Marketplace Changes

Chelsea, Dexter, and Saline

by Various writers

posted 11/23/2009

Chelsea: Resale Bliss, Cranesbill, Dollar Arena, Rose Cottage

Resale Bliss aims to help out at least two good causes in Chelsea--its landlord, Cranesbill Books, and Hearts Community Service.

The shop operates on the bookstore's former second floor and sells items on consignment, plus clothing and collectibles that Hearts founder Nancy Harris gathers. Hearts provides furniture and other items to needy individuals and families.

The shop has a lot of donated children's and women's clothing plus a growing collection of "remember when" items--like a 1950s apron and wooden pull toys.

Harris will pay rent to Cranesbill owner Jan Loveland based on how much is sold. "We're hoping we'll give her a shot in the arm," Harris says.

The resale shop, run by volunteers, accepts consignments on Wednesdays or by appointment on Saturdays. And if the store mascot--a dressed-up mannequin dubbed Miss Bliss--is out front, the store's open then too.

Cranesbill left its piano and a couple of comfortable chairs upstairs and will still use the space occasionally for special events or readings.

Losing the upper level means the bookstore has 40 percent less space. Loveland is eliminating computer books and cutting back on parenting, family and child, inspiration and self-help, and gardening titles. The toy section may be tightened a bit too, though "toys have really helped us through," she says. And she's adding a few new games for young children.

"We feel we can operate with the same quality on one floor alone," says Loveland. "We're trying to be successful, and we're trying to stay in business" as many bookstores falter.

Resale Bliss, 108 E. Middle. No phone. Wed.-Fri. noon-6 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cranesbill Books. 108 E. Middle. 433-2665. Mon.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. noon-4 p.m. www.cranesbillbooks.com

Dollar Arena was planning to move into space next to Aco Hardware in mid-September. At 5,600 square feet, the new spot is about one and a half times the size of the old location, says owner Dave Abdoo.

Dollar Arena,

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1100 S. Main. 475-0900. Mon.-Sat. 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

We published an incorrect number for Rose Cottage in the Summer Community Observer. The correct number is 272-2015.

--Vickie Elmer

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Dexter: Hazel's Home Cookin', Dexter Floor, Daisy Lake Gallery

"We cook all day so you don't have to" is the slogan of Hazel's Home Cookin'. Denise Livingston named the new business after her mother, whose recipes she often follows in making full meals and desserts from scratch daily for pickup or delivery. The bulk of her rotating menu is made up of comfort foods like lasagna, meat loaf, and chicken parmesan--"things that people don't have time to make," she says. Most of the meals are less than $9 and include an entree and at least two side dishes like coleslaw, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Livingston uses locally grown produce as often as possible and also makes jams, pickles, and other specialty items.

She also stocks refrigerated and frozen homemade entrees and meals.

Livingston, fifty, worked in banking for twenty-eight years. Though she has no professional cooking experience, she's been cooking enormous dinners for her extended family for years, and she'll be working with her daughter Erica Antkowiak, who has cooked in restaurants.

Hazel's Home Cookin', 8050 Main. 426-3663, Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Closed Sat. & Sun. www.hazelshomecookin.com

The Dexter Floor Store isn't in Dexter anymore. Owner Fred Pieske moved it to Jackson Road east of Zeeb in August. The old location on Dexter-Chelsea Road was a little too far out of town to attract much drive-by business, Pieske says. The store still provides full-service flooring sales and installation, everything from carpet and hardwood to laminates and ceramic tile.

Dexter Floor Store, 5216 Jackson. 426-4310, Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Sun. www.dexterfloors.colortile.com

Daisy Lake Gallery has closed.

--Tony McReynolds

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Saline: CC Sweet House, Jasmine Thai & China Bistro, Back Door Cafe

Two years ago, former Duke University basketball player Edgar Burch opened CC Sweet House in downtown Saline.

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Since then, he has been happily filling catering orders for his cherished grandmother's tasty dessert recipes. But when his old friend, Thomas Holland, returned to this country after three years of cooking for soldiers in Iraq, Burch invited him to be his business partner and expand CC's offerings to include breakfast and lunch for takeout or delivery.

Holland and Burch are used to working together. They played basketball in high school in Pontiac in the early 1970s. The two tall men finish each other's sentences and joke about who played better hoops.

The breakfast menu includes muffins, breakfast wraps, and spinach, broccoli, or bacon quiche. Soup, fresh salads, and sandwiches are for lunch. So far, the most popular sandwich is the Baby Brey, named after Burch's first grandchild, with Amish chicken breast, Swiss cheese, smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on homemade sweet wheat bread. Other sandwiches are named after the park in Pontiac where Burch played basketball as a kid (The Rotary Pork), the proprietors' high school basketball coach (The Coach Lee), and Burch's wife's grandmother (The Dilworth).

CC Sweet House, 103 N. Ann Arbor, Saline. 686-5522. Wed.-Sat. 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Closed Sun.-Tues. www.ccsweethouse.com

Two restaurants, Jasmine Thai & China Bistro and the Back Door Cafe, closed this summer. The owners could not be reached for comment.

--Billie Ochberg   

[Originally published in November, 2009.]

 

 

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