Dave Heikkinen, president of the Downtown Association of Ypsilanti, talks about Downtown Ypsilanti like a proud parent: “Behind every business is a great person with an interesting story.”
Through DAY, local businesses put their heads together not only to create economic opportunities for themselves, but also to stimulate the community of Ypsilanti through cultural events.
“What we try to do is promote the businesses, the people, the downtown district,” Heikkinen said. “We’re here saying come shop, come eat, come play in downtown Ypsilanti.”
According to Kevin Hill, program coordinator of Downtown Association of Ypsilanti and owner of Wolverine Restaurant, “There’s a revival going on down here.”
“People are finally discovering what they can do in Ypsi,” Heikkinen said.
DAY can fulfill your artistic pursuits with art galleries, music shops, tattoos, piercings and body art and theatre. If you’re looking for entertainment, visit Dreamland Theatre, a quirky venue for music, theatre and puppet shows on 26 N. Washington, or try Riverside Arts Theatre, host to ballets, plays and art displays on 76 N. Huron.
Another way to show your creative side is through body art, which can be found in multitudes at Liquid Swordz on 27 N. Washington, right across from Dreamland Theatre. “You can get tattooed in three different places downtown!” Heikkinen said.
If you’re human you’ve got to eat, and Ypsi serves a great selection of dining options including diners, coffeehouses and bars.
Beezy’s Café, at 20 N. Washington, boasts local ingredients, adding a touch of Ypsilanti to the simple honest food. Sidetrack’s Bar and Grill is an easy-going restaurant in Depot Town at 56 E. Cross St. with cuisine fit for a king. Wolverine Restaurant at 228 W. Michigan Ave. dishes out breakfast foods and offers student discounts, a hard deal to turn down. Abe’s Coney Island offers cheap comfort food 402 W. Michigan Ave. and is
open 24/7.
If you’re looking for a toe-tapping good time, try Taproom, a restaurant and bar with live entertainment on 201 W. Michigan Ave. “There’s a little bit of everything in there,” Heikkinen said. “Everybody fits in, it’s comfortable. If you’re a regular, they know you. Plus there’s pool, open mic night every Thursday and plenty of flat screen TVs.”
It may seem like all fun and games, but Downtown Association of Ypsilanti also takes care of business. Downtown Ypsi is home to a plethora of business services, realtors, travel agencies, insurance companies and family services such as Breakaway Travel, Premiere Choice Realty and the Ypsilanti Area Chamber of Commerce. You can’t forget the Ypsilanti Library, located at 229 W. Michigan Ave, home to more than 250,000 rentables.
What better way to draw people into town than through an eclectic assortment of shopping options? The Rocket is a novelty shop located at 103 W.
Michigan Ave. with candy, gag gifts and a few things so entertaining you won’t want to give them away.
“The Rocket is famous,” Heikkinen said “This time of year it’s the Easter basket capital of Michigan. Around Christmas it’s the stocking stuffer capital of Michigan. The rest of the year it’s the Valentine’s Day capital of Michigan or a place to fix your sweet tooth.”
MIXPersonal improvement is made easy via salons and local fitness centers. You can get a fresh cut and color at the Thomas Blondi Studio at 40 N. Huron, or get African hair braiding done at Queen Aicha at 230 W. Michigan Ave. When you’re in the mood to rejuvenate the body, Ypsi Studio is your place for yoga, pilates, strength training, cycling and dance workouts at 208 W. Michigan Ave.
“A lot of people don’t come downtown so a lot of what we’re trying to do by staging events is to get people to come downtown and see that it’s safe and that there are lots of unique stores,” Hill said. “We want people to have a more positive view of Ypsilanti and I think in that we’ve been very successful.”
The Downtown Association of Ypsilanti is responsible for community-building events year round. In the summer, Cross Roads Summer Festival, held July 6, 13, 20, 27, and Aug. 3, 10, 11 and 12, brings Ypsilanti six weeks of free live music with vendors of food and crafts on Washington St. between Pearl St. and Michigan Ave.
At the start of the school year, DAY takes part in EMU’s Freshman Orientation, an event held in Depot Town to acquaint college newbies to their surroundings.
In the latter part of October is the Painted Chairs event, where businesses build and decorate chairs that represent their business and shows the creative side of our local business owners. The Halloween Event, on Oct. 26 is “probably our best attended event” according to Hill. Business owners and locals team up to create safe trick-or-treating for youngsters. Nov. 30 is Ypsi’s Christmas tree lighting and Starlight Spree, a shopping kick off.
Activities and events bring together the people of Ypsilanti to stimulate new growth. “We’re a community down here,” Heikkinen said. “We know each other. It’s just a good rich organization. Not rich so much in dollars, but in efforts and people. We have a great collection of people and we want more people to come and appreciate it. We’re hoping more people come by and give us a shout.”
“We have actually turned a corner in a much more positive way,” Hill said. “We’re moving in the right direction.”
For more information on upcoming events, visit http://www.daypsi.com/.
