Dee’s Hallmark Building in Dearborn up for Sale
Card Shop Business Doing Well and Will Remain in Building
The Dee’s Hallmark building, home of the best card shop in Dearborn, is now on the sales block for $640,000. But the card shop itself will be staying for the foreseeable future, according to the shop’s owner, Don Belcher.
“Blessings to all my loyal friends who have shopped Dee’s for the past 25 years. I am saddened by the recent confusion concerning the future of Dee’s Hallmark. The last thing I need is for people to think I’m willingly going out of business. Hopefully I can help clarify some of the misconceptions. I opened for business in November of 1985 and shortly after the first holiday season I knew this would be my home for years to come. I loved the community and it’s residents who soon became my friends. I expressed my sentiments to the owners of the building, who are great people, and asked if they would like to sell. They told me they were not interested at the time but if and when they were I would have first opportunity. True to their word they did just that which was October of last year. Unfortunately after the many years of struggle I was painfully not in a position financially to buy the building I always dreamed of owning. My commitment to survival has always been strong but after closing (3) other stores and using the money to keep Dee’s going there was not enough left to take them up on their offer, which brings us to the present. It is common knowledge that this is not the best time to sell commercial property as evidenced by the many vacancies in our area. However should it sell I will make every effort to negotiate a favorable lease agreement with the new owner. If that is not possible I will look to relocate as close to my current location as I can. A smarter man would have given up long ago I think I’m just to dumb to know when it’s time to quit!!!! With that said I hope this clears up any notion that after all I’ve been through that I would leave a community that I feel as close to as family I have worked with mothers/children /and grandchildren and I cherish those memories. Trust me I will not leave easy as long as you want me here. Peace and God Bless.”
With so little retail in west Dearborn, we are hopeful Mr. Belecher will be able to keep his card shop at 22283 Michigan Ave., for many years to come.
The building, built in 1967, went on the sales block at the end of October for $640,000. The 4,261 square-foot building also can be leased for $15 a sq.-ft for a lease payment of $5,326 a month.
A few interesting documents worth looking at from Signature Associates, who is listing the property. One document takes a look at the demographics of our region and household income within a one, three and five mile radius. As you can image it goes down the father you go out of the circle. For a look at that document, click HERE.
A second document lists the full demographic profile, looking at a one, three and five mile radius. Click HERE for that document.
Finally, a third document from the real estate company says this in the comments section of the listing: “Outstanding retail opportunity in downtown west Dearborn. Long established retail business vacating this building located in the hub of Dearborn’s retail district directly across the street from two new parking decks. Total taxes for 2008 were $10,969.58. Special assessment for 2008 ($616.90) is year 6 of 10.” To view this, click HERE.
November 9th, 2009 at 7:53 am
This is really a loss to the city. I wouldn’t think that anyone would open up another card shop if Dee’s can’t make it. There is just NOTHING in that area to attract shoppers. I am sorry to see them go.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Said:
I’m confused by this article. The building is up for sale. Can I assume the business/franchise is not for sale?
If new square-footage can be acquired, will they still be around?
November 9th, 2009 at 9:06 am
This is unfortunate. On a slightly brighter (and related) note:
http://downriversundaytimes.com/2009/11/07/judge-orders-developer-to-construct-condos-buildings/
November 9th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Please say this isn’t so. I am very disappointed to hear this news. I concur wiith Donna, there is nothing to attract me to the area. When will this stop?
November 9th, 2009 at 9:18 am
It’s to bad. The owner sold his other stores long ago to keep this one afloat. The City failed him with the lack of development and paid parking.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:17 am
More sad news… We shop there often. NEW Poll about shopping in downtown west Dearborn here: http://www.networkdearborn.com/polls.html
November 9th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Johnny Cakes, even if forced to complete the 2 buildings – where are the people to fill them?
November 9th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Good question, Donna, and a question that I don’t have the answer to. I do know that when the West Village Commons opened they were charging $23-$25/s.f. for space. IF they build the buildings (appeals are surely coming), and IF they charge in the $23-$25 range, the buildings will be just as empty as the 40,000 s.f. of office space above the already-built retail portions (it’s totally empty).
If I were a betting man I would say the buildings get built, B-K can’t find tenants to lease it, and it goes into foreclosure. Then another investor comes in, buys it on the cheap and sets lease rates that are competitive within the market. Of course when or if that would happen is pure speculation.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
This is a real shame, and another victim of the ill-fated development deal between the city of Dearborn and non-Dearborn developers Burton-Katzman, which many of us fought against in favor of an alternate development plan devised by the Dearborn-based and highly regarded Maltese Construction Company which has since left the city.
