LIVINGSTON COUNTY — New local business owners have taken a leap of faith this year, opening stores and restaurants in Livingston County communities.
From a new brewery to candy stores, boutiques and a sports bar and restaurant, there are plenty of new places to discover.
Below is a list of ten of our favorite openings in the first half of 2024:
Grand River Brewery: ‘Farm-to-table’ brewery makes Brighton new home
Jackson-based Grand River Brewery has opened a new location in downtown Brighton at 201 W. Main St. The restaurant, brewery and entertainment venue sources ingredients from Michigan farms and makes all of its dishes from scratch.
The farm-to-table eatery will feature its own beers, brewed in Jackson. They will distill their own spirits and source wine from vineyards and wineries in Michigan. The restaurant will also feature live music, arcade games and darts.
Simply Home: Boutique owners expand home furnishings store
The two-story Simply Home decor store at 110 N. Michigan Ave. in downtown Howell is designed to feel like you’re walking into someone’s home. The new store opened in April and features furniture, lighting, dining and kitchenware, clocks, linens and other housewares. The store also has a small event space for classes and workshops, and they offer personal shopping services and private shopping events.
Owners Sarah and Steve Davey also revamped Simply Charming Too, across the street at 115 N. Michigan Ave., to offer more clothing, shoes and fashion accessories.
Salt and Light Kids: child-sized ‘shop fronts’ for the little ones
Katie Meyers and Hannah Miglia, owners of Salt and Light Kids Co. and sisters-in-law, have created an indoor play area with kid-sized “storefronts” in their new children’s clothing and gift shop at 213 W. Main St., Suite 11, in downtown Brighton.
Parents can book two-hour slots for their little ones to play in a petting zoo, a grocery store and eatery with toy food, a fire and police station complete with a jail and other play areas. The boutique sells children’s clothing, accessories, toys and gifts.
Buffalo Wild Wings: Hartland Gets a Brand New ‘B-Dubs’
A newly constructed Buffalo Wild Wings opened this spring at 10530 Hartland Square Drive off M-59 in Hartland Township. The national casual dining and sports bar — officially nicknamed B-Dubs — is known for its chicken wings.
Local co-owner Bobby Kramer, who also runs a Howell location and co-owns Tony Sacco’s Coal Oven Pizza nearby, said the new building is a “modern” version of the popular chain — with three garage doors that can be opened on nice days and a “continuous bar” with 27 seats in the center. With two video walls and 73 televisions, there’s no bad place in the house to watch sports.
McClements Farm: Homesteaders Freeze-Dry Candy and Products
After launching their line of sweet treats at local farmers markets, McClements Farm owners Caleb and Elyse Moore opened their brick-and-mortar store at 411 Mill Pond Lane in downtown Brighton this spring. The store is stocked with an array of colorful freeze-dried candies and fruits, along with products from other local businesses.
The business was born out of the couple’s passion for self-sufficiency and food preservation. The store also supports other small businesses by selling products including raw honey, jams, pickles and peanut butter.
Spun Sugar Shoppe: Candy Store Moves to Main Street
Spun Sugar Shoppe owner Mandy Tamborini has moved her shop to a suite at 213 W. Main St. in downtown Brighton. The small store is stocked with her signature cotton candy, other candies, cookies and children’s toys. Squeezable squishy toys are a big hit.
Tamborini is keeping the South Lyon store at 10630 Rushton Road in Green Oak Township to eventually convert into an event space for birthday parties and other gatherings. She’ll use the commercial kitchen in the back to spin cotton candy, process orders and prepare for events.
La Finca Tacos: Authentic Mexican Food in the City
Israel Quintero opened La Finca Tacos in February at 799 S. Latson Road in Genoa Township, near Howell, to serve freshly prepared Mexican cuisine. The menu includes a variety of tacos, quesadillas, quesabirrias, tortas, burritos, chimichangas, tostadas, nachos, carnitas, chorizo and other dishes.
Quintero’s favorite dish growing up in Michoacán — a state on Mexico’s west coast — was his mother’s pork carnitas. He’s developed his own style of cooking through about 25 years of working in Asian and Mexican restaurants. He also started a hibachi food truck business a few years ago, Quintero’s Asian Fusion Grill.
Marketplace for makers in Michigan
Michigan Makers Marketplace, a store filled with Michigan-made items, opened in June at 9720 Village Place Blvd. in the Green Oak Village Place shopping center in Green Oak Township, near Brighton. The marketplace sells items from more than 100 vendors, including clothing, food, candles, jewelry, handbags, dishes and furniture.
Heather Fulghum started Michigan Makers craft shows a few years ago before securing the roughly 6,000-square-foot physical location. Vendors work on three-month contracts. After the first three months, they have the option to renew or cancel their contracts. New vendors are taken off the waitlist.
Inspired decor and more: store aims to make homes more beautiful
Inspired Décor and More opened in July at 6111 Grand River Ave. in Genoa Township between Brighton and Howell. The store sells home decor and clothing and hosts children’s parties and classes. Local vendors sell items in the store, which also offers interior decorating services.
Owner Gina Jurries and her daughter, Kasey Kasprzak, bought the building in 2016 and operated Beeyond Treasures until 2019 before selling the business. Beeyond Treasures is one of the new stores at Tanger Outlets in Howell. Kasprzak now owns Tanner’s Trove, which sells discounted liquidation items and will be a vendor at Inspired.
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Making connections with permanent jewelry, gifts
Shopkeeper Karrie Stone is connecting customers with customizable, permanent jewelry at her new store, One Link at a Time, which also sells gifts and has “selfie” stations, at 10611 E. Grand River Ave. in Brighton Township. The store will be open by appointment only in July. Stone plans to open regular hours two days a week sometime in August.
Customers choose a chain — yellow, white, rose gold or silver — and personalize the bracelet, necklace, ring or anklet with charms and gemstones. Stone welds the chain together. The store also has a “bead bar” for kids, with a selection of colorful and funky beads and charms, and spots for “selfies,” including an antique claw-foot tub filled with plastic “bubbles.”
— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at [email protected].
