Reignited Business Association Purchases New Benches for 'The Park'

Recent visitors to The Park, the business district on Kercheval Avenue from Wayburn to Beaconsfield, may have noticed attractive new benches lining the sidewalk.

The new seats, said Joe Hebeka, president of the Grosse Pointe Park Business Association, are part of a strategic plan to give The Park greater visibility and prominence among Grosse Pointe’s shopping districts.

Eleven benches were purchased earlier this month from Wausau Tile in Wisconsin at a cost of $9,000. They replace worn out benches and were paid for by the association as well as donations from business owners and private residents, said Hebeka, who owns Belding Cleaners. The benches follow on the heels of an entrance sign at Beaconsfield welcoming visitors to the shopping district, purchased last summer, and banners announcing the seasonal, open air West Park Farmers Market, which were bought by the association in September. More beautification and branding projects will come, said Hebeka, although specific plans have not been formulated.

The string of acquisitions by the association marks the first such activity in years, said Hebeka. The association has been in existence since the 1970s but lay dormant for a long time before Hebeka decided to resurrect it in June of 2010.

“I noticed that The Hill and The Village were so much more organized than we were,” he explained. “They enjoyed a lot of group effort, and I wondered why nothing was going on down here. After all, some of our businesses have been here longer than theirs. I realized getting the association going again would help us work together to better our community.”

Hebeka drummed up interest by walking the streets and talking personally to owners of the shopping district’s roughly 40 businesses. About 25 members have joined. They pay annual dues and special assessments for purchases such as the welcome sign, banners and benches. The association now meets monthly to discuss issues and vote on matters of business. Hebeka said he receives special administrative assistance from Cheri Musial, owner of Pointe Pet's Supply, State Farm Insurance agent Mark Tabacchini, and Yvonne Maes-Nazareth, owner of Do, by hair co.

Hebeka said the association has spent the past year forging relationships with the business associations representing The Hill and The Village and with city officials, who he describes as “incredibly helpful,” providing a variety of assistance from public safety vigilance to hanging Christmas lights.

The Park is doing incredibly well right now, Hebeka said, noting that its ratio of vacancies to storefronts is by far the lowest of the Grosse Pointes’ shopping areas. The association is interested in promoting the area’s success and advertising its diverse offerings.

“There is literally almost every errand you need to run on a Saturday right here,” he said, “including a dry cleaners, a vet, hair salons and a barber, a pharmacy, a hardware store, clothing stores, restaurants and other eateries. People will make a special trip to places like Birmingham for these things, but they’re all right here.”

Hebeka said he believes investments in the shopping district are investments in the community as a whole. “It’s so important to the residents, because people don’t want to live in an area where the shopping district is not successful.”