How ironic that the highly-regarded Dearborn’s menswear store, Price’s, fought very hard as well to stop the city from tearing down their store, right next door to Dee’s Hallmark.
Someone is having the last laugh, and that someon certainly isn’t Dearborn taxpayers. Let’s hope the folks who enriched themselves are at least kicking back a few dollars into the Dearborn economy.
Oh, but wait, one is in Lebanon, the other in heaven…
November 9th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I think $5.00 greeting cards is what killed them.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:21 am
It’ll be a shame to see them go. They’re one of the three places that still draw me to downtown west Dearborn and I worry how much longer the other two will be around.
Oldalldayschoolmom, wasn’t Maltese actually chosen by council to develop the site only to be dismissed by our former mayor for not being able to develop the site fast enough? They probably just didn’t pay the administration enough money. I recall thinking Maltese had a better, albeit still uninspired, plan. The whole project has been a mess from before construction even started.
As for Price’s they were treated like dirt by the city. In Dearborn’s 75th year the city was honoring businesses that had stuck it through for that whole time. Prices, one of those businesses, was honored by the city with a bulldozer.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Dee’s is second only to Prices in being treated like dirt.
They endured years of construction all around them, making their business virtualy unaccessable in the hopes that the new development (hotel, offices, new retail, condo’s etc) would help them thrive. The parking lot behind them was taken away and replaced by two huge parking structures that no one really wants to park in.
So there they now sit, virtually all alone. They have no presence or signage along Michigan Avenue. I do wonder if the business would not do much better in one of the many vacant storefronts either on Michigan Avenue or in the Commons area, or in the vacant AT&T storefront.
Perhaps it is time for the City and/or building owners to explore new ways to keep good businesses like Dee’s in our City. How about offering them 1/2 rent for the first year–or something like that. Sounds like a win/win situation to me. Dee’s could stay and a very visible storefront would be filled.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:55 am
When is the City going to wake up and realize that while they are trolling for the huge 10,000 pound trophy fish (convention center, railway station, etc), they are letting all the 100 pounders slip right through their net.
By the time they finally catch that 10,000 pounder, there will be no one left to eat it. All will have starved.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
It is a terrible shame that Dearborn has fallen into the condition that it’s now in. When we moved to Dearborn in 1990, we did so because it was a very viable community. I still believe that the neighborhoods are.
It’s more of a shame, if not the crime, that the West Dearborn “shopping” area no longer exists. Parking variances where given to every new bar and restaurant that came in. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that you can only use the same imaginary parking spaces so many times. From these variances, came the parking garages and paid parking. I watched the lots being done and then redone 3 and 4 times.
Add to this mess the fact that one landlord owns at least 8 empty buildings, many of which are condemned but still allowed to have “for lease” signs on them, and it is no wonder that Michigan Avenue is a ghost town. Having had contact with this landlord, I know what I am talking about. Why does the city allow him to keep up condemned buildings. I always thought the policy in Dearborn was that if a building was condemned and the owner didn’t take it down, the city would and charge the owner for the demolition cost. Please explain to me, if you can, why he has been allowed this preferential treatment to the detriment of the entire area?
November 10th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Downtown Dearborn is doomed…there is more restaurants there, than good shopping places. If it weren’t for Panera and Starbucks I would have avoided going there.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Mary – you are so right in both your postings I think the problem is that they city thinks they can do no wrong. It’s time for them to wake up and for once listen to the taxpayers. We can’t all be wrong.
Cloe, I have heard time after time that these buildings are not condemned, I haven’t seen any signs posted saying that they are either.
November 10th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Donna – I may be mistaken, but when we were in the district, quite a few years ago, it was common knowledge. If they have been brought up to code fine.
However, I still have an article from the press and guide newspaper from over a year and a half ago that gave the demolition schedule by the owner. I’m sure that it could be found on the newspaper archives. Also, I remember talking to Mayor O’Reilly at a community meeting when they were listed in the State foreclosure listings and he stated that the City would get them for back taxes and demolish them. Obviously, there has been a change of plans.
Anyone have any idea why?
