Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce Kicks Off Third Annual Small Business Saturday

Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce encourages residents to support Small Business Saturday by shopping at locally-owned small businesses.

  The day after Black Friday is Small Business Saturday, a day to support the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country and the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce urges local residents to support their neighborhood businesses. Small Business Saturday, which falls on November 24 this year, was created in 2010 by American Express in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: creating more demand for their products and services. In 2011, Small Business Saturday gave a boost to Main Street merchants and spurred millions of Americans to shop at independently-owned small businesses, including President Obama, who took his daughters on a shopping trip to an independent bookstore …

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Ritz Camera Store in Grosse Pointe Woods to Close

The Mack Avenue store will look to sell out its inventory before closing its doors.

The Ritz Camera Store on Mack Avenue plans to close its doors. The closure of store — part of the Maryland-based Ritz Camera & Image — is more indicative of the company's struggles than the business climate in Grosse Pointe. Ritz Camera recently filed for bankruptcy for the second time in three years and its Grosse Pointe branch has had signs posted for the last week advertising its end. Employees of the store declined to comment, but a member of the corporation's customer service acknowledged that the store would be closing. That, however, won't come until the stock of the store has been liquidated and it's unclear when that will be.

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Emagine Withdraws Theater Proposal from City of Grosse Pointe

Emagine is taking its movie theater plans to Macomb, not the Pointes. The City of Grosse Pointe council is expected to make a decision during its next meeting in June related to the remaining proposal from Grosse Pointe Theatre.

Emagine Entertainment has withdrawn its proposal for a 35,000 square-foot building that would house an eight screen movie theater in the Village, City of Grosse Pointe Manager Pete Dame announced Monday. Their withdrawal means the city council will only have one proposal to consider, which is a 40,000 square-foot cultural arts center with a 400-seat theater for live productions and a banquet area by the Grosse Pointe Theatre. Dame said Emagine Entertainment found another location in Macomb County that will house 12-14 screens rather than the eight proposed in Grosse Pointe. The company, he said, believes the new location is more ideal for development and will still draw clientele from the Grosse Pointes. The exact location in Macomb County…

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Mark

1:47 pm on Thursday, May 24, 2012

Well Chad to your response to Bill and Wendy I would say no that wasn't the whole point you were trying to make. You were making ridiculous assumptions that everyone who lives in GP is stuck in the past and essentially has no life on top of being elitist snobs. Which I'm sorry is absolutely unfair and sounds like you went to school with losers is your problem. As far as nightlife nobody can argue…   more ›

About Town

GP Businesses Create Window Displays to Draw Customers

Some Grosse Pointe businesses employ creative storefronts to make us look, laugh, stop, and well of course, shop.

What unfolds before you on a drive down Mack or Kercheval avenues, the Pointes two main business drags, is mostly just a blur of stores, offices and other businesses. Some stand out more than others. Their signs, facades, etc. but in cities like the Pointes, the storefront standard is a unified, cohesive look that, frankly, can add up to bland. While other cities' storefronts and window displays are drenched in creativity, uniqueness, comedy or drama (live mannequins), that level of artistic style is at a trickle in the Pointes. However, if you slow down and look closer there are local examples of fun or silliness, attitude or style, art or creativity around. Maybe you know their work already. There's businesses like Lou's Pet Shop on Mack…

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Sara Eaton Martin

4:19 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012

Tell me, what are you favorite local store fronts? I always check out Lou's and Village Toy.   more ›

Samples from Coins & Stamps Sent to Lab

Grosse Pointe's arson investigation team sent several samples from last week's fire at Coins and Stamps on Mack Avenue to the Michigan State Police to be tested for accelerants.

City of Grosse Pointe public safety officials along with the arson investigators from the collective five cities continue to investigate the fire that gutted Coins and Stamps last week.  The blaze broke out shortly after 4 a.m. minutes after police received an alert for an intrusion alarm from the back window. Immediately following, dispatchers received an alert for a fire alarm.  Investigators have strong suspicions the fire was an arson but the cause has not yet been determined. Crews from the City, the Park and the Farms fought the fire for about an hour before putting it out. Neighboring businesses sustained smoke damage but otherwise avoided the heavier damage that Coins and Stamps sustained. City of Grosse Pointe Detective Alan Gwyn …

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Burglar Strikes Again at Mack Avenue Store

City of Grosse Pointe detectives are investigating another break-in and theft at Coins and Stamps on Mack Avenue after an alarm alerted patrol officers to the crime.

