Back in July 2025, Meghan Shaw , founder of Detroit’s popular vegan eatery Street Beet , announced plans to expand to Birmingham with a walk-up location at 233 N. Old Woodward Avenue. The concept called for a quick-service operation tucked behind a new bodega-style market, with alley access and a focus on lunch, snacks, and late-night bites. In the months that followed, “Street Beet Coming Soon” signage appeared in the storefront windows. Recently, however, those storefront s

Erik Miller , owner of UnTied in Birmingham, has announced the store’s closure. The store, which offered curated men’s fashion, operated for six years at 223 S. Old Woodward Avenue. “Six years ago, UnTied was just a dream and a name on a storefront. Today, as I prepare to lock the door for the final time, it feels like I’m saying goodbye to a piece of myself. We’ve spent over half a decade focusing on the ‘casual’ side of life, but there is nothing casual about how much this

After more than 29 years in business, it was announced by owner Steve Coval that the Birmingham luxury linen store Cristions , 205 N. Old Woodward Avenue, will be closing it doors in the coming weeks. Coval said that his decision was reached after “deep reflection and even deeper gratitude for the community that has supported us for nearly three decades.” Coval added that “Over the years, we have had the privilege of providing comfort to tens of thousands of metro Detroiters

Tessa Shane, founder of The Donation Closet, learned the importance of giving back at a young age. “I have an older sister and she was involved in a lot of community service work,” she said. “I started seeing her getting involved in things, like the Friendship Circle, and other community service. She kind of guided some of my decisions and opened my eyes up to what you can do for others.” Shane also became involved in the Friendship Circle, a non-profit that offers programmin

Bloomfield Hills native and chef Justin Tootla appears on Season 23 of Bravo’s award-winning culinary competition series “Top Chef,” which takes place in the Carolinas. This season launched in March and will conclude in June. Tootla fondly remembers an “idyllic childhood” growing up next to Cranbrook Schools campus. “It was an amazing place to grow up…I was born in the ‘80s and grew up in the ‘90s, so the last generation to leave the house in the morning and come home at nigh

While getting high certainly had its appeal, Willy Vlasic knew his appreciation for cannabis was destined for something greater. His first flirt with cannabis was in high school, like so many others. After graduating from Cranbook Schools in 2014, Vlasic went to the University of Miami for film production and screenwriting before reassessing career goals and transferring to University of Michigan for business. During this time, Michigan’s marijuana scene was undergoing dramat

I'll be honest, when I first became the director of Next more than a decade ago, I thought I understood what the job was about. I came from a background in community programming and had a genuine desire to serve seniors. What I didn't expect was how much I would receive in return -- life lessons I have learned by simply paying attention. Slow down and mean it: early in my time as director, I made it a habit to walk through the center a few times a day. One afternoon I stoppe

Birmingham City Commissioners are currently faced with a rare and unique opportunity – choosing a new colleague to sit alongside them at the commission table. The commission is comprised of seven commissioners, and Anthony Long, who was elected in 2023 after narrowly losing by only six votes in 2021, resigned on March 13 as he is moving out of the city after a marriage last year. We thank Long for his service and wish him well on his move. The vacancy at the commission table

We can just imagine a collective eye-roll by a few members of the Birmingham City Commission because we are again visiting, hopefully for the last time, the issue of a pool in the new home for Next on E. Lincoln in the city. We bring this issue up once again because it was the subject of a recent letter to the commission from the YMCA which reaffirmed that it is leaving the city and has decided against the offer from the city to have the outgoing nonprofit continue to operat

By Dana Casadei 
James Gallagher, Bloomfield Township Police Chief, was back before the board of trustees at the Monday, April 13, meeting to further discuss the police department’s space needs. 
The township had paid for a full space needs analysis from RedStone. Gallagher focused on more specific recommendations for the future police department and highlights from an earlier space needs analysis. The space needs analysis was paid for through the ARPA funds Bloomfield Townsh