Thursday, April 01, 2010

New businesses open in downtown Birmingham

New businesses are crowding into downtown Birmingham just in time for the weather to break. The list includes everything from a wine bar to a brand-name coffee shop.

Leading the list is a new Biggby Coffee at 112 S Old Woodward. The new coffee shop, which claims to be the fastest growing coffee franchise in the Midwest, is replacing an old Caribou Coffee. A Great Harvest Bread Co joins Biggby, opening up its doors at 137 S. Adams.

A number of restaurants and bars are opening this spring, too. Mirage Cafe, specializing in Mediterranean cuisine, is opening at 297 E Maple in the old Maple Leaf Cafe space. South Bar plans to open at 2110 S Old Woodward in May and Tallulah Wine Bar & Bistro is setting up shop in a long-time vacant retail space at 155 S Bates.

Tallulah and Delux Bar & Grill plan to expand their outdoor patios into parking spaces this summer to accommodate more seasonal seating. Birmingham allows businesses to rent on-street parking spaces and build temporary patios on them. This creates more dining space, clears the sidewalk for pedestrians, and generates revenue for the city.

Source: Andrea Foglietta, marketing and event manager for the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce
Writer: Jon Zemke