November 10th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Here is some good news—Burton-Katzman has been ordered to complete its building development and may be forced to cough up millions it owes the city of Dearborn for their disastrous development project. Too bad it’s too late to save Dee’s Hallmark. Let’s hope the crooks don’t file bankruptcy before paying us…
http://www.pressandguide.com/articles/2009/11/10/news/doc4af9cf9a2ec0a080151413.txt
November 10th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
I was at the Council meeting last night. Not one mention of West Dearborn business except to talk about…wait for it…..PAID PARKING!!! What a fresh topic! So they decided to extend the flat rate to begin at 4:00 rather than 6:00. Then another 5 minutes to figure out what the dates were from beginning to end and our Mayor made sure to point out that it was only Wednesday through Saturday. We certainly don’t want to lose that $100 in parking meter revenue on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Despicable! Next, 20 minutes on public service days and leaf pick up schedules. Sarini then wanted know about snow removal. I could not believe what I was witnessing. Yep, had to hash that out until it was dead because Dearborn has never ever had leaves or snow!!! What a collosal waste of our money that meeting was. Not ONE word about West Dearborn business. Unbelievable. Come the meetings, please. The more of us that go, the more they will notice and eventually one of us will get up deal with these people who act like they own OUR city. The hell they do!!!
November 10th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
I would be nice if people got the fact straight before making comments. I stopped by the store tonight and talked to the manager. Here are the FACTS:
* The building is for sale, the store is NOT closing
* If the building sells, which may take a long time in this economy, Dee’s will relocate in the district. The City did NOT fail him with the lack of development and paid parking”. Most people pay nothing to park in the convenient deck across the street, because they are in and out before the paid parking kicks in.
* The store is doing VERY well.
* This building is NOT owned by the City or Burton-Katzman so don’t blame them.
* Dee’s has every price of cards, many for $.99 NOT $5.00 – please quote prices correctly!
* Dee’s in NOT complaining about the City or their current landlords.
* The reason the retail businesses have “gone out of business” in the West Dearborn Downtown is that residents DO NOT shop there and support their local businesses. I remember talking to Two Too Oh owners during their closing sale. They said, where were all these people when we were in business.
* It is NOT too late for Dee’s they are open for business.
* THEY DO NOT NEED RESIDENTS AND BLOGS LIKE THIS SPREADING HALF TRUTHS DURING ONE OF THEIR BUSIEST SEASON.
* Please change the tone of this post, let EVERYONE know that Dee’s isn’t going anywhere outside of the WDDDA district. Tell EVERYONE you know, show Dee’s = Buy LOCAL!
I shop Dearborn first and 99% of the time I can buy whatever I need at the local stores or at Fairlane. Check out JC Penny’s — the store has done an AMAZING facelift – GREAT stock, GREAT prices.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Blessings to all my loyal friends who have shopped Dee’s for the past 25 years. I am saddened by the recent confussion concerning the future of Dee’s Hallmark. The last thing I need is for people to think I’m willingly going out of business. Hopefully I can help clarify some of the misconceptions. I opened for business in November of 1985 and shortly after the first holiday season I knew this would be my home for years to come. I loved the community and it’s residents who soon became my friends. I expressed my sentiments to the owners of the building, who are great people, and asked if they would like to sell. They told me they were not interested at the time but if and when they were I would have first opportunity. True to their word they did just that which was October of last year. Unfortunately after the many years of struggle I was painfully not in a position financially to buy the building I always dreamed of owning. My committment to survival has always been strong but after closing (3) other stores and using the money to keep Dee’s going there was not enough left to take them up on their offer, which brings us to the present. It is common knowledge that this is not the best time to sell commercial property as evidenced by the many vacancies in our area. However should it sell I will make every effort to negotiate a favorable lease aggrement with the new owner. If that is not possible I will look to relocate as close to my current location as I can. A smarter man would have given up long ago I think I’m just to dumb to know when it’s time to quit!!!! With that said I hope this clears up any notion that after all I’ve been through that I would leave a community that I feel as close to as family I have worked with mothers/children /and grandchildren and I cherish those memories. Trust me I will not leave easy as long as you want me here. Peace and God Bless,
Don Belcher/Owner/Dee’s Hallmark
November 11th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Good new on paper but I wonder how many times this will end up back in court? As I said before, they can build the building but who will occupy it?
November 11th, 2009 at 7:28 am
Thanks Don for the further explanation. I have shopped at Dee’s since it opened and will continue to visit my favorite store! I made my way to the store through the Jacobson’s parking lot construction, the Burton=Katzman construction and many other changes in the area. I commit to spreading the word, Dee’s is OPEN for business … buy local!
November 11th, 2009 at 9:03 am
@Kay, I watched the meeting on tv and I could not agree more with your comments. To spend as little time as they did on such an important matter shows their utter contempt for west Dearborn business. Too bad the voters didn’t show them utter contempt, as well, at the polls. (At least I am satisfied that I tried to cast my votes to make a difference).
Don, thanks so much for your clarification! I am thrilled that you are staying in Dearborn, because I shop at your store frequently. I do hope the new owner will allow you to stay on favorable terms. Mr. Deep, next time, please talk with the business owner before posting something like this so as to clarify the status. No business needs this kind of negative publicity in such a poor economy.
