Meakins & Sons Brush Factory building, located at the corner of King Street East and West Avenue South in Hamilton. The white historic building prominently features a massive public art piece titled “Raise,” painted in 2018 by local Hamilton muralist Lester Coloma and designer Norman Coloma. The monochrome mural serves as a visual tribute to … Read more
We sought out to find the core of the Flint’s historic commercial footprint. Along the way we found exemplars of urban design in The Paterson building, numerous banks from the 1920s, and the Capitol Theatre completed in 1928 to resemble a lush Roman garden. The 500 block of Saginaw Street, looking both north and south … Read more
This is the “Arch on Old Falls Street” public art installation was conceptualized, designed, and engineered by Jesse Walp, a local Buffalo artist and associate professor of interior design at Villa Maria College. Standing 26 feet tall and 14 feet wide, the towering aluminum structure mimics the rushing and splashing flow of water over the … Read more
Looking down the block, several adjacent blocks have been entirely cleared of buildings. Built out of classic red-brown brick in 1927, featuring a symmetrical facade with detailed brick molding and upper windows that still retain their glass. After its run as a 475-seat cinema ended in 1959, it was used as an auto dealership. Later, … Read more
Heading into Midland, Live Oak Coffee House proudly displayed the outline of an oak in black and white against a landscape full of vibrant and colorful colors. Once downtown, the landscaping caught us right away. An effort was clearly made to utilize native plants and grasses. The Midland Visitor Center gave us a good overview … Read more
When we visited in 2018, the Farmers Market was arranged in the round. A roughly circular pavilion provided shelter for customers. Vendors were arranged on either side. One of our finds at the market were heirloom tomatoes. After bringing some of the seeds back to New Jersey, these would become regulars in our garden from … Read more
Smart to the Pollinator Habitat Garden!Plants BUZZ to life with bees and other beneficial insects demonstrating which types they prefer. By suppling nectar and pollen on a wide variety of plants that bloom throughout the season, this garden provides ideas for which to choose for your own garden. A pollinator garden can be made up … Read more
Enjoy Michigan is a culture and apparel shop located at 118 S. Union Street in Traverse City (1 block N. Of Front St.)]. The store celebrates the state with original apparel, gifts, and goods made by local Northern Michigan artists. The shop features a distinctive retro triangular pennant sign above the entryway and a custom … Read more
St. Joseph Street (the main thoroughfare) in downtown Suttons Bay, Michigan, looking down the street. The wooden storefront on the immediate right houses the popular Bay Burrito Company. Located directly adjacent to the burrito shop, marked by its distinct sign hanging under the eave is Roth Shirt Co. The famous glass flower garden at the … Read more
We have built dozens of chairs out of shipping pallets in various towns we’ve visited. Here is a step-by-step description of the process as we recently experienced while in Albion, Michigan. 1. Be prepared to cut a pallet to dimensions on site or do so in advance to save time – as we did here. … Read more