Rocky Mountain Chocolate: Another Business Closes in Dearborn’s West Village Commons Development
So at what point does the West Village Commons development emerge from the intensive care unit? Sadly, that much needed assistance feels a long way off now after seeing the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory quietly close its doors this week and quickly remove the equipment responsible for those tasty, pricey chocolates.
The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is the latest business to close in the Burton-Katzman developed West Village Commons project in Dearborn.
The Burton-Katzman team that sold the City of Dearborn and our elected officials on a project that seemed too good to be true has turned out to be just that — a project that so far hasn’t lived up to the hype. All that remains in the courtyard portion of the near vacant two-story structure is La Cigar and a struggling Maestro’s Restaurant. A new bar called The Well is expected to open soon but that has been delayed, caught up in the bureaucracy of liquor licenses. It is doubtful this Burton-Katzman development will fill any time soon as the Bingham Farms developer is being sued by the City of Dearborn for failing to complete the very project it promised the city.
To be fair, there is a bright spot in the West Village Commons development. The portion of the building facing Michigan Avenue houses a Cold Stone Creamery, Sattva Yoga, a UPS store and the Kabuki restaurant. Those businesses, thankfully, seem to be holding on and they are doing it despite paid parking, which is another reason paid parking cannot be blamed for the current state of business in Dearborn.
We’ve lost track of the number of businesses that have closed on Michigan Avenue between Outer Drive and Brady. And, quite frankly, it is just too depressing to tally them up. It feels as if West Dearborn is sitting in this perfect storm — a devastated state economy, surrounded by other cities that are struggling even more (minus, the city of Allen Park, of course), and a string of empty, unkempt buildings that makes this stretch of Michigan Avenue even more unsightly and depressing to passersby.
Making matters worse is the fact no one can predict how many more businesses, such as the recent Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory closing, we are going to have to witness in West Dearborn before things get any better.
Let’s hope our elected officials have a plan to stop the hemorrhaging.
September 12th, 2009 at 9:20 am
sad sad news
September 12th, 2009 at 9:22 am
I drove by yesterday and saw that the “open” sign was closed just after 5:00 PM, so I feared the worst. When I saw boxes being carried out just after 6:00 PM my fears were confirmed. I note that Allen Park has a Rocky Mountain store, but I guess that wouldn’t change the inevitable here. A very sad additional loss for Dearborn, but I guess they held on as long as they could.
I am trying to get the word out: please shop Dearborn! I went to Merchant’s last weekend and I will try to go there at least once a week. If everyone made a commitment to shop in our smaller stores more frequently, it would truly make a difference.
September 12th, 2009 at 10:24 am
I couldn’t agree more with the comments above. Shop in Dearborn is what we all would like to do but there just aren’t enough shops left to shop in. I think that most of us can get in and out of Merchants in a half-hour so paid parking isn’t a problem there. As for the Well didn’t the mayor at one of the recent council meeting say that they had obtained a liquor license from someone in the city so I wonder what the problem is there. There just always seems to be some sort of problem with any business that wants to open up in this city. Anyone know why?
September 12th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Another O’Reilly hatchet job, instead of helping this business, he and his building dept. kept jamming them —- thanks a lot.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
1) overpriced chocolate is NOT beneficial to a city’s well being or my teeth.
2) west dearborn is going downhill because….. ??
3) east dearborn is thriving because…. ??
September 12th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
The Well had some minor issues with the Liquor Control Commission, they plan on opening up within the next week.
September 12th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
What do the business owners say? Is it high rents, lack of traffic due to the economy or what that’s their biggest challenge? If it’s the economy as I suspect, isn’t it amazing that a place like Cold Stone selling mega$$$ ice cream is viable???
And a note from the copy editor: shouldn’t it be ‘unkempt’?
September 13th, 2009 at 8:39 am
From the East: Good copy edit catch. Thank you. Post updated.
September 14th, 2009 at 8:25 am
I would expect Cold Stone to leave shortly. Who spends $5 or more on an ice cream? I certanly wouldn’t. And like many folks on this blog, I do shop at Dearborn stores (e.g. Merchants, Westborn Market). However, there are not many shops left to patronize. Much of what is going on in West Dearborn is out of our control in a macro economic sense. As for East Dearborn…what is going on there? Why is it a success? Is it a success or someone just touting that end of town?