Dearborn, this is the best place around to shop for those who are difficult to buy for. You can always find a great gift at a reasonable price. @Huh, I think you sat on a rusty nail or something…time to get a tetanus shot. And then we will all send you a nice get well card from Dee’s…
November 11th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Maybe in the end a move to a different building might bring more foot traffic to the Dee’s? In the meantime, may Mr. Belcher’s business long live!
November 11th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Don, I was coming this weekend to ask your wonderful staff if this was true! Thank God you are not leaving us! I love your store and it would be such a loss. I used to walk my babies up there in strollers in the good old days when Jacobson’s and Prices were there too. Gosh, who would have thought those we trusted to be the keepers of the gates of our city would let such things happen. You sure hung in there during the street paving and everything else. We will not let you down. C’mon Dearborn! Everything you need for the holiday gift giving can be found in Dee’s. In fact, I am on a mission to purchase every pair of earings on your earing display!! I’m wearing the pair I bought Sunday now! Thanks Don. We will see you over the holidays.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:58 am
So glad that Dee’s is remaining open!!! I don’t know about others but I usually end up paying to park because once I get in the store there is no way I can be out in 1/2 hr. there are just too many great things to look at.
Kay, as for the Monday night council meeting I really didn’t see anything really different from any other meeting except for the fact that Tom T. did bang the gavel and the mayor didn’t get snotty with the speakers. Part of their problem seems to be that none of them think before they speak. They finally got and Public Service Day info. straightened out and then Tom T throws in – that you will not be ticketed if your vehicle is parked in the street on a PSD and there is no work being done in your area. Great, we should all call the day before our scheduled date and find out what is going on in our neighborhood. If you are going to make a new ordinance stick to it – another of Dearborn’s problems – there are exceptions to every rule or ordinace made in this city.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Thanks for the info Don. Hopefully Dee’s is able to stick around for a long time to come.
Hip, I agree and have stated on this site that the failure of businesses is partially the fault of Dearborn residents. Too often I’ve read here and heard my friends say “I don’t want that business because it’s too low class” or “I won’t shop there because it’s too pricey” or “I will only shop where I can park 10 feet from the door and for free”.
At the same time you cannot leave the city blame free. It has failed to successfully plan out that business district and it has hurt business. Business owners wonder where shoppers are? Here are a couple reasons why they’re not there.
The city has failed to create a pedestrian friendly environment for window shoppers. Who wants to walk next to 40 mph traffic along broken, debris covered and weed choked sidewalks? They’ve opted for designing the district like a poor man’s strip mall where you drive in to a specific destination and drive right back out without being able to see anything else.
They’ve failed to implement standards of good design, which is also the fault of the business owners. Blank brick walls, dark reflective glass windows and locked doors facing Michigan Ave. do not draw customers, either pedestrian or automobile. I know it can be a burden on business to rebuild facades and that’s why other cities have offered facade improvement programs to offset the costs. Has Dearborn ever offered this kind of program to downtown west Dearborn?
November 11th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Maybe I missed it somewhere in the comments blog..but WHO does own the building that houses Dee’s Hallmark?
November 11th, 2009 at 11:56 am
I am confused, when you click on the link provided in the article, the second page of the Signature Associates advertisement states, ” Long established retail business VACATING this building…”
Can someone please clarify?
November 11th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Don told me a while back the the original 3 brothers that owned Kay Baum’s still owned it when I talked to him. They promised him first rights. They were old gentlemen then, I wonder if they have since passed. Remember Kay Baum? I do, it was one of my favorite places to shop as a young girl.
Does anyone else think that an temporary outdoor ice rink between the parking garages would be a good use of that space this winter? I think it would draw so many to that district and it could be decorated for the holidays. No fancy ice rink needed…at Penn Park there has been since I can remember a rectangle of raised edges that is filled with water every winter. I think it would be so nice. And we can shop at Dee’s while the kids skate? I’d love to know what others think about that idea.
November 11th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Partially blame residents for business failure? Wow. There’s a good laugh! People vote with their dollars, sir. If the business does not attract customers, it fails. Plain and simple. If the business plan was not well-thought out, it fails. If the prospective business-owner does ZERO research in the market, yet proceeds the business anyhow? It will fail. If the business owner does NOT ADVERTISE, it will fail. No sir, this is capitalism. Dearborn consumers are voting for businesses everyday. Westborn Market, Buddy’s, Bailey’s, Aco, Dee’s, Howell’s, Mongolian BBQ, BP gas station, Kiernan’s, Silky’s, Merchant, Biergarten, et al., all continue to prosper.
