Silky Grooves to open at the downtown Ann Arbor District Library

Hannah Jacobsen, co-owner of Silky Grooves Vintage and Vinyl, arrives with a smile at the downtown Ann Arbor District Library, unlocking the door to open up the first of AADL’s three new Lobby Shops, an affordable space for startup entrepreneurs to market their products. The shop, located to the left of the main entrance in one of three suite rooms, sells clothing, books, vinyls and more hand-selected from thrift stores across the country. Monthly rent for the suites ranges from $100 to $250, depending on the size of the space. The other two suites are expected to host JFSMade and Gardens Within in the near future.

Jodene Poirier, executive assistant to the AADL director Eli Neilburger, spearheads the lobby shop initiative. Neiburger came up with the idea to transform what was formerly the shop Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library into a space for new businesses. In an email with The Michigan Daily, Poirier wrote how she and Neiburger made the Lobby Shops a reality.

“Director Neiburger ran the idea by the library board and they loved it,” Poirier wrote. “He asked if I would like to oversee the Lobby Shops project and I enthusiastically accepted. From there, our facilities director got to work getting the single former FAADL space built out into three separate spaces.” 

The AADL advertised applications for the three spaces on Facebook and through press releases, gathering more than 60 responses from interested small business owners. In an interview with The Daily, Beth Manuel, ADL library technician who aided in the decision-making process, said the library created the spaces to help the small-business owners in the community.

“The idea behind it was ‘we have space and there’s a need out there,’” Manuel said. “Let’s try to put the folks together, which is what libraries do anyway. To be able to boost up someone’s ability to sell their wares, to get their business off the ground — that was the hope.”

The Lobby Shops were able to do just that for Silky Grooves. Jacobsen told The Daily that the AADL was their first opportunity for a real storefront after operating as a pop-up store for six years. 

“I was just scrolling (on Facebook) one day and I saw that the library had these three spaces available for a small business that just needed a chance,” Jacobsen said. “There’s no way I could afford retail rent anywhere, especially in Ann Arbor. It’s really a gift to people who need an opportunity. We’ve been saying for years ‘we would have the best store if we could just get somewhere.’” 

Jacobsen said the AADL has allowed her to become a part of the community created by the library.

“I’m coming to realize that we are kind of a safe space for some people who just want to belong somewhere, and this library is awesome for that,” Jacobsen said. “Of any business to be inside of, this library is it. They do so much for the community and it’s heartwarming.”

In an interview with The Daily, LSA junior Makena Monahan said it was her first time visiting the library. Monahan said increased publicity for the shops would be a great way for students to engage with the Ann Arbor community and for shopowners to showcase their businesses. 

“I think (the Lobby Shops are) a cool way to get their work out there,” Monhan said. “I think in order to get more students’ attention, students would have to be more aware of the library in general. I don’t know how aware students are that Ann Arbor has a public library that is so close to campus.”

In an email to The Daily, Poirier wrote the future hope for the Lobby Shops is an increased opportunity for local businesses once the AADL has more space to accommodate them. In August, Ann Arbor voters approved a measure for the AADL to build and move into a new building on the surface of the Library Lane parking structure located next to the current library.

“With the space that we have at our current Downtown Library, there isn’t any more room to grow,” Poirier said. “However, if we are able to include more space for shops in our new building, we will be able to offer the opportunity to more businesses and have a much larger selection of shops available.”

Daily Staff Reporter Mya Weiss can be reached at myaweiss@umich.edu.

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