You may already know Leslie Austin’s name or face.  She and her husband, artist David Austin, have been Ypsi supporters for years now having owned What is that Gallery of Fine Art and Craft and Leslie was the force behind the fashion show Dressed on Washington Street hosted in the spring of 2009 which showcased local design talent.  She designs and creates most of what you see in the store many of which are one-of-a-kind pieces.  You can even make requests and Leslie will accomodate when she can.  Leslie has been working with Jenice Pettibone to promote the store and her creations and Jenice came up with the idea of stepping-out with a “street team” to various events and clubs around town dressed in Leslie’s designs.  The result is a lot of street cred when other party goers ask ‘Where did you get that skirt, dress etc…?’.  Great publicity.

Again, don’t think her store services only those who take a size 4 for granted.  She runs the gammet on cuts and sizes utilizing new and re-issued materials that she picks up from sources all around Michigan.  As for Leslie herself, they don’t come any nicer.  She loves her craft and is happy to chat when you stop-in.

Related posts:

1. Dressed on Washington St.
2. Hip Holiday Shopping …locally: The Getup …sweet vintage clothing!
3. Fireworks and a weekend of Fun at Ford Lake, Ypsi

The Common Grill
112 S. Main Street
Chelsea, MI 48118
www.commongrill.com

Related posts:

1. Zou Zou’s Cafe
2. The Mission Marketplace
3. Bumble’s Dry Goods

117 South Main Street
Chelsea, MI 48118-1265
(734) 475-7604
www.themissionmarketplace.com

Related posts:

1. Zou Zou’s Cafe
2. Bumble’s Dry Goods
3. The Potting Shed

112 West Middle Street
Chelsea, MI 48118-1094
(734) 475-8086

Related posts:

1. Bumble’s Dry Goods
2. The Chelsea House Victorian Inn
3. Zou Zou’s Cafe

Related posts:

1. Zou Zou’s Cafe
2. The Chelsea House Victorian Inn
3. The Mission Marketplace

118 E. Middle St.
Chelsea, Michigan 48118
(877) 618-4935
www.chelseahouseinn.com

Related posts:

1. Bumble’s Dry Goods
2. The Potting Shed
3. Zou Zou’s Cafe

101 Main Street
Chelsea, MI 48118
734-433-4226
www.zouzouscafe.com

Zou Zou’s is located on the NW corner of Main and Middle in Downtown Chelsea.

Related posts:

1. Bumble’s Dry Goods
2. The Potting Shed
3. The Chelsea House Victorian Inn

We arranged for a 36 hour get away to Chelsea.  At first I wondered why we didn’t just plan on heading that way on 2 different days and skip the overnight-er.  We would have to find a spot for the dogs, pack a bag, alert our postman …to go a few miles down the road.  I’m so glad no one listened to me!

Zou Zou's

Marie <3 the free wifi

As we pulled into town early, hungry and a bit groggy still Zou Zou’s Cafe seemed an obvious first stop.  Zou Zou’s has the main corner in town with the wooden screen door that slaps shut behind you when you enter.  The place is crowded and cozy with as many locals as visitors.  They started as a bakery and still make all their pastries in house.  Now they serve up quiches, bagels, delicious sandwiches and salads as well.  My sandwich, The Walt, had a scrumptious black bean curry paste.  Aaron helped us at the counter and gave a few words of wisdom about the town then he sent us on our way with lattes in hand and a direction.

Bon Bon Bubble Bath

I doubt we would have missed The Potting Shed without Aaron’s advice since it was about 50′ down the street, but you never know and we would have been sad.  Bonnie Clark and her husband own and operate this little gem that started as a garden shop out of their home.  They moved to downtown Chelsea six years ago and then expanded to a larger space in the old Town Hall a year ago.  Their store now includes everything from bird houses to vintage clothing, jewelry, French lotions (mais oui!) fun odds and ends and an old fashioned candy counter.  Try the candy coated whoppers. Bonnie was also nice enough to open a baby store upstairs when their daughter had twins.  Lots of unique and perfect presents for the little people in your life.  I picked up a beautiful dress for a little girl and was surprised at how reasonable the price was …another advantage to expanding out of the high rent district of Ann Arbor.

