What’s New? – Royal Oak Farmer’s Market
Shelly Mazur, market manager for the Royal Oak Farmer’s Market, stopped by to tell us about the market’s centennial celebration this year. The year-round market, located in a 22,000-square-foot building will kick off this year’s festivities with a flower market featuring 100 vendors on Memorial Day. Also planned are a corn roast and a fall harvest market in October, when the market first opened 100 years ago.
Gorman’s Designer Room Program
Gorman’s Home Furnishings & Interior Design recently rolled out its Designer Rooms Program, in which a Gorman’s interior designer starts with an inspiration piece and creates an entire room inside of one of Gorman’s showrooms. This helps people visualize what an interior designer can do. Design consultant Yolanda Williams created a room in Gorman’s Southfield showroom that is contemporary but purposely brings in some warmer elements. Gorman’s aims to spark inspiration with this program, and the rooms will rotate roughly every quarter.
Hummus Goodness
Hannah Awada, owner of Hummus Goodness, based in Birmingham, told us how she got started with her business while living in China in 2017. Today, Hummus Goodness offers seven flavors (and growing) of hummus, including classic, the popular taco flavor, a pickle flavor made with McClure’s Pickles and more. You can find it at Meijer and Busch’s stores, plus many more in metro Detroit. Each recipe starts with chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, and there are no preservatives.
Kumon of Royal Oak
Alexandra Bosoc, Director of Kumon Math and Reading Center of Royal Oak, is excited to welcome students to her recently opened center! Kumon’s unique approach to learning helps students–ages 3 to 18–master math and reading, build study skills, increase confidence, and prepare them for success in life.
At Anano’s
Ani Gogvadze, owner of At Anano’s in Farmington Hills, told us about this new eatery, which bears her nickname – Anano. It’s the only Georgian restaurant in Michigan, featuring a range of dishes. It’s famous for a dish called adjarian khachapuri, which is bread stuffed with melted cheese and topped with a raw egg. You can also get vegetarian dishes like the lobio or Georgian style salad, shish-kebab, and lamb and chicken dishes. Stop in for lunch or dinner.
Michigan Originals – Youngblood Vineyard
Jessica Youngblood is the owner of Youngblood Vineyard in Ray, a family farm she and her husband turned into a vineyard in 2016. It’s about 25 acres of grapes that create their 12 100-percent estate-grown wines, which you can taste in their tasting room or restaurant, or take home to enjoy. The tasting room is open year-round, but Jessica is looking forward to the warmer months, when the patio opens and there are more outdoor events, like their famous fireworks around the Fourth of July.
Italian Interior Concepts
Stefano Mularoni, one of the owners of Italian Interior Concepts, grew up in an area of Italy that’s famous for its furniture making and kitchens. He wanted to bring some of that here to Michigan, and the business started about five years ago. Now, Italian Interior Concepts is a design and furniture boutique in Royal Oak that offers the experience of shopping for a wide range of Italian-made pieces—and sometimes, this even includes flying the client to Italy to peruse some of the best brands there. The company is committed to high quality, but this type of design is much more affordable than most people think, Mularoni says.
The Student Connection
Brigid Godvin, Director of The Student Connection in Bloomfield Hills, shares how she and her team of tutors are helping students become confident learners. From pre-school to graduate school, the Student Connection works with learners at any age–even helping graduates as they navigate resumes, job applications, and interview skills for jobs!
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
March is National Nutrition Month®, so we sat down with Amy Bragagnini, Registered Dietician (RD) and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This year’s theme is “Food Connects Us,” so we chatted about how the community can celebrate, ways an RD can help, and tips for understanding all the health information out there!
Once Upon a Child – Novi
For the past couple of years, Elizabeta Ilich has been at the helm of affordability and sustainability for families as the owner of Once Upon a Child – Novi. Dedicated to providing high-quality, gently used kids’ clothing, toys, shoes, and baby gear, Once Upon a Child – Novi offers brand-name items at a fraction of retail prices. Whether you’re looking to refresh your child’s wardrobe or trade in outgrown essentials for cash on the spot, Once Upon a Child – Novi makes it easy for families to save while keeping up with their growing little ones.
Simply Good Kitchen
Daniel Palmeri and Danny Wasmund, co-owners of Simply Good Kitchen in Birmingham, spoke about the from-scratch meals they offer to customers. Owners now for three years, they’re building on a business Danny’s aunt and uncle founded 18 years ago. Popular dishes include chicken marsala, chicken pot pie, pad Thai, blueberry pancakes and more. Stop in Wednesday through Friday when the store is open, or take advantage of the 24-hour kiosk, which lets you purchase anything in the coolers with a credit card.
What’s New? – Savvy Sliders
Mark Wolok, vice president of business development for Savvy Sliders, stopped by to tell us about the new hand-breaded chicken nuggets, dubbed savvy nuggets, available in five-, eight-, 12 or 100-piece packages. The new menu item joins Savvy’s famous sliders, chicken fingers, onion rings, cheesy curds, shakes and more. Savvy Sliders has multiple metro Detroit locations, including Farmington, Farmington Hills, Oak Park, Rochester, Sterling Heights, Troy, Ferndale and more.
Hollywood Markets
Andy Welch, co-owner of Hollywood Markets, with locations in Royal Oak, Bloomfield Hills, Troy and Madison Heights, told us about his neighborhood grocery stores, family-owned since 1924. The markets cater to customers with an eye for fresh produce and meat. They offer personalized customer service, greeting customers by name and enabling them to request products that aren’t on the shelves. The Royal Oak location recently remodeled and is hosting a grand re-opening starting March 25 and featuring raffles, samples and specials all week.
Chaos Salon
Jenn Magri, leader of Chaos, founded Chaos Salon in 2005 with the goal of creating a one-of-a-kind space for women to unwind, get a massage, and have their hair, lashes, and brows done. Jenn and her team don’t just do beauty services, they’re professional daymakers! Chaos is all about lifting each other up and making clients feel like part of the Chaos Girl Gang.
What’s New? – DraftKings Sports & Social
Sam Gruenberg, sales & marketing manager for DraftKings in Troy, told us about the eatery’s St. Patrick’s Day specials, which include corned beef egg rolls and corned beef sliders, and of course green beer. The specials start March 14th, in case you’re celebrating early, but you can always stop in to enjoy the sports bar’s big-screen televisions, skee ball and arcade games, plus a dog-friendly patio when weather permits.
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