Dearborn's Hyatt Hotel has a new owner.

In other hotel news in Dearborn, The Detroit News is reporting that the 772-room Hyatt Regency, whose owners defaulted on a $32.5 million loan last year, is under contract to be sold for $12.5 million and will remain a Hyatt, according to the Chicago broker behind the deal.

We wrote about the hotel being sold back in April but a price tag or the name of the new owner had not been disclosed.

We still don’t know the name of the new owner but the good news is that the Hyatt is going into the hands of a hotel investment company.

Dallas-based Ashford bought the 34-year-old hotel for $40 million in 2007 but later defaulted on the loan.

The deal should officially close by end of December.

The contract is for $20 million but the final price will drop to $12.5 million because of a “structural issue that will be addressed,” The Detroit News Reports.

Now the question becomes whether the new hotel owners have any dollars to contribute to the construction of a convention center in Dearborn . . .

The Quality Inn at Michigan and Brady in Dearborn will soon be razed.

Say good-bye to the Quality Inn, the long-vacant, badly decaying building at the corner of Michigan and Brady.

If all goes as planned, the building will come down by the end of September, according to officials in Dearborn’s economic development department. City officials this week are expected to meet with the demolition company to go over some final details so work can begin.

The property, owned by the Dearborn Historical Museum, will be used to expand the museum’s space and a portion will be put on the market for interested parties to develop with light retail. At one point, the site was considered a possible site for student housing for those who attend the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

With the economy still weak in the knees and banks tight-fisted with loans these days, it is hard to image the property being quickly developed. Even so, removing this eyesore will go a long way to improving the look of west Dearborn.

Now, if we could just get some of those other rotting buildings along Michigan Avenue in west Dearborn removed . . .

Hampton Inn Renamed Dearborn West Village Inn

Plans to build a Sonic burger at the corner of Michigan and Telegraph by summer’s end likely will not happen this year, according to the city’s economic development department.

It appears there are a collection of reasons Sonic will not go into the site this year. One condition was that the vacant Dearborn Theater (aka Showcase Cinema) had to be razed to give the Sonic site more visibility.

The theater has since been razed and cleanup is nearly complete but it apparently wasn’t fast enough. The Sonic project is now on the bubble, which might not be all bad for Dearborn. Perhaps another fast food establishment on a prime piece of real estate isn’t the right thing for Dearborn.

On the site of the now demolished theater, a new Hampton Inn motel still is expected to be built. Developer Ned Hakim, who has his hands full getting his Holiday Inn Express readied for travelers just west of the vacant site, is the developer for the proposed Hampton Inn.

As we have written here several times, the current Hampton Inn, just east of Brady on Michigan Avenue, was forced to make a name chance because the motel’s owner did not want to make the necessary remodeling changes to keep the  Hampton Inn franchise license.

So the Hampton Inn has now been renamed the Dearborn West Village Inn.

Dearborn may not have the kind of retail we’d like to see (at least not yet) but there is a good collection of restaurants.

And now some of those establishments will be featured on canvas as of a project called “Dearborn Paints – Good Food!”

Dearborn artist Janet Kondziela recently painted food at Top Dog Coney Island, 13342 Michigan.

Over the next 12 months, Dearborn artist Janet Kondziela will be bringing together art, commerce, marketing and a bit of fun. Some of you may have already bumped into Kondziela, who has been on location at several Dearborn establishments with her easel and paints, creating an original painting of each business’s signature product.

An exhibition of all the finished work is scheduled for September 2011 at the Padzieski Art Gallery in the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. The exhibit will include all the finished pieces plus additional original work by Dearborn artists.

Aided by a grant from the Dearborn Community Fund and some additional support from the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce, Kondziela will be on site at more than 25 businesses. The project kicked off in May at Westborn Fruit & Flower Market. Other locations have included: Alcamo’s, 4423 Schaefer; O’Kelley’s Knights of Columbus Hall, 23663 Park; Dearborn Farmer’s Market, behind Bryant Library, Top Dog Coney Island, 13342 Michigan; Jim’s Place, 13245 Michigan and Leon’s Family Dining, 23830 Michigan.

Kondziela’s dates for August include: August 10 (10:30 a.m.), LaPita, 22681 Newman; August 13 (11 a.m.), Buddy’s Pizzeria, 222148 Michigan; August 21 (10 a.m.); Westborn Fruit & Flower Market, 21735 Michigan; August 28 (Noon), O’Sushi’s (outdoors), 22431 Michigan (Sept. 4 rain date). New sites are added as they become available. For current updates, visit Kondziela’s  website HERE or  the Dearborn Community Fund at 313-943-5478.

Biggby Coffee fans now have a new place to get a jolt of caffeine each morning.

Biggby owner Steve Swinney

Dearborn’s newest coffee shop officially opened Tuesday and for the remainder of this week the new Biggby store, 22445 Michigan Ave., is offering a free cup of coffee (any size) to anyone who stops in.

Dearborn resident and owner Steve Swinney was all smiles when we stopped by on Tuesday. The place looks great and we wish him the best of luck in his new venture.

The coffee shop also will offer outdoor seating, which it will share with another new business that opened right next door, the new Cedars Coney Island & Grille

Sam Berro and his father, Ali, opened the new restaurant several weeks ago and the two have done a great job remodeling the space. The Berro family and Swinney are sharing the costs associated with building the new outdoor seating area (how is that for teamwork!). And with free, easy-in and easy-out parking, both should do well in their Norm Newman-owned building.

