We were brainstorming and came up with the idea of making it a little bit easier to find and explore the most popular cities in Michigan. Check out our monthly city spotlights to find a list of local shops that are worth your time & money!
ANN ARBOR
by Riley Whitaker 8/30/17
Ann Arbor has long been a staple of south eastern Michigan tourism . Housing one of the major state universities, it has been famously turned into a college town. With college towns comes a large variety of shops & restaurants. Ann Arbor is more than just your average college town. It is an artist's town, an entrepeneaur's town, a foodie's town, a vintage shoppers town- it's everyone's town. Upon visiting Ann Arbor it's very easy to become overwhelmed with so many restaurant options & shopping venues available. We want to make that a little bit easier, so we explored Ann Arbor and came up with a list of some of our favorite spots in hopes that one day they'll become your favorite. Check out the following list as well as our vlog on our YouTube Channel.
1. The Get Up Vintage
Oh my gosh- we LOVE this place! Claire and I spent almost an hour sorting through vintage pieces spanning from the 1940's-1990's. Every piece is in GREAT condition and is handpicked by owners, Lindsey & Kaylan. You will not only find amazing clothing pieces but shoes, purses, & jewelry. We loved this place so much ind fact- we decided to feature it in our fashion column! If you want to hear more about Get Up Vintage check out the article in our fashion column.
Check them out at: www.getupvintage.com or on Facebook under The Getup Vintage or visit their Easy shop under The Getup Vintage.
You can visit them at: 215 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
2. Literati
What a charming little bookshop! I literally could spend hours- and have- walking through the rows of bookshelves in the three stories of bookshop. With words of encouragement and stories on the side of their building, it is an inspiring location. My first recommendation is that you grab a coffee from the third floor coffee shop and then head down to the main level to discover their new additions to the book family & pureuse their poetry section. After you have your fiction hunger quenched- make your way down to the darling basement where you can look through the myriad of cooking books, biography, and topic based fiction & non fiction. This bookstore is full of surprises around every corner and is as cute as can be.
If you choose to visit Literati you can find them at 124 E Washington, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.
Check out their Facebook page and their website: http://www.literatibookstore.com
This wall is on the side of the building and is covered in messages that customers typed into the community typewriter inside.
3. Lab
This coffee shop is quaint, peaceful, and all around lovely. They have incredible baked goods & frozen yogurt from local bakeries. They get their coffee from local businesses such as Madcap, Intelligentsia, Handsome's, Anthology & Counter Culture. Lab likes to keep it simple, elegant, and local. I would highly recommend their macarons, donuts, & lavender lattes.
Check out their website & location:
http://labcafe.tumblr.com || 505 E. Liberty Suite 300, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
4. Tios
Three words: Tres Leches Cake... in a ball jar. Oh my lanta. I have found the dessert to top all desserts- sorry mom. Layers upon layers of milk saturated, whip-creamed covered vanilla cake infused with coconut cream perfection. Now if you're like me, you could have that and that alone. But if you would feel better eating an actual meal, I would recommend trying their enchiladas, the wet burrito, or any of their mix & match tacos. Now don't take it from me, but I have heard that they have the best margaritas in town- definitely worth the try. Priced reasonably, with excellent service, & incredible desserts- swing by Tios for an amazing experience with amazing food!
401 E. Liberty, Suite 2, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 || www.tiosmexicancafe.com
5. Fred's
I don't know you, but if you have been on Instagram in the past 6 months and live in the metro-Detroit area, I'm pretty sure you have seen at least one picture taken at Fred's. A local favorite of food bloggers, teenagers looking for perfect lighting, & hipsters all around- it's always hopping. Fred's has by far some of the best smoothies, açai bowls, avocado toast, and egg sandwiches in town. With local, fresh, organic ingredients, and a fantastic coffee bar to top it off- it's a great venue! But it isn't just the food that brings the people running, it's the beautiful atmosphere that they've developed. Fred's has beautiful windows, lot's of comfy seating, & bar seating all tied together with a theme of gold and pink coordinated in a boho/ southern California style and spotted with macrame accents. It's a food & fashion bloggers dream- plus don't forget that the food is actually heavenly & if I wasn't broke I'd eat there every day of my life. If you're looking for a taste of California in the comfort of our local little/big city, head to Fred's.
403 E Washington, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 || fredsannarbor.com
Honorable Mentions:
If you're into record shops check out Underground Sounds or Encore Records. If you're looking for a great place to take pictures, check out the popular & well known spot: Graffiti Alley which is located on E Liberty St. If you're looking for another vintage shop you can go to Dear Golden Vintage by Literati.
We hope you learn to love Ann Arbor as much as we do! We'd love to hear about your favorite places in Ann Arbor- tag us in your pictures on Instagram & Facebook- @thedetroitproject.