Planning a business district. Now there’s a concept. It takes business planners that understand the Dearborn consumer. It takes a government that is willing to agree to PLAN. It takes a Chamber of Commerce dedicated to action. It takes COOPERATION. None of which I have yet to see on ANY LEVEL. In West Dearborn, if you plan on opening a business, YOU GO AT IT ALONE.
“Pedestrian friendly”?? “Window shopping”?? This is 2009, not 1959. Why do you think entrances are on the PARKING LOT side of buildings?? Because people DRIVE to get to the BUSINESSES! Owners decided to close up the doors on Michigan Ave because there was not enough staff to oversee a rear entrance AND front entrance. And people came into the store after they parked. “Poor Man’s Strip Mall”??? Again, this is 2009 and that “strip mall” model works with stores that have a PLAN to be put together, not by sheer happenstance.
Michigan Avenue a mess?? You bet. You know why? It’s a STATE HIGHWAY. The City has to ask MDOT to do anything to Michigan Ave.
“Standards of good design”. Yet more comedy. Here’s a news alert for you. Customers are drawn in by ADVERTISING. Aesthetics of a business bring people back. They don’t draw first-time customers. Some of these physical plants haven’t been updated in decades, yet customers CONTINUE to spend money in these businesses because their service or product is desired by the market.
Look, you and I agree that West Dearborn is severely lacking. You and I want it to get BETTER. However, there are facts and there are myths. Sure, there will people that will tell you until they are blue in the face that people shop, arm-in-arm, strolling down the sidewalks, gazing at the storefronts, dreaming about places to spend money. I’m telling you THAT IS A MYTH.
Take a trip. Look at cities in our region with downtowns that are getting it right. You know which one’s they are. That is a model for success. That is what West Dearborn isn’t.
November 11th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Wish we would get some development?
Article:
http://www.freep.com/article/20091111/NEWS03/91111018/1320/Royal-Oak-panel-OKs-plan-for-theater-center
November 11th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
in the story “A few interesting documents worth looking at from Signature Associates, who is listing the property…”
November 11th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Anthony is right. You can’t get people to walk from a parking structure across the street and a half block down. They’re not going to walk a block down Michigan Avenue to window shop like it was “Miracle On 34th Street”. They do their window shopping with a mouse and Internet Explorer now.
Ever go to The Box Bar in Plymouth? That place does well. Come to think of it, they ALL do well over there. How come?
November 11th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
“Look at cities in our region with downtowns that are getting it right. You know which one’s they are.”
Well, Royal Oak and Birmingham certainly are. And they have quite a bit of foot traffic in their Downtown districts. Same with Ann Arbor.
I personally find the idea of walk friendly environment a big plus. I like East Dearborn for this reason. The road is buffered by the side parking spaces( same with RO, Birm, and AA). But as long as you have big rigs and 40 mph traffic, probably not much you can do.
I agree that advertising gets em in and service keeps them coming back, but speak for yourself about appeal.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Anthony is correct…even in A2, royal oak, and plymouth people are not trotting miles along a busy street to go shopping….Deadborn is not a foot traffic city…unless they open dorms off of michigan avenue then maybe, if they bring young people it may come. I go to eat, meet up with people all the time in Deadborn…shop, take a stroll “downtown” no, I don’t think I am alone.
November 11th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
HIp on Dearborn: you need to get your facts straight. I want Don and Dee’s to stay as much as the next person but if there is confusion about the future of the card shop the fault lies with the real estate company. at the end of this post it clearly states that
“Long established retail business VACATING this building located in the hub of Dearborn’s retail district”
tHAT means Dee’s would not be staying if the building is sold. real estate companies don’t pull stuff from thin air. that is written at the direction of the building’s owner. so the story is correct. whether Dee’s stays is totally at the discretion of the building’s new owner. i like don but if the building is sold rather than leased he indeed will VACATE the building. That is the truth not a rumor..
November 11th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Hmm… I don’t need to visit, I lived in one of the successful downtowns of our area, Ann Arbor, for 7 years. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t seeing things when I saw the sidewalks of Main St., Liberty, 4th, State and South U filled with people at all times of day. And not just students, definitely not in the Main and 4th area.
I’m pretty sure the shops I would buy things in or pass every day were real. I’m fairly certain I saw plenty of office workers filling the downtown office space and walking the sidewalks of downtown along with downtown and near downtown residents.
And I’m pretty sure it is not imaginary that you cannot enter businesses directly from the parking lots behind them but, in fact, have to walk around the block to the fronts to enter. Oh the horror!
