Those of you worried that Main Street is being overtaken by restaurants and other semi-useful businesses can breathe a little easier with the arrival of Chelsea’s Peartree, offering “a mix of ’shabby chic’ pieces, traditional items and an extensive baby section…and a puppy section.”
“shabby chic”? I’m not even going to look that up.
posted by Brandon on October 20th, 2006 at 11:35 amsounds like a Jules replacement. any bets on how long they’ll last?
posted by KGS on October 20th, 2006 at 12:31 pmMain street needs a gun store. But we all know the city council would never allow it. Or bring back Bimbo’s pizza. That place was great for kids. I thought it was anyway as a child.
posted by PondComet on October 20th, 2006 at 1:10 pm… makes a mental note to check the A2 Observer’s “Marketplace Changes” section in six months
posted by Sketchy on October 20th, 2006 at 3:22 pmGun store, eh? Does the City have the authority to prohibit a perfectly legal business from setting up shop just because they don’t like what they’re selling?
posted by Brandon Dimcheff on October 20th, 2006 at 3:26 pmThere used to be a place that sold guns on Main—this was maybe 10-12 years ago?–it was downstairs in a shop with other stuff upstairs, and I think upstairs was t-shirts and posters. In the block between Liberty and Washington, west side. Anyone else remember this? I only noticed it because during the time when the rapist/murderer (Erwin something) hadn’t yet been caught, so 1993 or so, I mistakenly went in there thinking it was more a place that sold things like alarms and whistles that would be useful to have for friends walking home late and was startled by the guy behind the counter showing a handgun from a case to another customer. Anyone else remember this? It wasn’t that long ago by my skewed sense of time and I don’t remember when it stopped being there but it wasn’t government action, just a change of tenant I believe.
posted by Aki on October 20th, 2006 at 4:44 pmi remember the gun store (that became a chess store).
posted by peter honeyman on October 20th, 2006 at 7:18 pmPeter, was that where (or close to) the magazine store was, close by Parthenon? I think it was called Main Street News. That’s what I really miss downtown, a decent magazine store. Shaman Drum and Borders are good but this place I’m half remembering was great.
posted by Thomas Cook on October 20th, 2006 at 11:24 pmCan’t believe you of all people missed dat one, AAIO.
David Boyle
posted by Partridge in a peartree on October 20th, 2006 at 11:47 pmyes, thomas, that great little news stand, run by a nice lady whose name i forget, was in elmo’s (who could forget his name?) great little t-shirt shop.
posted by peter honeyman on October 21st, 2006 at 8:54 amI think a gun store would be a fine addition to the crap on main. A pawn shop might be nice too. If one were so inclined they could buy a whole building (yes, all three stories) to set up the gun, pawn, porn shop with attached strip club.
posted by Andrew on October 21st, 2006 at 11:06 amHa ha ha ha - kinda like what my son pointed out to me at the corner of stadium and main ( I think, main ). Anyways, there is a coffee shop, package store and smoke shop all on the same corner, directly opposite an ice cream shop. He calls it vice corner.
posted by LittleB on October 21st, 2006 at 12:22 pmI meant, I thought you might have wanted “Partridge in a Peartree” or such as a title.
But I defer to your superior wisdom and excellent taste.
David Boyle
posted by Partridge in a peartree redux on October 21st, 2006 at 1:15 pma little off subject here, but has anyone heard the claim that ann arbor is the home of punk?
posted by deez on October 21st, 2006 at 1:15 pmLittleB
I think you were at Stadium & Packard, in that recently renovated little grocery diagonally across from Dairy Queen. Vice corner… progress?
posted by abc on October 21st, 2006 at 3:59 pmIt’s a Caribou Coffee shop, a “Smoky’s” Cigars, a hair place (Great Clips) and the Stadium Market, which carries booze, wine, beer and groceries. The DQ is actually a little ways down Packard, after the gas station. A bank and another gas station (with a convenience store in it) complete the intersection. Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol!
posted by justme on October 21st, 2006 at 6:20 pmYep, that’s the place. Everything one could possibly need! Ya gotta walk a bit for the ice cream, but hey, that coffee will get you there.
