Dearborn entrepreneur Peder Blohm believes his soon-to-be-revealed website to buy and sell almost anything has what it takes to surpass the popular (and free) Craigslist.com.

Blohm's new site goes live June 23.

On June 23 we will find out. That’s when the beta version of his new website mynewmarketplace.com will officially be unveiled at a gathering of the Social Media Club of Detroit at the newly renovated Baronette Renaissance Hotel in Novi. The new site has been described as an eBay “without the auction” or a Craig’s list “without the creeps.” At the new site, visitors can now sign up to be on a mailing list. There also is a Facebook event link HERE.

“Our goal is to be more transparent than other websites that promote ‘free advertising’ because, in reality, nothing’s free,” Blohm said “Unlike Craiglist, we will charge a small fee for posting ads to help keep out the ‘riff raff’.”

Blohm says that “riff raff” includes not allowing adult personal ads on the new site. He says mynewmarketplace.com offers easy navigation and a variety of options to buy and sell products and services, promote new businesses, post and search job openings, and support the local economy.

To assist new businesses open less than 12 months and with limited marketing resources, Blohm says mynewmarketplace.com will offer a special place for these companies to promote themselves and attract new customers as well as employees and potential investors.

“We want to show that Michigan is still the birthplace of innovation,” Blohm said.

In order to build content, mynewmarketplace.com will not charge for ads during the first 30 days of launching the beta site.

“In today’s economy and with limited capital, you have to use all your creative resources to launch a new business,” said Blohm, who has previously launched new businesses in Michigan (including Laptop Design USA, LLC) and in his Swedish birthplace of Stockholm. “We’re planning for success.”

Blohm’s partner in developing the new website is Brian Surowiec, owner of Essential IT and a Michigan entrepreneur and technology consultant who has more than 15 years of experience providing IT and Internet-related services for a variety of industries.

Dearborn’s Ritz hotel will now be known as the Henry hotel, according to media reports.

We’re not sure how The Henry Ford feels about having a hotel that sounds an awful lot like their museum but the new sign at the hotel is expected to go up today.

For one of several stories written about this, you can click HERE.

Searching for a more visible location, AT&T plans to open a retail store at the corner of Telegraph and Oxford, a city official confirms to Deepsaidwhat.com

The location was the former home of a muffler shop that was recently razed.

AT&T currently operates a store in the small strip mall (near CVS) on the east side of Telegraph that is accessible to northbound Telegraph traffic but that location doesn’t offer the company the kind of visibility they would like to have to attract customers.

It isn’t clear whether AT&T will keep both locations or simply close the store in the strip mall once the new location is built.

Separately, work is fast underway to transform the former golf store on Telegraph, just north of Cherry Hill, into a new medical office building. Half of the building was demolished and a new face has been bricked in already, revealing what looks to be much more attractive structure in that location.

Say goodbye to the structure once known as the Dearborn Theater.

The former site of Wendy's Hamburgers (foreground) was razed earlier this year for a yet-to-be-built Sonic burgers. Demolition of the Dearborn Theater (background) is now underway.

The building that was once home to first-run motion picture films on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn is in the process of being demolished to make way for a Hampton Inn hotel, if all goes according to plan.

Progress? Yes, considering the economic climate. And perhaps having two quality hotels within a block of each other (a new Holiday Inn Express, just west of the proposed Hampton, appears to be on the homestretch towards completion) might put some pressure on the Red Roof Inn, on the north side of Michigan, to upgrade its facility.

Growing up here, Dearborn Theater was one of the two key theaters on Michigan Avenue we visited as kids. The other was the Calvin Theater (my personal favorite), which was torn down long ago after a fire ripped through it only to be replaced with Buddy’s Pizzeria.

We have lost track of how many years it has been since downtown west Dearborn has been without a movie house or any other kind of non-eating or drinking entertainment venue (we aren’t counting the mega AMC Star at Fairlane). My father’s unsolicited assessment of our downtown, which he provides to me each time I drive him down Michigan Avenue, probably sums it up best: “It’s a shame.”

Dearborn developer Hakim Fakhoury did present plans several years ago to our City Council and Mayor for a theater to go into the space currently occupied by the decaying white brick building that once housed a Vic Tanny. For a host of reasons, those plans never took root. But as Dearborn talked and talked about it, nearby Royal Oak did it, landing an Emagine Entertainment near the corner of 11 Mile and Main Street, on the north edge of Royal Oak’s popular downtown area. (See earlier story, HERE.)

By the end of this summer, a new Sonic burgers will go in at the corner of Michigan and Telegraph. With the demolition of the Dearborn Theater, the burger joint will get a lot more visibility. Just when construction on a Hampton Inn might take place is anyone’s guess. The developer for the proposed Hampton Inn is Ned Hakim and right now he has his hands full getting his Holiday Inn Express readied for travelers.