Plymouth, Royal Oak and Birmingham are all smaller versions of what happens in downtown Ann Arbor. I see plenty of pedestrians in all three, not simply people going to a specific place and then leaving like in Dearborn.
All of these cities have a strong master plan, with Ann Arbor and Birmingham having the most organized plans.
And you’re right, I did forget to blame businesses for poor plans this time. I have several times in the past mentioned on this site that they also share blame with poor or no business plan. That doesn’t negate the fact that Dearborners are too lazy to walk more than 10 feet or too cheap to pay 50 cents to park or 5 dollars for a card or that the city has failed the business district in its lack of planning.
And yes, I know Michigan Ave is a state highway but God forbid the city fight MDOT to make changes to it.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
If we want the locals businesses to stay open during these trying times we must all shop, eat and drink local. There are more than enough places to choose from. I don’t go to Dee’s every week, but when I do need a card or nic-nacs I will always get them there and will continue to. Very nice store!! Best of luck to Dee’s and all the other Dearborn businesses!! STAY LOCAL!!! I do and encourage others too!!
November 12th, 2009 at 9:41 am
I agree – these new business owners need to advertise. You can’t think “If I build it, they will come.” They should mail out coupons and/or menus to the local market to draw them into the store, resturaunt etc.
I also think the ice rink between the parking decks is a great idea! It could be plain like the one at Greenfield Village (which is always crowded).
People, please stop complaining about paid parking. 50 cents AFTER the first hour will not make most people go broke!
Why is O’Reilly and staff letting slum lords like Newman get away with forcing businesses away? I miss Michaels and Pier One (etc. etc.) being in walking distance. I also shop local when I can, but if the store no longer exists in Dearborn, what can you do? I love Dearborn, and I really hope that things make a turn for the better!!! Has anyone heard anymore news about Aldi going to the old Inca computer site?
November 12th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Respectfully Mr. Mastrogiacomo:
“Pedestrian traffic” does not pay the bills. Shoppers do. People patronize those stores in downtown Ann Arbor because you can’t get those unique services or products (and restaurants for that matter) at Briarwood, Arborland or any of the multitude of other shopping malls in and around Ann Arbor.
Go ahead and ask why Dearborn Music, Om Spa, Merchant, Crave, Buddy’s why they don’t open up their doors to Michigan Ave. Seriously, do it. You’ll get an enlightenment.
Let’s go over some history. Once upon a time, you COULD park your car on Michigan Ave and go into one of the many stores. It made sense to have a front entrance.
“That doesn’t negate the fact that Dearborners are too lazy to walk more than 10 feet or too cheap to pay 50 cents to park or 5 dollars for a card or that the city has failed the business district in its lack of planning.”
I totally disagree. This is what the UNSUCCESSFUL business owners WANT you to think. Excuses, all excuses for a lack of a successful plan OR a business that has never advertised and whose patrons have left. It’s too bad certain City Councilpersons have bought into it. They are manipulated like a piece of orange PlayDoh.
Open a business that fills a void in the market and people will gladly fill the meters, walk from the parking structure, etc. It’s called a DESTINATION.
Look, successful Dearborn businesses draw their patrons from more than just the City of Dearborn. They draw them from other cities. That’s how it’s supposed to work. New money from outta town. West Dearborn is not our own little private DisneyWorld.
I’m not going to pick on any one specific business in West Dearborn. That’s unfair and people are going to vote with their own dollars what they like and don’t like. There are great businesses who will weather the current economic climate, then there will be others who won’t. There will those businesses that will be getting their name out and others who chose not to.
One could surmise that Dee’s Hallmark is/will be stronger than they ever have been with Sally’s out of business. Good for Dee’s. Must be doing something right! That’s capitalism!
Your imagination and perceptions aren’t in question, Mr. Mastrogiacomo. Your rationalizations are.
Hip: Keep blaming Dearborn residents for business owners woes. Go ahead. Keep up that publicity. Seriously. You work for the City of Allen Park? Dearborn Heights? Northville? Go back to Marketing 101: THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.
November 12th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Am I missing something, but where is the “shopping” in the West End district, and which windows am I supposed to peer into besides all the bars and restaurants? There seem to be a few shops, sprinkled here and there, but certainly not a shopping district.
Glad to see the council meeting was not so much run by O’Reilly who seems to love to hear his own voice. But yes, the subject matter and issues at hand were pretty innocuous. The Chamber of Commerce is in the library now. They can see first hand the ghost town the area is becoming.
November 12th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Mary M,
There is “retail shopping” in West Dearborn other than bars & restaurants.
