City Guide
Shopping - Home Improvement and Hardware
Home Improvement
Remodeling is one of Ann Arbor's art forms. Fingerle Lumber Company on S. Fifth Ave. is a full-service building supplier and carries everything from lumber to kitchen cabinets.
There are state-of-the-art kitchen and bath showrooms at many points of the compass: Expressions Design Center on Jackson, Expo Kitchen & Bath in Westgate, Washtenaw Woodwrights on S. Main, DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen on South Industrial, Kurtis Kitchen and Bath Center on State Cir., and KSI in Village Center.
If you can walk on it, Stadium Flooring and More has it--from carpet to ceramics to bamboo. Merkel Carpet One at Lamp Post Plaza and Ann Arbor Carpets on State Cir. have fine selections of carpets and flooring as well.
Top of the Lamp on S. Maple, Gross Electric on Industrial, and Expressions Design Center on Jackson all offer tasteful lighting design and expertise along with fixtures and lamps.
Anderson Paint Company in two locations (Stadium and Washtenaw) has the Benjamin Moore concession, while the house brand at O'Leary Paint on W. Stadium is made in Michigan and specially formulated for midwestern winters.
Delux Drapery & Shade on S. Main and Creative Windows on South Industrial do custom window treatments and installation. Arbor Shade and Awning on Jackson custom-builds retractable all-aluminum awnings in a dazzling array of fabrics. Vogel's Locksmiths helps home owners upgrade locksets.
Motawi is an artisanal tileworks on Enterprise; you can commission original designs or shop from a wide selection that includes a new line of Frank Lloyd Wright reproductions.
Ann Arbor's family-owned hardware stores include Ace Barnes Hardware (two locations: Washtenaw and Boulevard Plaza), Stadium Hardware on W. Stadium, Carpenter Brothers in the Plymouth Road Mall, and Jack's on Packard near campus.
APPLIANCES & ELECTRONICS
Big George's Home Appliance Mart on W. Stadium has showrooms of posh kitchens as well as TVs and stereos; for prices and inventory, it competes with big-box stores. Among local vacuum stores--Arbor Vacuum in two Packard locations, Ann Arbor Vacuum on Jackson, and the Vacuum Store, also on Jackson--you can find any brand you want. Campus TV on W. Stadium has been around practically since TVs were invented. Eyemedia on Stadium and Paragon Sight & Sound on Jackson sell sophisticated home audio and entertainment systems.
Ann Arbor is full of mom-and-pop computer shops. Jafferson Computers on Carpenter and MCRS on South Industrial build and service PC-compatible systems. Computer Alley on Jackson and on S. State sells new and used computers, while Affordable Computers on Rosewood sells used computers and new parts.
International students can get a cell phone without a Social Security number at the independent ABG Communication Co. on William. Cellular and More on Washtenaw deals exclusively in Verizon phones and accessories, with large discounts to U-M employees. Everything Battery on Jackson has batteries for just about every conceivable device from cell phones to motor homes.
FURNITURE, HOUSEWARES, & DECOR
Amish furniture is a regional specialty sold at King's Chosen on Main and Amish Furniture Home on Jackson. Three Chairs, with two stores facing each other across Ashley, sells sleek, modern designs. Mir's Oriental Rugs on Main sells gorgeous new oriental rugs; so does Persian House of Imports on E. Liberty, along with antique ones. Interior decorator and retailer Bay Design, in a distinctive triangular building near Kerrytown, offers design services and impeccable furniture and decor items. Tyner's huge store on S. State looks like a chain but in fact is locally owned--as is House of Sofas on Jackson, which sells other furniture as well.
Van Winkle Mattress, on N. Main, sells discount mattresses, bed frames, and headboards. The Fourth Ave. Sleep Shop sells the Tempur-Pedic brand as well as organic sheets and other bedroom accessories. For those who prefer beds without box springs, check out the Mattress & Futon Shoppe in Boulevard Plaza on W. Stadium.
Some stores specialize in a look, rather than just pieces. V2V combines calm, neutral furniture and housewares with high fashion in a bilevel Kerrytown store. Hollander's Kitchen & Home, also in Kerrytown, sells kitchenware, high-end small kitchen appliances, and tableware. At Peartree on Main, everything from candles to sofas has a muted English country garden feel. La Belle Maison on Main is a French version of cottage style and a mix of antique and new. The Village Attic on South University caters largely to students with an inexpensive collection of bedding, kitchen appliances, and furniture. Acme Mercantile, on W. Liberty downtown, sells utilitarian items like toilet paper and paper towels alongside whimsical toys, high-end housewares, and linen clothing. Red Shoes on Ashley carries funkified vintage furniture, artsy home goods--and fairy doors.