The former home of automotive supplier Plastech (and my former junior high school, Adams, and before that Dearborn High School) is now on the sales block for a starting bid of $390,000.

Known as the Dearborn Atrium Office Center, the building at 835 Mason between Garrison and Morley, traded in 2005 for $19 million.

Traded in 2005 for $19 million, bidding for the Dearborn Atrium begins at $390,000.

As the listing for the buildings states: “This is an excellent opportunity for a user or investor to buy a quality office building at a substantial discount.” In this case, “substantial” seems like an understatement.

With its nearby parking deck, you could see this building being transformed into downtown lofts or how about student housing? There are lots of possibilities for this building that was built in 1916. The former school was completely renovated to the shell in 1994 and the listing says warranties still exist from those renovations.

The property consists of two three-story office buildings and a covered parking structure consisting of 90,774 square feet and 307 parking spaces. The two office buildings consist of 133,001 net rentable square feet and 154,104 square feet of gross building area and sit on 4.09 acres. The listing states that the average household incomes are more than $76,000 within one mile of the property and and the population is more than 103,000 people in a three mile radius.

Let the dreaming begin . . .

Dearborn’s Deli on the Avenue, located on Military just north of Michigan Avenue, will now offer outdoor seating for its patrons.

Deli On The Avenue, located on Military, just north of Michigan Avenue, was finally Okayed to offer outdoor seating.

Back in December, we told you about Vicki Barndollar’s new Deli on The Avenue and some of the hurdles she faced in opening her new shop on Military. Well, it appears she has cleared those and is moving forward.

“We have received the approval from the city’s Design Review Committee and the Zoning Board to place tables outside the Deli,” Barndollar tells us. “I see everyday that the West Dearborn area is in such need of rebuilding and I want people to know that is what I am trying to do. I tried to create a quaint garden like atmosphere outside for the customer’s enjoyment along with enhancing the area around us.”

On those 80 degree days with the lightest wind and no clouds in the sky, nothing is better than enjoying your favorite food and beverage while seated outdoors. Dearborn could certainly use more of that because it helps make the city appear alive. It’s just unfortunate that traffic on Michigan Avenue is freeway fast. Kind of puzzling why the speeds aren’t more strictly enforced, particularly between Nowlin and Brady streets. But that’s a discussion for another day . . .

As for Barndollar and her Deli, she has planted flowers, placed tables and park benches outside of her shop to the rear of her building.

“I want people to see that even though I am only a small little place tucked in the corner, I will do whatever it needs to get people in and dress up our vacant downtown district,” Barndollar says. “No matter what hurdles I have had to deal with, I still love coming here everyday, and the great people we have met, and the new friends we have made. Don’t get me wrong, it has been difficult but I look out at the (Sacred Heart) church everyday and pray I stay open for another day.”

Dearborn’s Hair Designs North two-day event to provide free haircuts for the unemployed appears to have been a huge success judging from some of the thank you notes the salon received after the event.

Kim Briffa of Hair Designs North said the event was a great success and even included stopovers by Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Congressman John Dingell, wife Debbie and Gary Woronchak, a Wayne County commissioner. Even People magazinecalled to conduct phone interviews with some of the guests receiving hair cuts, Briffa said. (Read the earlier post by clicking HERE.)

“I wanted to forward two letters we received and to let you know what a successful and rewarding event we had,” Briffa said.

Deepsaidwhat.com wants to say thank you to Hair Designs North and all of the people who donated their time to this very generous event. And, of course, say thank you for shinning some positive news on Dearborn, too.

Below are two of the letters.

 To Maurice, Gina, Al, Kim, Darren and all the wonderful staff at Hair Designs North:

I wanted to take a moment to personally thank you for the Hair Care event that I participated in today at the salon! Even though my job loss was a business decision that created the workforce reduction I was part of, there’s just such an emotional side to the situation. It’s hard for anyone to come to work one morning like you have done for 24 years, believing you are doing good things for your company and then suddenly be out of a job before lunch time.

So the service that you provided was extra special today and very well appreciated given the economic impact of losing one’s job. And the biggest bonus is the real boost that it gave to my confidence because I got a really sharp and sassy little haircut today from Darren. It will really help me as I move forward in my new job search!

Thank you ever so much!

———————————————-

Hi,

I just had to tell you one more time what an ABSOLUTE pleasure it was getting my free cut and style today. Everyone at the salon was just truly wonderful. I still have a ear to ear smile on my face. Coming in this morning and not really knowing what to expect turned out to be one of the best things recently that has happened to me. I feel like a weight has been lifted from me and I have a “second wind” to go out and face the job hunting arena with more confidence and optimism. Everyone there was just so friendly and helpful with people coming in and with each other. I felt like “queen” for the day…really I walked out feeling refreshed and renewed. Again I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who donated their time efforts and energy to make this event happen. I will remember this day for a long long time. 