Dearborn Music, OM Spa, Steven Bernard Jewelers, Village Art Gallery, Dee’s Hallmark, Merchants, 1-800-Flowers, Nichols Ski & Patio, Bike Sport, Game Stop, Gniewek Trophies, Lynches is back!, Perfume Boutique, the cute gift shop near Howells (sorry forgot the name, but very cute stuff!) Further down the road the stores in Westborn Mall, & Village Antiques.
They don’t do any advertising – so you probably might not know some were there. Or is the problem un-swept streets, or is the problem that they aren’t all pushed closer together (a district)? We certainly have CHEAP parking decks! (come on – just 50 cents AFTER the first hour – that is affordable!)
I don’t have the answers. Wish I did! I want better for Dearborn.
November 12th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Speaking of hearing residents say stores are too low-class for us…….I’d take most any STORE these days rather than bar #7,652. I seem to recall hearing that a Kohl’s was going to go into the Jacobson’s property and then discovering that council members said Kohl’s was not high-class enough for Dearborn. Listen, let them open any store they want and let the credit card-wielding public determine whether it suits us or not. It’s better than all the empty store fronts. FYI to any council members reading this, I love Kohl’s and Costco….if you could get us either of those, I’d be inspired to stay here to raise my family. These days I wonder if my husband and I made the right decision when we purchased a home here.
November 12th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
LifelongDbnRes, Hang in there. We can’t give up, we still have things going for us. I was at the Council meeting this wee, it was a JOKE! Abraham actually wished happy birthday to half of his entire family because they have November birthdays. I could not believe my ears. Not one word about the W Dearborn business district except to extend the flat rate hours by 2. It was embarassing. So, join me, everyone, at the next meeting on the 23rd. After a while, they will notice us and we can get up and speak to the Council and the Mayor. I’ve heard they are quite snotty to residents who speak although I have not witnessed it. But the Mayor got a little hot with one of the regular residents Monday night. Monday the 23rd. I hope to see everyone. And the ice rink is a fantastic idea.
November 12th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
How is it that Dearborn has the top tourist destination in Michigan (or is it Cabela’s now, either way, it’s first or second) and those tourists aren’t venturing into – or being siphoned into – our downtown areas? Mary M is right, there really isn’t much of a shopping district, but I would surely expect to see more out-of-state license plates at the various lots for dining and drinking if not shopping. Royal Oak was sleepy until 696 was finished. Dearborn has always had the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village – shame on the city leaders to let this opportunity slip away.
And while its true that Michigan Ave is a state highway and thus difficult to manage/configure for Dearborn’s needs, why not make the roads that cross it more prominent so as to generate interest for the rushing traffic. I for one am not able to both drive and see the signage on MI Ave since it is so close to the road and just high enough to be invisible when cruising by at 40+ mph – so the only way to get more awareness of businesses is to have drivers actually pull into the cross streets.
Bottom line is that despite the poor economy, Dearborn is lacking a certain vibe that other local downtowns still have. When there’s a vibe people will come out of the woodwork to partake in shopping, dining, people watching, etc. Is it that we don’t have the progressive artist community here? Think Jews and gays – sorry to stereotype but this is reality. Don’t believe? Open your eyes when you visit the other towns. Dearborn is a sleepy town now with the old-timers dreaming of what once was. We need to shake this town up, take advantage of the unique diversity here (even if it is somewhat split between east and west). A good first step would be to build the UofM Dearborn dormitory building between the parking decks. That will bring a much needed young demographic. Never mind what B-K was supposed to build; build the dorm.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:43 am
That is such a joke about any retailer being too “low class” for Dearborn. As if the companies didn’t do their demographic homework before considering the area. Typical of council members to try to impose their “vision” on the city. I know some folks have long wanted Dearborn to be Birmingham or Grosse Pointe (or have even belived it to be), but sorry, some things aren’t meant to be. Right now, the city should be bending over backwards to encorage anyone to set up shop in town, but no, that’s just a little to close to right for our “visionary leadership”.
November 13th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Who lives in dorms? Kids that are under 21 mostly. If we put a dorm there what will that do for all the bars that this city keeps letting in? Now I am not apposed to that, but I do think something better could go in there. The city needs to get the property back first. How about the train station?
November 15th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I agree with many of Anthony’s points.
Dearborn residents won’t appreciate this, but I’ll have to say it anyway: That area of Michigan Ave. has little appeal. It’s not attractive. And it looks like it doesn’t have a future. (Lord, I hope I’m wrong!)