Hand Soap at Bumble's

With whoppers in hand, Bonnie pointed us out the door with suggestions of where to visit next and off we went …right across the street to Bumble’s Dry Goods.  I had already decided Bonnie was going to be my favorite in town …then I met Carolyn McNagny. Carolyn owns and operates Bumble’s.  She has a great vibe and was a joy to chat with.  She opened about a year ago and stocks goods that are US made (she admitted to one Canadian artist) from mostly small artisans.  Find toys, candles, furniture and art work in every corner of the space.  Although much of her stock comes from around the country, she is carrying more and more local talent.  I bought some beautifully soft rabbit fur gloves that were made locally from bunnies that are combed everyday for the fur they contribute.  I wonder if they want some of my German Shepherd’s hair?  I would just have to empty my vacuum bag.

Fleece Fair

Our next stop was a unexpected surprise in our weekend.  While hanging out with our new friend Carolyn we learned of a fleece fair going on at the local high school.  When the blank look held steady on my face it was explained that the fleece from various animals (sheep, lamas etc) is what is spun into knitting yarn among other things.  Ah!  My mom knits!  In fact I was in need of a new hat creation from her so off we went.  It took all of 10 minutes of being in that auditorium to make me want to start knitting.  The colors and textures… heavenly.  My friend picked up a loop of dove gray cashmere and asked if my mom could make underwear.  I declined on her behalf.  Most of the goods were still in their fleece form (hence the fair name) and on average take 6-8 hours to spin into yarn.  I headed to the racks on the side for those of us incapable of such a feat and picked out a few choice skeins to gift to my mother.

The Chelsea House Inn Living Room

As our stomachs began to grumble, we headed back to town and booked into The Chelsea House Victorian Inn which is close enough to one of the two downtown intersections that you can smell the coffee brewing at Zou Zou’s from the front door. When this little soiree was being planned I was the first to put up my hand in objection when a B&B was mentioned.  Really?  I was ok boarding the dogs for this jaunt, but now I was going to have to have my personal space invaded by someone who probably has the same cache of stories as my 93 yr old neighbor.  My jaded soul should be pinned to a chair and made to play a bingo marathon.  Not only was the place gorgeous, but our proprietor, Jim Myles, was professional, helpful and proved to be a tolerant audience for my jokes.  He greeted us, gave a quick tour of the place, asked if we needed assistance with dinner reservations or theatre tickets, made sure we had the 24/7 phone number to reach him then quietly excused himself so we could settle in.  I was smitten.

Craig Common - The Common Grill

We napped, showered and changed to head to The Common Grill for dinner.  As we were the only guests at the Chelsea House that night we were able to wander through the various suites on the floor.  We had the The Holmes Room named after the owners of the local company Jiffy Mix. The Congdon Room had a view of the garden. The Glazier Suite was the original master and sported a fireplace and period bathroom.  All three suites provided nice space and private bath. There was also a Carriage House which would accommodate families or those looking for full kitchen facilities …or a 2 person jacuzzi.  The main floor of The Chelsea House laid out graciously with fireplace, period furniture and ample room to relax.  Jim had kindly offered to leave out a wine bottle opener and glasses for us if we decided to sit by the fire at the end of our evening.  In the sitting room I found images depicting Jim’s journey with the place.  Wow, talk about a project.  Over a period of six years he had restored or recreated much of the original detailing while installing modern amenities such as en suite baths and flat screen TVs.  After checking out our digs, we headed out the door and walked the block and a half to The Common Grill which was packed when we arrived.  Our table was to be ready in 20 minutes which gave us time to test the martini making skills of the bartender.  Vodka martini dry and up …blue cheese olives if you have them.  She was spot on with it.  I was really beginning to appreciate boarding those dogs overnight.

Parmesan Crusted Lake Superior Whitefish

Rumor on the street is The Common Grill was pitched to Chef and owner Craig Common by none other than Jeff Daniels’ dad, Robert Daniels, who owns the Chelsea Lumber Company.  Yes, it is a small town.  The idea was to open a casual, fine dining experience to compliment a night at The Purple Rose Theatre (opened by Jeff Daniels if you haven’t already heard).  It worked.  Chef Craig Common has established The Common Grill as a dining destination regardless of the time of year.  The dishes ran from good to excellent.  Service was as expected since the staff was working hard to keep up with the crowd and opening curtain.  I’d like to go back on a night when the kitchen is less slammed.  As we wrapped up our last bites, our server kindly reminded us of the time.  We walked a block to The Purple Rose and took our seats.