Dearborn’s 34-year-old Hyatt Regency Hotel has been sold, city officials confirm.

Dearborn's Hyatt Hotel has a new owner.

While the real estate listing for the 18-story hotel pitched the facility as a possible good location for senior housing, the new owner thankfully will keep it a hotel. It isn’t clear whether the name will remain. We will dig into that once we learn the name of the new owner.

The new owner also has expressed a strong interest in Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly’s dream to build a convention center adjacent to the hotel. The proposed convention center is projected to drive another 89,000 room nights annually to the Dearborn center.

Built in 1976, the 810,000 square-foot Hyatt in Dearborn has some 772 rooms.

All offers for the hotel had to be submitted to the Hyatt’s real estate agent by April 2.

This is the second big name hotel in Dearborn to be sold. The Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn, one of the top luxury hotels in Michigan, will officially change its name on June 2. For that earlier story, click HERE

The good news about the two hotels is that they will be staying in Dearborn and are expected to receive major renovations.

Metro Times magazine’s annual “best of“ awards is now on newsstands in metro Detroit so we thought it would be good to list what Dearborn establishments this year were chosen either by readers or the staff of the Metro Times.

There are many great Dearborn places that didn’t make this year’s list but the 12 establishments that did certainly deserve the recognition. We just think there are a lot more “bests” in this city that should be on the magazine’s list. Perhaps it’s just a little bit of the hometown bias . . .

We’ve pulled out the Dearborn locations in each category and pasted the link for the complete metro Detroit list. Take a look for yourself.

(more…)

Hair Designs North, 841 S. Military in Dearborn.

It’s hard to image in this tough economy that any business can afford to give anything away for free.

But that is just what Hair Designs North in Dearborn will be doing on April 25 and April 26 at their store at 841 S. Military. Hair Designs North owner Al O’Sada, his wife, Joyce, daughter Kim Briffa and a host of others will be cutting the hair of unemployed Michigan residents for free.

“I am nervous and excited. That is the feeling I have now,” says Kim Briffa, a Fordson graduate who has worked at Hair Designs North with her parents for 26 years. “I hope we have a wonderful turnout. It feels good to be able to do this for people.”

The free haircut event, called “Hair Care”, will bring together celebrity stylist Maurice Tidy and some 16 other hair stylists from other Dearborn salons and one from Utica. All will be volunteering their time on Sunday and Monday to give free haircuts to the unemployed. Haircuts will be done on a first come basis.

The idea to offer free haircuts for the unemployed was hatched several months ago after Briffa ran into Tidy at, well, a hair event, of course. Tidy had held a similar program for the unemployed in Charleston, SC, the place he calls home, also calling it “Hair Care.” Briffa says she suggested a similar program be held in Michigan where unemployment also is running high. Tidy agreed and will be coming to Dearborn to take part in the two-day free haircut marathon.

Hair Designs North will be offering free haircuts to the unemployed April 25 & 26th.

With so much negative news lately around town, it is nice to see a local business such as Hair Designs North working so hard to try and do their part to help out-of-work Michigan residents make a great first impression.

Hair Designs North, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in Dearborn in January, is getting help from a number of other nearby Dearborn residents who have volunteered to help with this free event, too. Some of those helping (in no particular order) include:

Lynn Killion from Post Net in Dearborn, who Briffa says has printed flyers and anything else needed.

Hair stylists volunteering to cut hair include all of the staff at Hair Designs North, as well as those at Dearborn’s Mr. Franz Salon; Platinum Salon; Sylvia’s on Monroe and Hue Salon in Utica. Area high school kids have raised their hands to volunteer to wash and fold towels; another student is helping to take photographs of the event. Still other volunteers include, Dr. Linda M. Kinczkowski from Eastern Michigan University and Johanna Seidel.

Senate Coney Island’s Dearborn and Taylor stores are donating the food for the volunteers for both days of the event.

To help get the word out about the event, Hair Designs North reached out to Leslie Herrick in Mayor John B. O’Reilly’s office; Dearborn BNI; Dearborn Chamber of Commerce; Capitol Consulting, who provided the information to John Dingell’s office; Barb Jones from Century 21 and Mike Magnone, just to name some.

“I have had great response so far from other businesses wanting to help,” Briffa says. “I am still receiving more volunteers each day.”

So will some who aren’t unemployed come and try to get a free haircut? Briffa says she and her staff talked about that being a possibility but that was simply a byproduct of trying to do something like this on such a large scale.

“We are excited about doing this that and being able to give back,” Briffa says. “We need more of this giving back in our town. How did we get away from that? We see about 3,000 people a month in our salon and that is what we talk about, trying to figure out what else we can do to help each other.”

We’d say free haircuts are a generous way to help. Let’s hope it becomes more contagious.