It was a passion flower that first stopped Susan McLeary in her tracks. The exotic flower ignited her passion and initiated her purpose toward becoming a florist, a designer, an artist, and an author. Yet, educator is the title Susan McLeary identifies with most these days.
Posts filed under Local Businesses
Imagine Fitness & Yoga: Getting and Staying Fit with Support and Community
It is not surprising that Dr. Farah got the idea for the name of the fitness and yoga center while on a long run. After all, he has been an athlete and a fitness enthusiast for most of his life. He has run competitive distance races, including more than 100 marathons for decades—19 of them in the famed Boston Marathon. (For several years and last summer at age 79, he ran the Crim which is a 10-mile race in Flint.) He’s also been a sailor, a skier, snowshoer, and bicyclist, and has been leading fitness classes at Imagine Fitness and Yoga ever since it opened in the summer of 2015, less than a year after he got the idea.
Spiedo with Love
Brad Greenhill bought a vertical rotisserie on a whim. As the owner of the James Beard nominated “Best New Restaurant” Detroit’s Takoi, Greenhill wanted to experiment with spit roasting meats. He had the notion that once a new location became available, he might branch out. Last October, along with his team, executive chef Michael Goldberg and General Manager Matthew Ferreira, Greenhil did just that.
Leaps of Faith, Winter 2024, Whitepine Studios
Fast forward to the summer of 2023, and I stood in an elegant gallery in downtown Saline, Michigan looking at a variety of impressive 2D and 3D artwork. I was there to learn how Whitepine Studios went from that upsetting message in 2020 to a thriving women-founded business that had already outgrown its first studio location (opened in 2021). Here is what I learned about their journey from setback to success.
Leaps of Faith, Winter 2024--Grace Proper
When I first heard about Dexter, Michigan’s new boutique gift shop called Grace Proper, a memory passed through my mind. It was from roughly four years ago when I worked at a high-end retail store in Ann Arbor. I was getting to know a fellow employee named Breana Jackson as we worked on what the company referred to as standards—tidying up products to display them perfectly folding t-shirts symmetrically, lining up candle labels, and arranging sizes from smallest to largest. In this memory, Jackson told me where she lived and why she and her husband Dan and their two daughters loved the community of Dexter. She beamed about their country home, great schools, and proximity to Ann Arbor that made them fall in love with the town. She said another reason the Jacksons chose Dexter was that she eventually hoped to open a shop on bucolic Main Street which attracts shoppers and diners from surrounding cities.
Ashes in Art Glass: Encapsulating the Spirit of Remembrance
One local artist has found a way to etch a world of fleeting moments into eternal beauty. Nestled in a studio in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown district, Chris Nordin, the creative mastermind behind the business Ashes in Art Glass, breathes life into the ethereal by transforming the ashes of loved ones into stunning, sculptural remembrance pieces. At the core of this artistry lies a poignant convergence—the intersection of grief and craftsmanship--where glass encases the essence of a human spirit.
What’s New at Crazy Wisdom, Winter 2024
Many people in southeastern Michigan will be excited to know that after being closed since February 15, 2022, Crazy Wisdom Bookstore reopened on December 1, 2023 under the same ownership of Bill Zirinsky and Ruth Schekter, the couple who have shepherded the store forward over the last 30+ years.
Lovingkindness in Action: A Visit to the Arab-American Museum
I stared at the man silhouetted against the murky gray December sky. Strings of blue and white lights arched skyward as he placed them over the turquoise tiled sign announcing in Arabic and English Arab American National Museum. Walking under the lights felt like a metaphor for the threshold I crossed as I entered the building. I stepped into an atrium that reminded me of dun stone buildings and courtyards, sunnier climates, and warm weather clothes. I breathed in, tuning into my body and the stream of sensations.
In Pursuit of the More Perfect Apple at Amrita Farms
Amrita Farms is the only organic apple orchard within over a 50-mile radius for U-Pick apples. The farm was started 27 years ago, on a 54-acre parcel, in order to combine sustainable farming and education in pursuit of an eco-friendly lifestyle. The owner’s first initiative was to help mother nature by planting several hundred evergreens. The farm struggled since its start to find its identity, milling through multiple products with a revenue stream not taking root because of the clay soil. Kymal, known in business circles as a serial entrepreneur, refused to accept failure
Urban Ashes: Triple Wins for the Economy, People, and the Environment
Paul Hickman is one of a number of individuals and companies nationwide, who have a better idea—actually a number of better ideas—about ways to put those 600 trees, and the many thousands more every year throughout the US, to better uses and to sequester their carbon. Hickman is founder of Urban Ashes, a local company that, since 2009, has been using salvaged wood to produce furniture and picture frames, and has done it primarily by employing formerly incarcerated people, a frequently marginalized population.