“We have tried to make our place feel as cozy as possible,” said Sam Berro, a Fordson High School grad.

On Friday and Saturday nights, Berro says his restaurant will be open 24 hours to cater to the local bar crowd, at least for now.

We wish both new businesses the best of luck.

iburger lounge will soon open in the West Village Commons

Those in search of a burger joint other than Miller’s will soon have a new place to visit in Dearborn.

No, Fatburger isn’t opening, despite the sign that still proclaims it is “coming soon.”

Instead, get ready for the iburger lounge, which will soon open in the West Village Commons.

Hassan Aoun, owner/chef who worked as a chef at Ciao before it closed, is opening the new iburger with Houssam Aoude.

Aoun says his new iburger, which is moving into the space once occupied by Hot Spot, will serve burgers, gourmet pizzas, soups and salads. All of the items will be organic and nothing he serves will come from a freezer, he promises.

iburger will move into the space once occupied by Hot Spot.

The iburger will open in two stages. The restaurant portion will open in about a month, Aoun says. The “lounge” part, the second stage, will open in the now vacant space next to Hot Spot, where patrons can enjoy their food in a more relaxed space, he says.

To attract some of the bar crowd, Aoun says the restaurant could be open until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Moose's Martini Pub in Deaborn is now open for business.

After nearly seven months of renovations and paper work, Dearborn’s newest bar is now open.

Moose’s Martini Pub, 22217 Michigan Ave., officially opened its doors this afternoon. Hisam Elawad who owns and operates the pub with his brother, Chad, says their new place is a mix between a martini pub and a bar.

“It has a northern lodge feel,” says Elawad, a Dearborn resident. “I wanted something casual and fun.”

We wrote that the pub was coming back in January  We will have more to say about this newest martini pub but here are some facts about the club until then:

– “Happy Hour” 3pm-7pm‎ Half Off All Food Items‎‎ (Drink Specials begin Monday, July 19)

– “The Nooner” Noon-3pm‎ $1 Domestic Bottles everyday‎‎ (Drink Specials begin Monday, July 19)

– Corporate Parties‎ Yes.‎‎

– Food Yes. Oven Baked Appetizers

– Drink Specials‎ All Day, Every Day‎‎ (Drink Specials begin Monday, July 19)

– Email‎ info@moosesmartinipub.com‎‎

– Music‎ Adult Contemporary/Classic Rock/Motown by day & 70s, 80s, 90s Hits‎‎ by night

– Outdoor Seating‎ Yes.‎‎

– Payment Accepted‎ American Express‎‎, Cash‎‎, Discover‎‎, MasterCard‎‎, Visa‎‎

– Sport Friendly‎ Yes. Six 50-inch LED TVs‎‎

After nearly eight months of running her own business, Vicki Snapp Barndollar is closing the door on her Deli on the Avenue.

Deli owner Vicki Barndollar, left, and her niece, Heather VanOast, began serving sandwiches in December.

Rather than try to sell her business (she did consider it), for personal reasons Barndollar says she is simply going to sell the equipment in her deli, 949 Military, and move on to the next chapter in her life.

We wrote about her Deli on the Avenue when it opened in December and again in May when city officials approved the deli’s request for outdoor seating.  Barndollar said closing was a tough decision to make but a necessary one at this point in her life.

“It saddens me to say that I have had to close it due to personal reasons,” said Barndollar, a 1978 Fordson High School grad. “I do want to thank everyone who came in and supported us. We had so many regular faces each and everyday. They had honestly become our friends. It was a hard battle to get where we had become but it was so worth every minute of it.

“I think it would be wonderful if someone could do the same type of thing that I did, but right now for me the timing was just off.”

Down the road might there be a Deli on The Avenue Two? “Who knows,” Barndollar says.

Best of luck . . .

The building that was once home to first-run motion picture films on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn is now but a pile of rubble.

Dearborn Theater, which later became Showcase Cinemas, is expected to be replaced with a Hampton Inn hotel, if all goes according to plan.

Construction on a Sonic burgers still is slated to begin this summer next door to the razed theater. City officials say construction likely will begin once the theater site is cleared. The front of the building, shown in this photo, was taken down late last week. For our earlier story, click HERE.

If you haven’t already checked out Dearborn entrepreneur Peder Blohm’s new website to buy and sell almost anything you should. His site, MyNewMarketplace.com went live Thursday and is nicely done.

We earlier wrote that his site was coming (click HERE for that story). Now it’s officially open for business.

Blohm 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. He stresses that the site does not include personal ads.

Individuals and businesses can use the beta version of the web site as much as possible and place ads, at no cost, until Aug. 1, 2010. After that Blohm says charging low fees will help to ensure accountability and prevent people from hiding behind fake identities that have plagued other web sites such as Craigslist.

To promote the site, Blohm is holding a social media contest to enable users to refer others locally and nationwide to the new site with the winner receiving up to $1,000 in advertising.

“It’s important that we receive everyone’s comments and suggestions, so that we can make continuing improvements on the site,” said Blohm. “It’s going to be an evolution.”

Blohm’s partner in developing the new web site is Essential IT, founded by Brian Surowiec, 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.

Blohm says he and his partner utilized all Michigan-based businesses in developing the site, including the award winning firm of JCI Design and the public relations firm of Margaux & Associates, LLC.

“We want to show that Michigan is still the birthplace of innovation,” Blohm said. “Our goal is that by earning customers’ trust and confidence, we can take MyNewMarketplace.com from southeast Michigan to local markets nationwide.”