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Morning, Ann Arbor! Summer officially clocked in this weekend, and Tree Town is already busy. A new market is headed for Main Street, U-M cracked the world's top 51, and a few hundred improv comics are about to take over downtown.
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The Point apartments, located at Main and Madison in Ann Arbor.
🥪 A New Market Is Coming to South Main
Sage's Grocery signed a lease at The Point, the apartment building on the corner of Main and Madison, a few doors down from Washtenaw Dairy. It will be part specialty grocery, part coffee and sandwich shop, with a window bar to sit and eat. Owner Brian Lee is Italian Korean, and the menu will show it. "There will be a mix of Italian and Asian-style sandwiches, salads and more," he said. He named the place after his son. Look for it this winter. Sage’s Grocery
Parking Structure Design Prototype - Kerrytown Wayfinding
🎨 Art Is Coming to the Walk Between Ann Ashley and the Farmers Market
The DDA is brightening up the path from the Ann Ashley Parking Structure to the Ann Arbor Farmers Market with a new public art and wayfinding project. Expect a mural on the north side of the garage, painted stairwells, and sidewalk art winding up Detroit Street to a ground mural inside the market footprint. Memphis muralist Brandon Gaia Marshall and Detroit artist Jesse Kassel start work June 15, with installation expected to take about five weeks. DDA
U-M ranked 51st in the world in the latest QS World University Rankings.
🎓 U-M Ranks 51st in the World
The new QS World University Rankings put Michigan 51st out of 1,504 schools worldwide. That is the top 3.4% on the planet, and it makes U-M the third-highest public university in the country, behind only Berkeley and one other. The University Record
Photos from inside of UM's $165M Hadley Recreation Center
🧗 U-M's $165M Rec Center is Officially Open
The University of Michigan's massive new Hadley Family Recreation & Well-Being Center at 401 Washtenaw Ave. opens with a soft launch Wednesday, June 17. The five-level, 200,000+ square-foot facility packs in a 52-foot climbing wall, three temperature-controlled pools, an indoor turf field, a cycle studio, and gyms galore, with officials expecting up to 5,000 visitors a day. It's free for students; faculty and staff can join for $35/month. Summer hours run 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. CBS Video
The Most Expensive Artworks in the World are Often Sold Behind Closed Doors. Here's What’s Happening.
Last year, a Van Gogh painting reportedly sold for $200 million. A Rothko for $195 million. A Frida Kahlo for $150 million. None of these transactions are in auction records or any public database.
For years, top auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s have been quietly running invitation-only private auctions for their wealthiest clients.
These huge transactions don't happen in a vacuum. This invisible market often influences the asking range for comparable works in the larger art market.
That said, you don't need an invite to a private auction. Masterworks lets you invest in shares of blue-chip artwork. Their track record to-date:
$1.3B deployed across 525+ artworks by 70,000 members
29 sales to date
Net annualized returns like 16.5%, 17.6%, and 17.8%, not including those unsold*
*Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. See important Reg A disclosures at masterworks.com/cd.
The Grateful Dead performed at West Park in Ann Arbor in 1967.
🎭 The West Park Bandshell's Last Encore
On a hot Sunday in August 1967, a young Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead played a free show at the West Park bandshell, and the stage has hosted orchestras, theater, and rock ever since. Now the city plans to tear down the 1938 structure by year's end: it sits in a floodway, its foundation is crumbling, and a fix would top $2 million. The good news? The city is reimagining West Park, and a new stage could be part of the plan. MLive
Rendering of the proposed Avia Lofts residential development on Victor Way.
🏠 114 Affordable Apartments Coming to the South Side
The Ann Arbor Housing Commission is buying Avia Lofts at 800 Victors Way and converting all 114 units into affordable housing, a move City Council backed 10-0. The building started life as a hotel in 1984, and current renters over the income limits get to stay. To pull it off, the commission is using a financing tool brand new to Michigan, one director Jennifer Hall says could become a model for other communities to follow. WEMU
The Yes, Ann Improv Festival hits the Michigan Theater June 25–27.
😂 Improv Takes Over Tree Town
The first-ever Yes, Ann Improv Festival runs Wednesday through Saturday, June 24 to 27, at the Michigan Theater and hear.say on West Liberty. More than 50 improv teams from 12 states, plus performers you have seen on Dropout, Smosh, and NBC's Superstore. The headliner to circle: The Improvised Shakespeare Company builds a full Shakespeare play from one audience suggestion, Saturday at 7pm. Yes, Ann Fest
Outside of York Food & Drink at 1928 Packard St.
🍷 York Turns 7 (and Blimpy Burger Is Coming Back)
York (1928 Packard St) threw a free solstice party last Friday to mark seven years as a neighborhood cafe, bar, and wine shop. "I've had the honor of operating this building for over three decades," said founding partner Tommy York. Even better news for burger people: the same crew is reopening the renovated Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger (304 S. Ashley St) later this summer. York Events
On the Market
1031 N Maple Rd — $325,000 3 bed | 2 bath | 1,050 sqft All-brick 1960s ranch on the west side, with hardwood floors and a fenced backyard.
2230 Manchester Rd — $525,000 3 bed | 2 bath | 1,392 sqft A well-kept ranch on a double lot in Ann Arbor Woods, steps from County Farm Park
1010 Baldwin Ave — $1,185,000 4 bed | 3.5 bath | 3,057 sqft A newer build in the heart of Burns Park, with big Andersen windows and Craftsman trim.
Adoptable Humane Society Pets
Andromeda — 3 months | Small Female | Domestic Shorthair. A sweet, slightly nervous kitten who wants a quiet home and to be your whole world. Meet Andromeda
Dobby – 10 years 8 months | Large Male | Cur, Mountain / Border Collie, a senior dog looking for a calm, loving forever home where I can enjoy my golden years. I’ve done well with cats and dogs before and would be happiest in a home without children under 5! Meet Dobby
Casper — 12 years | Medium Male | Domestic Shorthair A calm, easy-going senior gentleman. The shelter volunteers say he could not be more wonderful. Meet Casper
That's all for now! Have a great week in Tree Town!
— Ryan, James, and the Michigander Team
P.S. - If you like what you read, subscribe below.
P.P.S. - Curious Coffee has been popping up around town while its new spot on N Main gets renovated, with plans to open by month's end. Stay tuned for the official announcement, and we'll see you there soon. Curious Coffee
P.P.S. — Yoga and coffee before 8 a.m. tomorrow? Yes plz. Origin Strength is opening a new personal training studio in Kerrytown, and they're kicking things off with a yoga pop-up at York tomorrow (Tues 6/23) from 7–8 a.m. $25, all levels → reserve a spot & follow them on Instagram.
P.P.P.P.S - Good news: we officially hit 1K on Instagram and nobody on our team turned into a pumpkin. Now we're just 176 readers shy of 5K. You definitely know someone who'd enjoy us with their coffee every Monday morning, so refer them and earn free swag.
P.P.P.P.P.S. - Christmas in June? Top of the Park is screening "Elf" under the stars Thursday, June 25 at 9:45 p.m. on the Rackham Stage. Pack a blanket and watch Buddy spread holiday cheer six months early. Free and fun for the whole family. A2SF
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