The southeast corner of Cass and Willis is abuzz with construction activity as a former party store is being transformed into three storefronts. Leslie Malcolmson, who owns the building with her husband Peter, anticipates construction will be completed this summer. The Malcomsons live next door to the property, so she has her fingers crossed that one of their tenants will be an ice cream parlor, but is open to any "small merchant, boutique-type store" moving in.
The units are approximately 1,000 square feet each, with large front windows and awnings. "We want it to look nice. This is our neighborhood," says Malcolmson. The project architect is Keith A. Logsdon of
Michael Willoughby & Associates.
The Malcolmsons purchased the vacant building in 2007 with the intent to demolish it order to create a guest parking lot for their brownstone condominiums, Venn Manor, located directly south on Cass. The birth and success of numerous small businesses in the vicinity -- Nefertiti's, Goodwells, Spiral Collective, Curl Up and Dye, Bureau of Urban Living, Avalon Breads and City Bird -- along with a $50,000 facade grant from the
University Cultural Center Association convinced them that renovation was the way to go.
For lease information contact Malcolmson at 313-831-7931.
Source: Leslie Malcolmson
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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