The Purple Rose is not what you might expect if you haven’t been and no one gives you the spoiler alert.  It is intimate!  My mother hosts more people for Christmas dinner than this theatre holds.  Instead of an opera glasses required venue, you take your seat along with the other 150ish people and enjoy front row seating …along with everyone else.  The seating was set in a U shape around the performance area with the actors close enough to touch.  When the stage lights dropped on the final scene I was impressed and disappointed that it was over.  The cast took their bow and we headed back to The Common Grill for dessert and an after-play cocktail.  Turns out my favorite dish was yet to come… Warm Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding with Mocha and Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise and Caramel Sauce …need I say more.  We were done.  We said goodnight to our friends who had joined us for the evening and as we turned the key to the front door of The Chelsea House I admitted how happy I was only steps from my pillow rather than driving toward the expressway.

The New Chelsea Market

Despite the food, fun and cocktails the night before, I was downstairs in search of coffee by 7.  Jim heard me in the dining room and came out to say good morning.  It was nice to have fresh coffee waiting even though we had arranged an 8:30 breakfast time.  After fruit filled crepes, more coffee and some chat we were ready to finish the town.

Our first stop was the wine shop, town market, The New Chelsea Market.  The shop was recently revamped by owners Kevin Riley and Francisca Fernandez and geared more to the gourmand and customer requests.  The window display pulled us in with the promises of local honey and specialty breads.  Once we were in my partner smelled the corks and hooked an immediate left into the wine area of the shop.  By the time I finished wandering around the butcher counter, the fresh produce, the pie rack and bread bin, Kevin Riley and my friend were knee deep in grape talk, small production vineyards and Michigan laws regarding wine imports.  I enjoy drinking the stuff, but I was happy to check out the light fixtures made from recycled bike parts and fans, as well as, the wine displays made from a wooden campaign sign that was at the entrance to town a year or so ago.  Both were a tribute to the creative minds behind them.  I finally left them behind and headed next door to The Mission Marketplace.

Shop Locally, Help Globally

The Mission Marketplace is a non-profit community marketplace, specializing in handcrafted goods created by those living in impoverished or disadvantaged circumstance.  Kevin Frahm is the Executive Director of Mission Marketplace.  As I walked in, I heard Kevin talking to his son and reminding him that the surest way to guarantee a snow day on Monday was to do his homework today.  Ahhh, childhood.  While wandering around the store I couldn’t help but be amazed at how much Chelsea just kept giving and surprising.  The store was stocked ceiling high with hand crafted goods, clothing, sculpture, jewelry and paintings, from around the world and our own backyard.  All geared to raising awareness and creating better living conditions for different communities …and a lot of it was plenty cool stuff.  Which we did …another pair of gloves and a scarf.  It is winter in Michigan after all.

Turns out we weren’t done at the The New Chelsea Market.  It was Sunday …and now it was after noon.  As we headed out of town we picked up a few bottles of wine.  Although we had an exceptional two days of weather for a Michigan winter we never made it outside the bounds of downtown Chelsea.  We may just have to pick a summer weekend to board the dogs, pack a bag and call Jim to see what rooms he has available…

Related posts:

1. The Common Grill
2. The Chelsea House Victorian Inn
3. The New Chelsea Market

Looking for the coolest kicks, music or outfit? Puffer Red’s is the kind of place I wonder if I’m hip enough to hit.  But once I’m in the door, the staff always makes me feel like I deserve my own entourage.  They have been around for 30 years and founder Eric Williams along with wife Tandra still know what the sneakerheads want and Puffer Red’s is the only place to get them.  The Puffer Red’s name comes from a childhood nickname for owner Eric …a slightly chubby kid who turned red when mad.  He can certainly kick his kicks at the neighborhood kids now.  Strongly connected to the community Puffer Red’s often hosts meet and greets for the biggest names in music and sports.  Adidas and Nike are also paying attention.  Adidas asked them to design an Adidas Forum 25th Anniversary shoe in 2008 and Nike gave them the nod to be one of the 17 stores nationwide to carry their exclusive lines.  Take notice… right here in Ypsi we have one of the hippest music, shoe and clothing storefronts in Michigan and arguably the world!

Related posts:

1. Hip Holiday Shopping …locally: The Getup …sweet vintage clothing!
2. Hip Holiday Shopping …locally
3. Michigan Beer Festival