Ortonville’s For the Love of Local sells everything from dishware to tea towels to wall art, all created by Michigan artists.
Local Art
Entrepreneur puts her heart into running Ortonville shop
When a divorce in 2013 inspired Brenda Timmermans, left, to rethink her future, she had an epiphany. “I thought about how artists’ works can be found online, and decided I wanted to give artists a platform,” Timmermans says, explaining her motivation to open a store to showcase handcrafted works of art. The entrepreneur found a “fixer-upper” property — 68 South St. in Ortonville — and, over the next two years, remodeled it into the gift shop it is today. For the Love of Local features ceramics, dishware, candles, art, clothing, and more created by some 40 area artists. Recently, between running the shop, reviewing products, and meeting artists, Timmermans found time to tell us more about her endeavors.
Q: Can you give us an idea of what customers might find and fall in love with at your store?
A: (There are) handmade ceramic dishes shaped like Michigan’s Lower Peninsula — the work of a Clarkston couple, Michael Arndt and Marilyn Appleman (mergingstory.com); Shayla Johnson’s tea towels (scarletcrane.com), which feature hand-screened drawings of Detroit buildings; and fragrant soy candles housed in recycled teacups and glass containers by Wax & Wix’s Debbie Cottrell of Goodrich. Also, you’ll find beautiful berry bowls by Marna McGlinn Ceramics of Berkley.
Q: How do you choose your vendors?
A: People come to me, and I look online. I tell artists that I don’t need 100 items. One artist brought in a needlepoint (picture) of wildflowers (that she’d put) in an old frame. I loved it and it sold quickly. If I’m excited about the art, it goes out the door.
Q: What makes locally made products special?
A: I make a personal connection with the artist and the customer, so I have a better understanding of the products and can meet both their needs.
Q: What are customers looking for?
A: They’re looking for a conversation piece, not the same things you’d find at a megastore. With that type of gift, (recipients know) you made the extra effort to buy something special. fortheloveoflocal.co
—Carol Hopkins
DISHING UP CREATIVITY
An array of artistic goods, including dishware (the above are by Marna McGlinn Ceramics of Berkley), awaits shoppers at For the Love of Local in Ortonville.
Pet Project
Ring around the collar makes pet safety easy
As part of his mission to keep pets safe, Doug Danforth, founder and CEO of Kansas-based Pawdentify, created a practical, user-friendly ID tag system: a colorful, extremely durable tag with a connector called LINKS-IT for easy collar attachment. “When our 10-year-old beagle, Marley, got out recently — for the first time ever — he wasn’t lost for long,” Danforth says. “The information on his brightly colored Pawdentify tag assured that he was quickly returned to us!” pawdentify.com
—Honey Murray
NO DOWNTREND FOR NOVI: The price of homes in Novi is steadily increasing. Two years ago, the average price of a three-bedroom home was $217,000, according to househunt.com. One year ago, the price had increased to $336,000. The current average price is $358,000.
GOING FAST: Billy Whitehouse, left (whitehouses.com), of Birmingham-based Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices — Hannett, Wilson, Whitehouse & Burke Realtors, reports that Michigan’s sellers’ market is thriving. “With consumer confidence high and families optimistic about the state’s economy,” Whitehouse says, “homes that are well-priced and in good condition are selling in a matter of days.”
WONDERFUL WOODWARD: “All along the Woodward corridor, from Detroit through Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, and north to Birmingham, (there’s) a definite pushback against urban sprawl,” says Kara Edwards, right, of Royal Oak-based Jim Shaffer and Associates, Keller Williams (soldcalljim.com). “Home buyers want to live, shop, dine, and play in walkable communities anchored by a well-developed downtown, creating an uptick in the real estate market that supports the growth of independent shops, restaurants, and service-oriented business — along with a variety of mixed-housing developments and designated cyclists’ lanes.”
BLACK MAGIC: GE Appliances is now offering its Black Slate finish on select GE Café models. “A kitchen is the heart of the home, and homeowners today want natural, warm textures and finishes that add a sense of quietness,” says Paul Haney, chief designer at GE Appliances, a Haier company. “Black Slate is a timeless, premium finish that can match any décor.”
THIS JUST IN: Paul Kropp, above left, skilled woodworker, master craftsman, and COO of luxury custom cabinetry producers Bakes & Kropp (bakesandkropp.com), was honored to welcome NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt, above right, to Bakes & Kropp’s Macomb production facility, where Holt talked about the economy for a recent segment called “Across America: Hopes and Fears in Michigan Ahead of the Inauguration.” “We have a great American business story,” Kropp says. “For Lester Holt and his research team at NBC Nightly News to recognize that and seek us out as a stage for their story, that helps validate the work we’ve done. The entire experience was certainly one for the memory books.”
—Honey Murray
Have news or trends that pertain to the local home, design, and/or real estate industry? Send a note to: MSwoyer@hour-media.com.
Perfect Pairs
Detroit Home Design Awards participants share insights on their favorite combinations, plus we showcase our top duets
WHAT’S YOUR CURRENT FAVORITE COMBO?
“Bold patterns with natural texture, like digitally printed wallpapers featuring original paintings on sisal grass cloth. Our printing process retains the painterly quality; the grass cloth adds a nice textural underlay.”
— Kyra Hartnett, DHDA Judge, Twenty2, Connecticut
“Old and new. I have a modern painting framed in a 19th-century gilt frame from France; (they’re) perfect together.”
— Meg Lonergan, DHDA Judge, Meg Lonergan Interior Design, Texas
“Warm metal finishes accenting a rich indigo palette (like in a credenza) is a classic yet elegant go-to look for us.”
— Kathleen Mcgovern, DHDA Winner, Kathleen Mcgovern Studio Of Interior Design, Grosse Pointe Park
“Modestly priced items, where appropriate, mixed with ‘wow,’ regardless-of-price items, in living areas.”
— Michael Coyne, DHDA Winner, Michael Coyne Design, Troy
“Updated antiques — I call it ‘Curated and Contemporary,’ like pairing an antique chest and its authentic patina with something like a bold abstract painting or a contemporary stone bowl, with a sculptural orchid arrangement. It’s all about telling a story.”
— Anne Strickland, DHDA Winner, Port Mfg. & Design, Birmingham
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Pairing up, from metal & wood to smooth & textured
A. Pearson Company Cadence banquette, starting at $10,395, Birmingham Furniture & Design Studio, Birmingham B. Katoucha dining table, Jacques Garcia Collection, starting at $3,600, Baker Furniture, Michigan Designer Center, Troy C. Wildflower pillow, $134, Ethan Allen, metro Detroit-area stores, ethanallen.com D. Century Furniture Century Studio Essentials chair by Ridley, $2,160, R.J. Thomas, Michigan Design Center, Troy, E. Zamora end table, $1,399, Arhaus, metro Detroit-area stores, arhaus.com F. Ming Vase fabric in Jade, price available upon request, Schumacher, Michigan Design Center, Troy G. Lexington Take Five Bleeker ottoman, $2,779, Birmingham Furniture & Design Studio, Birmingham H. Kensington king metal canopy bed by Bernhardt Interiors, price available upon request, Gorman’s, metro Detroit-area stores, gormans.com.
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