Ann Arbor’s Literati bookstore will move into the former home of Downtown Home and Garden, which closed last year after 28 years in business.
Literati owner Hilary Gustafson says her store is “bursting at the seams” of its current location at 124 E. Washington St.
Her new landlord at 210 S. Ashley St. will be Mark Hodesh, who has owned the building since 1975 and started Downtown Home and Garden there in 1997. Hodesh later sold the business to Kelly Vore, who closed shop last year, citing rising costs including rent.
Gustafson describes the building as an “icon of downtown Ann Arbor.”
“When we first started talking about this and saw the built-in shelves and the character and heard the history and the stories that Mark has shared with us about the building, it just seemed such a perfect fit for Literati.”
As Hodesh sought a new tenant, he says his “mantra” was “not a high rise, not a bar, not a restaurant.” He was excited to learn that Gustafson was interested in the space.
“It's just such a perfect fit to get a retail store to rejuvenate, help rejuvenate this part of town and use the building as is.”
Gustafson says she hopes to continue Downtown Home and Garden’s legacy.
“It really was a place that built community and brought people together. And that's what we hope to do at Literati and continue to do in this space.”
Literati will host a pop-up shop in its new space later this year. Gustafson says she hopes to have a grand opening there next year.
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