ANN ARBOR, MI — The shelves are running bare and the cans of bulk seed and feed are mostly empty now as Downtown Home and Garden prepares for its farewell.
The store that has existed in one form or another at 210 S. Ashley St. in downtown Ann Arbor for over a century finished its final full day Tuesday, Dec. 23, with plans to stay open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Christmas Eve before permanently closing.
“It’s very hard for everyone,” owner Kelly Vore said, expressing appreciation to customers and employees. “And especially as vacant and cavernous as we are right now, a lot of times people walk in and it’s kind of like the tears well up.”
Vore announced earlier this year the store would be closing in December due to financial pressures, including rising rent. Despite efforts to reduce expenses and downsize, the business no longer was sustainable, she said.
Naomi Okuyama and her dog Gus look around Downtown Home & Garden located at 210 S Ashley St.,one last time on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, the final full day of operation.Abra Richardson | Mlive.com
The beloved store’s departure now leaves a void in the downtown retail landscape.
Longtime customers like Ron Pisoni, a local retiree who stopped in Tuesday, have been coming in to say their goodbyes, saying it’s sad to see the store go.
“It’s always been such a welcoming place,” Pisoni said, mentioning employees he’s gotten to know over the years while regularly stopping in for coffee and a bagel in the morning and buying a lot of flowers in the spring.
“This is a really unique place,” he said, saying he’s really going to miss it and the people who made it special.
Neal Elkin makes himself a cup of coffee at Downtown Home & Garden located at 210 S Ashley St., on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, the final full day of operation.Abra Richardson | Mlive.com
Ann Arbor resident Lisa Durham, 58, gave Vore a hug before leaving the store Tuesday. Durham said her son worked at the store as a teenager and Vore was a great boss.
“This is hard because she’s such a good person and this was a wonderful place for my son to work and we loved coming here,” Durham said. “It’s kind of an institution.”
She purchased one of the store’s vintage display tables to have as a keepsake.
People look around Downtown Home & Garden located at 210 S Ashley St., on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, the final full day of operation.Abra Richardson | Mlive.com
Jeff Beggs, 64, drove in from the Detroit area on Tuesday for one last visit.
“I usually come here every Christmas to check out things, buy a few items,” he said.
He remembers visiting a previous iteration of the store decades ago when he was a University of Michigan student.
“It’s such a beautiful building and they have such an eclectic mix of stuff,” he said, though he lamented there wasn’t a lot to find Tuesday except memories of what once was.
People look around Downtown Home & Garden located at 210 S Ashley St., on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, the final full day of operation.Abra Richardson | Mlive.com
Among the few remaining items still available for sale at discounted prices were some yard care supplies, holiday-themed goods, bulk clover seed and dog gear.
“There’s little bits of things,” Vore said. “There’s still little treasures, little souvenirs to be had.”
She promised, just as always, there would be fresh treats from Zingerman’s for the final day Wednesday.
Vore said she’s had meaningful interactions with hundreds of longtime customers in recent weeks.
“Customers have been phenomenal,” she said. “The response to our exit has been the entire range that you would expect. Everybody’s going to miss us a great deal.”
Kelly Vore, owner of Downtown Home & Garden located at 210 S Ashley St., talks about the closing and fond memories of the business on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, the final full day of operation.Abra Richardson | Mlive.com
The store traces its history back to the 1890s when the building was constructed for Mann and Zeeb Elevator, a supplier of field seed for farmers and grain for poultry.
In 1906, the Hertlers purchased it and renamed the business Hertler Bros. Soon after, a barn was built and used as a livery stable for people visiting downtown to park for the day.
Mark Hodesh, who started the nearby Fleetwood Diner in 1972, eventually sold his diner and purchased Hertler Bros. from the Hertler family in 1975. In 1981, he and his wife Margaret sold the business, but not the property, then lived out of state for many years before returning in 1997.
That’s when Hodesh regained control of his former store, called it Downtown Home and Garden, and made it into a contemporary home and garden store enjoyed by generations of Ann Arborites.
People look around Downtown Home & Garden located at 210 S Ashley St., on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, the final full day of operation.Abra Richardson | Mlive.com
Hodesh sold the business a decade ago to Vore, one of his employees, but retained ownership of the property.
“In some form or another, it has always been a general store that met the needs of the community at large,” Vore said.
Vore said she hasn’t decided what’s next for her yet, but Downtown Home and Garden as a brand was very much tied to the building and will come to a complete rest.
“So, it is the end of that as we know it,” she said. “Should there be other versions of this collection of fine products and other things somewhere else? I can’t say never about that, but there is nothing particular in motion.”
Neal Elkin and his dog Louis look around Downtown Home & Garden located at 210 S Ashley St., one last time on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, the final full day of operation.Abra Richardson | Mlive.com
Whatever comes next at 210 S. Ashley St., Vore said, “I would love it if this address could still bring good memories.”
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