St. John Providence to put $5.4M into Borders Building if Purchased

Officials are planning to do a complete renovation of the former Border building to outfit it with two retail spaces facing Kercheval Avenue. Additional renovations will focus on establishing space for the health system, including physical therapy and mor

St. John Providence intends to put $5.4 million into the former Borders building if the organization purchases the now vacant space in the Village.  The proposal will be decided upon by the City of Grosse Pointe Council May 13. Council members already have the proposed plans for the building, St. John Providence Health System spokeswoman Sara E. Brown said.  The intent is to make the building fit into the Village more by making the facade similar in design to others, she said, explaining it would be a more "warm and friendly" feel.  Among the proposed plans are two small retail storefronts that will face Kercheval Avenue. One will be about 1,700 square feet and the other about 1,300 square feet, Brown said. The remainder of the 19,800 …

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Grosse Pointe Police Help Elderly Resident

City of Grosse Pointe police are monitoring a situation involving a 92-year-old resident and his caregiver after the resident reported concerns about paperwork he recently signed.

City of Grosse Pointe police are monitoring a relationship between a 92-year-old resident and a Grosse Pointe Woods man who is serving as his caregiver.  The resident called police in mid-April for help. While responding to help him, the man told officers he had recently signed legal paperwork he didn't think he should have signed. He told officers he was concerned about it, according to a report.  Ultimately, detectives helped the 92-year-old resident to reinstate his legal rights and to revoke power of attorney documents giving the Woods resident full access and control of the man's assests.  Additionally, police helped the 92-year-old man by revoking the caregiver's access to three different bank accounts, Detective Sgt. Alan Gwyn said…

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3 Stolen Cars Recovered, Drunk Driver Arrested

The following information is gathered by the Departments of Public Safety of the Grosse Pointes. Arrests do not indicate conviction.

City of Grosse Pointe police arrested a woman April 19 at Lake Shore and Kerby roads for drunk driving after she was spotted swerving in and out of her lane of traffic. The woman had slurred speech, could not successfully complete field sobriety tests and refused to take a portable breath test. The woman was taken to a local hospital for a blood draw after officers obtained a search warrant from the judge. The woman was initially charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. This is the second time she's been arrested for this offense, according to a report.  Damage to Car Questioned City of Grosse Pointe police are investigating damage to a car parked in the Village parking structure in which the car's owner believes there was an …

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Chez Loulou, a Trendy, European Salon

The owner of Chez Loulou in the Village celebrated her new business Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce.

Brigitte Rist opened her new salon, Chez Loulou, in the Village earlier this year and celebrated it Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce.  Offering hair, makeup, nails and massage therapy, the salon is a full-service business with seven stylists, two massage therapists, one facialist and one nail technician, Rist said. The salon is a european spa with a focus on being upscale, trendy and cutting edge, Rist said. All of the employees have been in the business for years and are involved in New York's Fashion Week, she said.  The salon features Prive products, a French line, and wants to keep people in touch with the fashion scene of L.A., New York and Paris, Rist said.  More than a dozen people …

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Public Invited to Village Discussion Tonight in City of Grosse Pointe

The Voice of the Village's first formal event is tonight at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. Robert Gibbs, an urban planner, will speak at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial about the development of the Village.

The public is invited to attend tonight's address by Robert Gibbs, a well-known urban planner, who will speak about the state of the Village. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. It is being put on by a new organization created in part by James Bellanca, who manages 18 of the properties in the Village on behalf of a trust. The organization, Voice of the Village, is intended to provide the public with information about development and what's actually happening in the Village. Bellanca said the organization resulted after he was asked to speak twice to residents in the area who had concerns about the Village. Based on the questions people have asked him knowing he's associated with the Village, there is a lot of …

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Grosse Pointe Receives $1K for Tree-Planting

The City of Grosse Pointe will be the recipient of a $1,000 grant to plant trees from a combined group involving DNR and DTE.

The City of Grosse Pointe is one of 34 communities and organizations in Michigan to receive a grant to plant trees from the U.S. Department of Natural Resources and DTE Energy Foundation Tree-Planting Program. The grants range in price from $1,000 to $3,000 and total more than $73,000. The money will go to a variety of communities thorughout the state. Grosse Pointe will receive $1,000, according to a press release. The program is in its sixteenth year and is intended to improve quality of life within communities by planting trees, according to the press release. Additionally, this helps combat the declining amount of tree canopies in cities across the country, according to the release.  

Caribou Coffee in Village to Convert to West Coast Chain

More information released Monday by Caribou Coffee officials reveal changes are ahead for many locations throughout the mid-west, including the Village location that is slated to be converted to a Peet's Coffee and Tea in the coming year.

The Caribou Coffee on Mack Avenue in Grosse Pointe Woods is one 80 stores throughout the mid-west that are considered 'underperforming' and will close by April 14, according to a statement released by the president of the Minnesota-based company. Additionally, the Caribou Coffee in the Village will be converted in the coming year to a Peet's Coffee and Tea, which is a west coast chain. The decision to close certain locations was announced to employees Friday. Employees of the Grosse Pointe Woods location began telling customers Saturday and Sunday about the impending closure, which is scheduled for April 14. Other Caribous are closing even faster. Many Grosse Pointers shared their disappointment on Grosse Pointe Patch and Facebook not to …

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House Hunt: 12 Open Houses Sunday April 7

Realtors in the Grosse Pointes will show xx houses Sunday April 7. The houses range in price from $147,000 to $799,000.

Homes on the real estate market will be open Sunday April 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. in Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms and the City of Grosse Pointe. There are 12 homes in total that will be open this week, according to the Grosse Pointe Board of Realtors weekly list. The homes range in price from $147,000 to $799,000. Below are a few of the highlights:

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Visions for Vacancies: 17670 Mack Avenue

Share your ideas about what type of business you'd like to see locate in the this vacant storefront on Mack Avenue at University in the City of Grosse Pointe.

This week's Visions for Vacancies selection is 17670 Mack Ave. The building is a retail store front at the corner of Mack Avenue and University in the City of Grosse Pointe. The building formerly housed Crowther Carpets, which moved further down Mack Avenue into Grosse Pointe Woods nearly a year ago. With approximately 3,200-square-feet, the building has display windows on two sides--one facing Mack Avenue and one facing University. It is the corner store of a small group of businesses, including Henry's Cleaners, Coins and Stamps and more. The building is for lease. In addition to having more marketing space with the windows, the building also has some off-street parking located behind the building.

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Patrick Griffith

1:35 pm on Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Wasn't there a Bed Bath and Beyond in the village like 10 years ago?   more ›