Another 100-year-old building is coming back online in downtown Ypsilanti, making room for five new businesses.
The single-story commercial structure at 10 N Washington had been vacant for a couple of years before new ownership took over in the summer of 2014. It has since executed a complete renovation, filling it with five local small businesses, including Bodies by Yogi, Betty Green Organic Beauty, Paint Ypsilanti, Five Star Care Network, and Go! Ice Cream.
"It's all done with the exception of Go! Ice Cream," says Stewart Beal, construction contractor and property manager of 10 N Washington. Go! Ice Cream recently closed a successful crowdfunding campaign to build out a commercial kitchen and soda shop on the alley side of the building early next year.
10 N Washington had been used by a couple of office tenants before it went vacant. The whole building needed love but its exterior hadn't been improved in decades. Beal's team brought it back to its original design.
They team also subdivided the commercial space to accommodate Ypsilanti’s emerging small business scene. Originally Beal the ownership were looking for one tenant to occupy the 2,800 square feet on the ground floor and 1,800-square-foot basement.
"We never got any takers sop we decided to split it onto five spaces," Beal says. "In some cases it's easier to rent out five smaller spaces."
Source: Stewart Beal, construction contractor and property manager of 10 N Washington
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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