City of Grosse Pointe patrol officers responded to a burglar alarm about 2:30 a.m. Feb. 27 at Coins and Stamps to find the front window broken. They searched the store but the burglar had already left the area, according to a report. The owner identified a variety of types of money that were on display were stolen, including one valued at $1,600, and a video surveillance tape showed officers how the crime happened.  A man dressed in clothing with Detroit Tigers logo threw a chunk of asphalt through the front window of the store, broke the window and then entered the store. He remained in the store for about a minute but was gone before officers arrived. He ran from the store toward University, according to the report. Detective Alan Gwyn …

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Ribbon-Cutting: Little Blue Book, Towar Productions

The Little Blue Book and Towar Productions moved from Grosse Pointe Park to Grosse Pointe Woods. They celebrated their new offices Thursday with a small party and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce.

The Little Blue Book and Towar Productions celebrated its relocation from Grosse Pointe Park to Grosse Pointe Woods Thursday with a small party and ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of their new offices. The company, owned by mother and daughter team, Kim Towar and Brandi Towar, wanted to find a location that was more visible. Kim Towar said they are aiming to expand their business related to custom publishing, which is part of what prompted the move. Their former offices were on Mack Avenue across the street from Dylan's Raw Bar and Grille facing a residential side-street, which is at the very end of the Pointes, Kim Towar said. Both owners are very excited about their new location, explaining they've only finished the final details in the…

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Buy Michigan Initiative Sparks State’s Economy

More than 30 local businesses and non-profits showcase their Michigan made chops at the Great Lakes Showcase Monday.

Say "bye-bye" to foreign products and buy Michigan! That’s what the owners of more than 30 Michigan-based companies and non-profits are hoping customers will do. They featured their products at the Great Lakes Showcase at the Southfield Westin Hotel on Monday. “If Michigan people buy Michigan stuff, the economy will improve for everyone. It’s really simple and basic—but true,” said Rejeana Heinrich of Standish, MI, a self-proclaimed sisterprenuer, who in conjunction with her two sisters launched Michigan-Made.com, a website dedicated to selling only Michigan-made products. The Buy Michigan campaign, which is supported by Gov. Rick Snyder, has paid off for Michigan-Made.com, which has seen a 400 percent sales growth in the past year. In …

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Ed Primeau

9:10 am on Saturday, January 21, 2012

I believe Michigan is on the come back. Our business has been growing over 75% each year since we moved to Rochester Hills. Back to the original question, I still love Vernors Ginger Ale even if they did leave Michigan. Riddley's on Rochester and Wattles is one of my favorite local businesses.   more ›

Trio of Burglars Hit Mack Avenue Business

City of Grosse Pointe police are investigating an early morning burglary in which a trio of masked men broke in through a front window using a rock.

City of Grosse Pointe police are investigating the break-in of a Mack Avenue business in which a rock was used to break the front window. Officers were called to Coins and Stamps, 17658 Mack Ave., about 5:30 a.m. Jan. 5 by an intruder alarm. Responding officers found that a front window was broken out and several glass cases inside the business were smashed as well. The owner has identified some of what was stolen but is still compiling a more complete list for police, City Detective Christopher J. Lee said. The store has a great deal of small merchandise so determining exactly what was taken will take a bit of time, he said. Detectives are trying to identify three young men who were caught on video and audio tape during the crime, the …

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John Hetzler

7:26 pm on Saturday, January 7, 2012

A comment was deleted for violating the Patch Terms of Use: http://grossepointe.patch.com/terms   more ›

Letters to the Editor

Credit Card Fee for Tax Payments

A Grosse Pointe Woods resident shares his thoughts about the acceptance of credit cards to pay tax bills, which include many fees imposed by the city.

To The Editor: That well-worn adage, “Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it,” never made more sense than it does this Winter tax season in Grosse Pointe Woods. For years, Woods residents have been asking the city mammas and poppas to let homeowners charge their semi-annual property taxes on their credit cards. Hey, using plastic is not only convenient, it saves dipping into your savings for a lump sum cash payment. And many credit card issuers have attractive “rewards” programs that offer travel and cash-back to spenders. Until this month, the city’s response has been less than enthusiastic. I served on the Woods council for four years and the leadership’s stock answer was that servicing credit cards was either “too …

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