September 14th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Why is Dearborn Heights is able to support and open new businesses at the same time Dearborn’s are folding one by one? Any theories out there?
September 14th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Maybe another reason these businesses fail is simply that the individual business plans were not well-executed and not well thought out. It’s pretty easy to blame the parking, the council, the commercial real estate owners, the economy, ad nauseum. However, businesses that are under-funded out of the gate and that have lunar financial expectations are doomed to fail.
I would also venture to state that most of these failed businesses did absolutely no local market research as to what enterprise would succeed in those developments along Michigan Ave.
The lack of any advertising of these businesses is stunning. The idea that you can just put up a lighted sign on Michigan Avenue and “they will come” is outdated thinking and just plain false.
I hate to say this but, if there really is an Aldi opening up on Michigan Ave, that will have spoken volumes about the economic direction of the Dearborn population in that specific area.
September 14th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
I didn’t know there was a Rocky Mountain in Allen Park…I can’t find it online either. Clue me in Dearbornette, I’m gonna miss that place like crazy!
September 15th, 2009 at 6:00 am
LDR, don’t know if it is open yet but one is definitely going in.
September 15th, 2009 at 7:12 am
High priced chocolate, ice cream, exercise equipment, etc. are luxury items. These are things people need disposeable income in order to buy. And, as we all know, people don’t have that type of income anymore.
If the landlords of all these empty buildings (new and old) cared at all, they’d lower the rents and attract businesses we could all support. How long have the buildings been vacant around the Inca Computer site?
September 15th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Dearborn Heights is opening and supporting businesses????? I think someone needs to look harder at that town. There is nothing going on in Dearborn Heights. IF, there are businesses opening there, it won’t be for long.
September 15th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
I went to the grand opening of the renovated Kroger store (formerly Farmer Jack) in Dearborn Heights a few weeks ago. It is a beautiful store–and one must wonder why Kroger did not choose to renovate the former Farmer Jack in Dearborn on Michigan at Outer Drive.
Dearborn Heights also has a Walgreen’s on Ford Road just east of Beech Daly, as well as a new Golden Bakery, an Arab market, and soon, a Greenland supermarket. There is a hotel going up on Michigan near Gulley (Heights side).
While this is not high end retail, I’d much rather have a Walgreen’s or a new Kroger than yet more empty storefronts.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:15 am
For the most part – I agree with Anthony. There ARE places on Mich. Ave. that are/have been thriving. Mongolian BBQ, Millers, Buffalo Wild Wings, Starbucks, Potbelly, etc. The problem is when people put in duplicate type resturants. Do some research before you open a business! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again….Maestros will go out because LaPita is down the street. Good luck to Fatburger “if” they ever open with Miller’s down the street. It is sad that “Mom & Pop” hometown stores can’t stick around in MANY cities- usually major chains survive because they can afford to advertise.
On the reverse of that, I do think they’re must be “something” wrong at Dearborn City Hall and/or Dearborn Landlords (newman!). We lost Pier One & Michaels – not because of Allen Park!
September 17th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Commercial real estate moguls will not discount leases to potential business occupants.
Follow me here: The incentive NOT to lower leases on vacant properties, is the value of the write-off the owners take on taxes. It’s like playing over-under. Why lower your lease to $50 a square foot, when you can write off $100 a square foot? Of course it would be better to lease at $150/sq ft but it isn’t happening in the market.
So, retail space is vacant until someone comes along that will pay the asking lease price. The ‘landlord’ still makes money, occupied or not.
It’s not ‘evil’, per se. It’s just the way the commercial real estate business works.
So what is the solution for stronger incentives to owners commercial real estate to get occupants in vacant retail space rather than leave them vacant?
September 17th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
LDR,
Just did a drivethrough again at Allen Park, cause I couldn’t quite remember where the sign was. The Rocky Mountain store is over by Panera Bread, GNC and ULTA, if you know where that is. Basically across the road from Target. It’s not open yet but there is already a sign on the back so I would assume it will be open before Christmas.
September 22nd, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Hey! I know where that is….next to the newly opened Mediteranian Cafe which just opened last month, close to the Verizon store. Yes, as you can see I go to Allen Park more than the West End too. I find it convenient, no parking issues, good clusters of a variety of stores and eateries. I don’t like expensive or all trendy stores in one area. Too bad for Dearborn.
Hmm, maybe I should move out to Allen Park. 😉
September 30th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
This area is like a dead mall; so it’s not a surprise.