Leaps of Faith--Fall 2023, London Beauty & Misfit Coffee
This column is a look at brave souls who have taken a leap of faith to open their own businesses in and around Ann Arbor. Business owners who are following their dreams and thriving despite the odds.
Great Tastes in Local Food: Fall 2023
Local restaurant reviews for fall 2023.
Gateway Farm: Growing with Permaculture
The mid-January day I visited Gateway Farm in Plymouth was breezy, and the temperature was in the low thirties with faint flurries falling. At the farm’s small, dirt parking lot off Joy Road, I met Bridget O’Brien who, along with her husband Dr. Charlie Brennan, is the farm’s co-director. After we greeted each other, I said, “Not the best time of the year for me to see the farm, I guess.” “It’ll be okay,” she replied cheerfully. “We’ll be able to see everything because there’s no snow on the ground. Plus,” she added, “The sorrel is still green.”
Joob Activewear — Ann Arbor Clothing Company — Aims For Fair Trade, Climate Neutral Fashion
The hiking pants swished as I walked, hugging my legs as I squatted, lunged, and brought my knees to my chest. Not as tight as a legging but not as loose as a typical hiking pant, they ghosted over my skin, covering it, but not hampering movement a bit. I pushed my hands in the front pockets, felt the tug at the elastic waist, and checked out the zippered back pockets. A barely-there logo of an elephant shimmered near my left hip on the black fabric. I found the fit comfortable. I could wear these pants all day.
Tying the Knot in Nature
Infusing a wedding with nature adds a sense of lighthearted whimsy and charm through elements such as fresh air, natural lighting, vibrant flowers, and wildlife. Several local venues bring the ceremony to nature's doorstep by offering outdoor ceremony sites, while others bring nature indoors. Some Crazy Wisdom favorites include botanical gardens, riverside views, sprawling fields, and vineyards. Each of the following venues is unique, but all of them offer nature's aesthetic beauty and are perfect options for a nature-inspired wedding.
Leaps of Faith: Curioser Clay
Zemper made the decision to become an entrepreneur while the Covid-19 pandemic was still looming, and that brave move is already paying off. Curiouser Clay’s reputation has been growing since their first pop up workshop in March of 2022. Since then, they have stayed busy holding workshops and “makin’ parties” in which Zemper and her husband, Drew Zemper, show up to private parties, businesses, and homes throughout the region.
Garden Juju Collective
Water, sun, and soil might seem a simple enough equation for a house plant, but a home garden can be more of an intricate undertaking. Shade or sun, frost or flood, drought or disease—the shifting conditions can challenge any green thumb. That’s when we turn to the experts. Bridget O’Brien and Charlie Brennan of Garden Juju Collective are in a long-term relationship with the earth. “Simple isn’t always quick,” they reminded me. Bridget and Charlie tend the land with both hands and long vision, so that a well-designed fix can be properly applied and nurtured in time. It might take a fleet of earthmovers and months of remediation, but the relationship of the water, sun, and soil can be remedied to become sustainable and self-sufficient, just as nature intended it to be, “on pace with the seasons.”
Leaps of Faith: Third Mind Books
When I spoke with Arthur Nusbaum, owner of Third Mind Books, he explained that The Third Mind is a literary collaboration between novelist William S. Burroughs and artist/poet/novelist Brion Gysin that was first published in 1977. The book illustrates how a third mind is created when two people share their individual perspectives through discussion. Their openness of thought makes it possible for a third intelligence to emerge. Nusbaum gave an additional interpretation, saying “Personally, and this is what Burroughs said philosophically about it, an author and the book are two things. And the reader creates a third mind when they translate what the author says through the book. It’s the same with other forms of art.” He adds that his personal interactions with Burroughs inspired him to name the store as “a wink at Burroughs, just like our logo with his silhouette in a fedora.”
All Creatures Great and Small: In-Home Euthanasia and Hospice-Assisted Natural Death For Your Pets
The bond we share with our pets is one the strongest bonds we will ever experience. Their devotion to us, as well as their non-judgmental, unconditional love, leaves an indelible mark on our hearts which is why saying goodbye is so hard. As a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian, the most common question I am asked is, “When will I know it is time to say goodbye?” What many families do not realize is that choosing where and how to say goodbye can be just as important.
Argus Farm Stop: Mission Driven
Mission driven in all its disparate pieces, this grocery store, that is so much more, is determined to serve many sectors of our local culture. It could seem confusing, if it wasn’t all so smooth. Argus is a daily farmers’ market, and a local grocery and sundries store. It is a coffee shop and cafe, a tavern, and an entertainment venue. It is an education center offering weekly webinars, classroom curriculum, and full trainings. And Argus Farm Stop is a crucial component that was missing for the growth of our local food system.
