique character of Ann Arbor….well, you can’t say I haven’t been warning you for the last few years at AAIO and Arbor Update…

    The pity is that the Mayor and City Coucil’s plans to change how we do things in Ann Arbor came about 10 or 15 years too late.


       —todd    Feb. 15 '06 - 11:39PM    #
  4. Vault of Midnight Comics is taking over the space formerly occupied by Afterwords.


       —Juliew    Mar. 13 '06 - 07:23PM    #
  5. I was surprised to read the comment on Hawker’s Deli. I have eaten there several times and find it delicious! No one I know has ever been sick, and the owner, is not only very friendly and real, but nice to look at! haha. I would efinitely go there again and again, food and atmosphere is GREAT!


       —Mary    May. 1 '06 - 11:37PM    #