There is a poor layout plan to West Village Commons. Particularly on the south side of Michigan Ave., where Jacobson’s used to be located. And Michigan Ave. is not isolated; any neighboring city resident, such as myself, will come to Dearborn for merchants/restaurants (at least one of the stores) offering a product or service I’m after. (I regularly patron Dee’s Hallmark.)
This doesn’t excuse the businesses themselves. But this area isn’t attractive to a diverse list of tenants. It isn’t attracting them to come. And it hasn’t been in some time — at least not during most of the past three years (when West Village Commons opened in 2006).
It’s a shame; but the chain stores that have pulled out — such as Moe’s Southwest Grill, Au Bon Pain, and Caribou Coffee — could make it pretty much anywhere. They have. Granted, Caribou and Au Bon were redundant; they cannot be excused for opening in poor locations. But then again — they are poor locations. And their previously occupied space remains, not surprisingly, vacant.
It should be no surprise that Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory — so isolated in their previously occupied, southeast corner of West Village Commons — made the decision to relocate to Allen Park’s Fairlane Green (and become a neighbor to that city’s Panera Bread).
Why? Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is a business. And they clearly made the following decision: Throw in the towel on this Dearborn locale; it’s a loser for us!
By the way: The paid parking is a mistake. I argued, back in 2007, with LX about this. He brought up Royal Oak, and pretty much said: Well, here is a list of other cities that have paid parking. For example, there’s Royal Oak. Now that proves paid parking, for Dearborn, is not a losing proposition. Well, it depends on the market. And I never thought it was right for Dearborn. Certainly not with the Dearborn market. And, based on descriptions of these City Council meetings, the discussing of improving paid parking (two/three years after being implemented) … well, it sounds like it’s been a regretful venture. A waste.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Big Dog, good thought – I also considered the lot between the parking decks to be the best place for the new train station until I realized that the designated location by the power plant is ideal for tourists to stop and walk to The Henry Ford, not to mention a station might require double tracks so that a stopped train would not impede the flow of freight trains or other non-stop trains to/from Detroit/Chicago. Not sure if that area has double tracks, but it would be easier to put there than in the middle of downtown.
November 16th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Respectfully Dave:
What other common thread ran through ALL of these closed businesses?
Effective ADVERTISING.
Not one word. There were people around town that never even knew that these businesses existed in the first place.
All the businesses you mentioned are national franchises. I have not researched, but someone owns(ed) the franchises to make the decision to locate in West Dearborn. The same person(s) also decided to move and/or relocate said businesses. I will surmise that these are businesses that rely on national name recognition and co-op advertising. None of which was taken advantage of by the franchise owners.
Hallmark is a national franchise. It baffled me why there were two Hallmark franchised stores (Dee’s and Sally’s) within such close proximity of each other. Dee’s will now be the exclusive Hallmark store in a now larger service area.
In terms of the ‘paid parking issue’ and the ‘West Village Commons’ issue, I will reserve my comments for another topic thread, when Mr Deep posts an article specifically with those topics.
Continued success to the owners and employees of Dee’s Hallmark: for prospering over the past 25 years, for a prosperous holiday season and future.
November 16th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Anthony,
I don’t disagree with you on advertising. But I’m not a Dearborn resident, so I cannot write about the issue of local advertising (like with those Val Paks or anything else). I do imagine they may help the independents (the ones still around; the ones gone).
I do stand by my assertions that there is a lousy combination of stores on Michigan Ave., on the south side where Jacobsons had occupied (and where there is now a stream of vacancies). There have/had been a number of redundancies (some of which — yes, the national chains like Au Bon Pain and Caribou Coffee — were, to put it kindly, curbed).
I brought up West Village Commons and paid parking because they are a big part of this whole issue. It is not inviting or attractive in getting consumers to want to show up. And that situation isn’t any better today than when they had some noteworthy occupants (when West Village Commons opened in 2006).
SIDE NOTE: I thought Sally’s is a gift shop store; Dee’s is, technically, a Hallmark Crown Rewards store with the line of Hallmark products (branding must be noted).
By the way: I’m from Allen Park, and we had three Hallmark stores — which aren’t franchises so much as dealerships — within a two- or three-mile radius: Betty’s Hallmark, in Lincoln Park Shopping Center; The Browsery, in or around the center of the city (just a block or so from the movie theater on Allen Rd. near Southfield Rd.); Jan’s Hallmark, in the south end of the city. And, today, only Jan’s remains while The Browsery — in business since c. 1980 — was retired earlier this year by its owner. Betty’s — around the same age — was dying for at least a couple years before the end became official in early-2008. (That’s another issue.) This news about Dee’s Hallmark doesn’t surprise me. I hope for the best with that situation.