Milan’s Downtown Growth Accelerates with New Restaurant, Furniture Shop, and Renovations

After years of investment to rebuild the downtown, Milan DDA director Jes Meingasner said the city’s downtown spaces are mostly full, something that was not the case six years ago. The last available building –containing 25 and 29 W. Main– was purchased by Jack Brown, who plans to renovate.

“We’ve been over 80 percent of occupancy for at least 4-5 years now,” Meingasner said.

Still as part of the natural ebb and flow, there are several new businesses coming in along Main St.

Middle Eastern Food

JDs Pizza & Grinders has closed and the family who ran it is working to open a sit-down restaurant in its place.

“It’s under remodel,” the business confirmed by email to The Sun Times News. “Middle Eastern food coming soon.”

A change of hands

After six years, Plum Tree Yarn Shop will close Sept. 20 with the retirement of its owners, Kim and Jen Hofer of Milan. The Hofers are moving to South Dakota to be near family. 

“When we moved here we thought we’d try to be part of the community,” Kim Hofer remembered, as he manned the cash register, Thursday Aug. 28. “It was pretty empty. It was a ghost town six years ago.”

As they talked to people the idea emerged for the yarn shop, something they hoped would create an artistic community within Milan. A part of that vision came alive through their free sit-and-stitches where community members could come to talk and work together at the shop.

“We’ve loved being here and we’ve just loved our customers. We have way more than exceeded our expectations of what this yarn shop would be,” said Kim Hofer. “We have phenomenal staff. We could not ask for a better staff – It’s amazing how artistically skilled and talented Milan residents are.”

Kim Hofer said they’ll lock the doors Sept. 20 and then they will continue online sales through Nov. 15. The doors will be unlocked by Bill Gordon of Gordon Woodwork, who expects to re-open the storefront mid-October.

Gordon has been sharing space with his wife, Rita Gordon who owns Pink Shamrocks next door, but had been asking landlord Dave Snyder about availability along Main Street. Gordon previously operated a shop by the same name in Dearborn, where he sold his lumber and handmade furniture, along with his bourbon barrel creations. He makes tables and other items out of the barrels, upcycles the metal bands into lamps and even sells the leftover shavings for BBQ.

“We use everything,” explained Rita Gordon, who said she also tries to reuse through her efforts to upcycle furniture. 

Rita Gordon, who already offers maker classes in the back of her store, which sells products for refinishing furniture, along with chocolates, taffy and fudge from the Upper Penninsula, has said she plans to continue the sit-n-stitches once offered at Plum Tree Yarn Shop at her location.

25 and 29 W. Main

It’s not advertised yet, but one storefront is expected to open up for rent soon at 25 W. Main St., though it would not be available until after some renovations, according to Jack Brown, president of AMK Holdings and owner of Cornerstone Real Estate, who purchased 25 W. and 29 W. Main Street. Brown, who once lived in Milan and said his step-father’s family was from the area, said his company does revitalization projects across Michigan.

“We do have architectural plans completed,” Brown said. “We’re waiting on general contractor estimates.”

Brown said it will be a two stage process, starting with the interior of 25 Main, which he said needs a lot of work. However, he said 29 W. Main, which was once Milan’s newspaper – The Milan Leader — is already fully renovated inside with an upstairs apartment. The two apartments upstairs will be kept and brought to today’s standards. He said the second phase will be to redo the exteriors of the buildings.

photography / Karen Lambert and historic photo courtesy of the Milan Area Historical Society

Collins Center

There are two spots available at the Collins Center, said Sandra Collins, who has owned the building along with her husband for 56 years. Collins accepts drycleaning in the front store of the building. She said she started selling stone geese as well when a customer who made clothes for them asked her to, and later added instruments for sale at another customer’s request. Until a few years ago, her husband worked as a repairman from the backroom.

Other new businesses

In addition, Shadowlight Studio, which provides yoga and beauty services, opened in June.

Also, in June Danette’s Thrifts and Gifts, which sells donated clothing, home items, crafts and other items to support the owner’s work to help those in need, also moved downtown, next to Roys BBQ & Grill. Previously, owner Danette Talbot had operated from a location near Kroger’s.

In addition, David Snyder and some others have purchased the grass field by the city parking lot on Main Street. Snyder said they are not yet ready to share their plans, but their proposal for the property will be coming to planning and zoning soon.

Developing the Downtown

Meingasner said with the city’s support, the DDA has been able to organize concerts and events at Tolan Square, including 3^rd Thursdays. Also, the splash pad at Wilson park draws people downtown. Meingasner also credited landlord David Snyder for his work improving the area. She said successful restaurants including Peppers, which just celebrated five years, and the Owl, which extended its hours from morning to night, increase the draw to surrounding businesses.

Meingasner said many businesses along Main Street started small, and the different popups and vendor events, including 3^rd Thursdays allowed them to build a customer base before growing into a full-scale location. 

“The city allowed and invested in downtown at that point and the community bought into it,” Meingasner said. “Everyone was sick of seeing those buildings vacant.”

Christen Mitchell, owner of Green Witch Floral, which started in October of 2024 at an incubator space in Bridge Methodist church in the downtown, says she’s been very impressed with Milan’s business community. Mitchell, who has sold her bouquets at Life Is Sweet and at theatre performances at the schools, says most of her orders come through customers reaching out to her.

“This is mostly a working studio,” Mitchell said. “I researched really well. I looked into a lot of different cities. I chose Milan specifically because I felt like there was a good business community downtown and I felt like the chamber of commerce was good and I happened to hear about this space through the chamber of commerce.