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.
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.
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.
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.”
Leaps of Faith :Tales of Local Businesses--Carosello Pasta
This column is a look at two brave souls who took a leap of faith to open their own business. What follows is a personal profile of Chelsea and Mike Carosello who are following their dreams and thriving despite the odds—and Covid.
Leaps of Faith: Arogyaveda
At the end of a quiet lane, I found the building where Pradeepa Ryasam invited me to meet her. I had asked if she could share her experience as a new business owner offering holistic wellness services at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. As I walked toward the building, I noticed rabbit footprints in the new snow, and several birds greeted me before Ryasam had a chance to open the door to introduce herself.
Leaps of Faith, Spring 2022, Winewood Organics
This column is a look at a brave soul who took a leap of faith to open his own businesses. What follows is a personal profile of Eric Parkhurst who is following his dreams and thriving despite the odds—and Covid.
Leaps of Faith: 2 Dandelions Bookshop
As I walked into 2 Dandelions Bookshop on Main Street in Brighton, I was greeted by two women with smiles as cheerful as the color sprinkled about the store. As I noticed their outfits, I couldn’t help but mention, “I love that you both wore yellow for the photos.” Jeanne Blazo and Jeri Kay Thomas looked at each other’s outfits and laughed while simultaneously explaining that it wasn’t on purpose. They “just wear it a lot.” I knew then that these long-time friends were in sync and that I would enjoy learning about them and what they created together.
Leaps of Faith: This That, and the ODDer Things
Claire Broderick waited with the world, trying to grasp the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though she wanted so badly for 2020 to be the year she would manifest her dream of opening a retail shop filled with her collection of what she calls “uniquities,” there was reason to pause. In the meantime, she kept dreaming, researching, and collecting. Adding a taxidermy octopus here, reaching out to a bone jeweler there. She knew how important it was to persist and keep planning.
Leaps of Faith : Tales of Local Businesses, Fall 2020
This column is a look at a brave soul who took a leap of faith to open her own business . What follows is a personal profile of a business owner following her dreams and thriving despite the odds—and Covid.
Leaps of Faith--Tales of Local Businesses, Red Yoga and Teaspressa
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. What follows are personal profiles of business owners following their dreams and thriving despite the odds.
Leaps of Faith Fall 2019, thrive juicery and Ann Arbor Pharmacy
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. What follows are personal profiles of business owners following their dreams and thriving despite the odds. Featuring thrive juicery and Ann Arbor Pharmacy.
Leaps of Faith: The Unicorn Feed and Supply
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. What follows are personal profiles of business owners following their dreams and thriving despite the odds. This issue we feature Unicorn Feed and Supply in Ypsilanti.
Leaps of Faith: Earth Elements
Kristen Madrid and James McDonald have had a lifelong interest in the metaphysical and spiritual tools for healing practices, and their shared passion has blossomed into Saline’s first and only mind, body, and spirit shop: Earth Elements. At their store on Michigan Avenue in downtown Saline, you’ll find everything from crystals and gemstone jewelry to loose leaf teas and Reiki healing services. Together, they have created a one-stop-shop for self-exploration and spiritual connection. Stay for a cup of their “tea of the day”, and you will find it is also a wonderful space for relaxation and taking a much-needed break.
Leaps of Faith: Tales of Local Businesses, Ypscity
When Damien Lamberti, more commonly known as D, first decided to open YPSCITY, it was to be a custom sneaker shop (there’s a major market for upcycled, custom designed tennis shoes in the Sneaker Culture, and they’re fetching incredible prices) and graphic design business, but it quickly grew into a broader concept which included providing a space for artists, home crafters, and creators to display and sell their work. As D put it, “I wanted to create a space in which artists are taken seriously and can be fairly compensated for their creations, rather than accepting the minimal amounts often offered for the piece they spent weeks or months creating.”
Leaps of Faith: Tales of Local Businesses, The Cheese Shop of Saline
John and Ruth Loomis opened the doors of their new venture, The Cheese Shop of Saline in the fall of 2017.
Leaps of Faith - Tales of Local Businesses
Writer Mary Runser meets the owners of Ypsi's new CULTIVATE COFFEE & TAP HOUSE and Ann Arbor's new THISTLE & BESS.