Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

Bello Vino and Kitchen Port Closed for Business

30. December 2008 • Nancy Shore
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The Ann Arbor Chronicle and Ann Arbor News recently reported that Bello Vino Marketplace at the Plymouth Road Mall is closing.

In the comments section of the Ann Arbor Chronicle article on Bello Vino, it was also noted that Kitchen Port will be closing its doors.

On their respective websites, both stores cite the economic downturn as a reason for their closing.

Perhaps this is a good time to think about shopping locally.



  1. We just got back from Bello Vino. Cheese is almost all gone, and the beer supply is dwindling fast. There is some Jolly Pumpkin left, but not much. I also sniffed out the last single Founders Red’s Rye and clutched it like my ba-ba until we got to the register.
    Lots of wine left, but I don’t know if it’s the “good kind” or cheap kind or whatever.


       —TeacherPatti    Dec. 31 '08 - 03:34AM    #

  2. Looking on the bright side for economy-minded local grocery shoppers, the Wal-Mart Superstore in Saline seems to be coming along pretty well.


       —Fred Zimmerman    Dec. 31 '08 - 07:04PM    #

  3. Sad, b/c I just bought a wine pump at Kitchen Port instead of at Target this past summer.


       —Young Urban Amateur    Jan. 1 '09 - 03:11AM    #

  4. #3 YUA—with all good humor, that’s not exactly a heart-rending example! ;-)


       —Fred Zimmerman    Jan. 1 '09 - 03:53AM    #

  5. If everyone hasn’t seen it already, I highly recommend the documentary Frontline did on Wal-Mart. You can watch the full episode online at:

    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/

    I don’t neccessarily think all corporations are “bad” and all local businesses are “good”, but anything is better than supporting Wal-Mart.


       —Emily B    Jan. 2 '09 - 12:16AM    #

  6. Thank you, Emily B. I agree. You should also read Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Nickled and Dimed” about her experience in low paying jobs. Wal-Mart refused to pay her. I have never been in a Wal-Mart and will never shop there. We owe it to our local businesses to keep them alive, and I am sorry to hear about Kitchen Port. Maybe they should have stayed in Kerrytown, because it was convenient to go there.


       —Leah Gunn    Jan. 2 '09 - 02:30AM    #

  7. Haha well, it wasn’t supposed to be particularly heart-rending I guess, Fred ;) though I did find what I was looking for there, and not at Target.


       —Young Urban Amateur    Jan. 2 '09 - 10:40PM    #

  8. Oh, and just to clarify, Kitchen Port is no “officially” closing yet. They are just putting the store up for sale.

    According to the News, “home accessories store Kitchen Port in Scio Township has put itself up for sale.”


       —Nancy    Jan. 3 '09 - 12:50AM    #