posted by LittleB on October 21st, 2006 at 6:28 pmSpeaking of vice shopping, I went into Super Liquor IV out on South State for the first time Friday. I always thought it looked like a stop and rob liquor store but holy cow they got a great selection of booze. I’ve been hunting down Chartreuse and couldn’t find it at Morgan and York or my local northside liquor stores but Super Liquor came thru. In their defense M & Y had $2200 single malt scotch (a little above my price range but if anyone buys it I’d love a nip).
posted by Thomas Cook on October 22nd, 2006 at 2:01 pmMain street needs a red light district, complete with a brothel with scantly clad chic’s in the front window, for those window shoppers.
posted by Patrick on October 22nd, 2006 at 8:49 pmI remember the gun store, too.
posted by Anna on October 22nd, 2006 at 9:35 pmThere probably isn’t a building big enough on Main to duplicate this but the best combinations at one location is in Canon City, CO. A coin laundry, an auto detailing shop, and a taxidermist. I swear this is true, “Fluff’em, Buff’em, and Stuff,em.
posted by allenc on October 22nd, 2006 at 10:37 pmI actually took at handgun course at the gun store. It was right after the Ann Arbor rapist got somebody right next to my house at Community High, and I toyed with the idea of arming myself. In any case, I thought it best in this day and age to know how to use a gun.
The creepy guy who ran the shop also had a shooting range called Whiteman’s (and that wasn’t because it was his last name, unfortunately) out by Manchester. I went out there and sampled a variety of weaponry and shot the crotch out of a few human sillouette targets, got my NRA certificate (ha-ha), then retired the idea of actually owning a gun.
posted by OFWinsurgent on October 23rd, 2006 at 9:12 amI remember the gun shop, too. And I also miss Main St News as well. Under the previous ownership, the barbershop on Liberty between Main and 4th Ave was allegedly a front for gun trafficking. For chrissakes, one barber was bald and the other had a mullet (and an IRA tattoo)! I don’t imagine they had many customers and I rarely saw anyone in there.
posted by Withheld for reasons of personal security on October 23rd, 2006 at 9:57 amWalk a bit??? The ice cream stand may not be right on the literal corner, but it is just steps away from Stadium.
posted by Larry Kestenbaum on October 23rd, 2006 at 10:39 amjust steps? it is a life-deadening spirit-numbing slog, thanks to the long lights and choking fumes of the stadium & packard intersection.
posted by peter honeyman on October 23rd, 2006 at 11:00 amBite your tongue. My kids will inform you that it is a LIFE-GIVING jaunt, one we do not make nearly often enough.
posted by Chris on October 23rd, 2006 at 11:56 amWhy just scantily clad chicks? Why not males as well, you sexist pig?????
posted by justme on October 23rd, 2006 at 12:04 pmhe said chics, not chicks. big difference!
ok, he said chic’s. still …
posted by peter honeyman on October 23rd, 2006 at 1:47 pmLarry, it isn’t *much* of a walk. I was trying to be agreeable to someone who took mild exception to my saying that the DQ is in the same intersection. I stand corrected, um, twice on the location of the DQ.
Love the “Fluff’em, Buff’em, and Stuff,em”.
posted by LittleB on October 23rd, 2006 at 5:42 pmPeople in Anarbour definitely need to eat more cheese and ice cream — there has been a chilling tendency for residents to slim down in recent years.
posted by Morbidly Midwestern on October 23rd, 2006 at 7:29 pmchic’s - don’t ya just hate the misuse of the apostrophe??? it’s an epidemic!
posted by justme on October 24th, 2006 at 7:12 ami think he meant the stylin’s anyway.
posted by peter honeyman on October 24th, 2006 at 7:34 amUm, I believe the correct term is “hawt chix.”
n00bz…
posted by myproxy on October 25th, 2006 at 6:09 pmThis site would be overrated, if anyone rated it. You seriously waste your time updating this everyday? Wow, gotta hand it to you for your dedication.
posted by Let Down on October 25th, 2006 at 8:06 pmI’d just like to say that I’m from “Anarbour”, and it is by far NOT overrated. It’s a great place to grow up, it’s diverse and there’s always something different to do. So stop picking at the little things, and look at it as a great place altogether.
posted by lovethedeuce on December 28th, 2007 at 9:52 am