Stkr.it launched as a startup looking to leverage the emerging new economy. Today it's generating revenue from an unlikely source: quilters. "They have taken to our technology to label their quilts," says Mike Newman, president of stkr.it. "There are 16 million quilters in the U.S., and two million of them spend $3,000 a year on it." The 4-year-old startup, which calls both Ann Arbor and New York City home, launched as software platform that helped people capture digital memories on their mobile devices, such as text messages. It pivoted a few years ago to helping people create and connect new messages to items like greeting cards and scrapbooks. Meeting with business owners in the greeting card and gift store industries led to introductions to the quilting world. Scrapbookers have also flocked to the service. "It wasn’t part of the original business plan," Newman says. But it's a welcome addition. Stkr.it has grown its team to five people and is looking at expanding its reach in these new revenue streams. It is also aiming to create a few more over the next year. Source: Mike Newman, president of stkr.it Writer: Jon Zemke

Some cities have it. Others don't. It's nice to think that your hometown is a great place but the truth is, some cities are better than others. This article does a great job of articulating why. Excerpt: "All of the most beautiful compact cities have human-scaled squares where people can gather. Ideally, the squares are no more than 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter so that you can make out a person’s face on the other side—lest they become alienating. Squares give us a break from the confines of home and allow us to bask in the cheering company of others in uplifting surroundings, de Botton says. Yet nobody’s built a good square on the planet for decades, he says." Read the rest here.

Ann Arbor Brewing begat Corner Brewing. Grizzly Peak begat Jolly Pumpkin Brewing. Now, Ann Arbor's Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery (as well as Melange) has begotten the Tecumseh Brewing Company. It's all part of Michigan's growing beer ecosystem. Excerpt: "Between Tecumseh Brewing Company’s interior and proposed beer garden and patio, the establishment will hold approximately 150 people. Guests will have the opportunity to choose from 16 taps dedicated to the brewery’s signature brews. According to DeWitt, the goal is to have all 16 taps up and running by the brewery’s target opening timeframe of early April." Read the rest here.

The Library Lot in downtown Ann Arbor may be coming out of development limbo soon, as the city is looking for proposals to build above the underground garage completed a few years ago. Steve Powers, city administrator for the City of Ann Arbor, says the process is moving forward with the city soliciting proposals for the rights to develop above the garage, which is and will continue to be owned by the city. Proposals are due May 15; he's expecting them to be reviewed shortly afterward with the preferred developer or developers selected in June. The property is just larger than 35,000 square feet at Fifth Street between Liberty and William, near the library, Blake Transit Center and federal court building. According to the official Offering Memorandum, put together by CRBE Group, Inc. of Southfield, the city's goal is for the property to be transformed into "a high density, modern, sustainable urban redevelopment that contributes to the fabric and livability of downtown Ann Arbor." Potential uses are listed as commercial development with retail, office, residential housing and/or hotel/hospitality. Powers explains that the lot is zoned for D1, the city's highest density zoning, which makes it what he called "a rare opportunity in downtown Ann Arbor." City council also wants an urban public park, set to be an approximately 12,000-square-foot portion of the property along Fifth Street, incorporated into the plans. "What it looks like and how it’s integrated into the development is going to be one of the key values for evaluating proposals," Powers says. It's early and development plans for the site have been ongoing for years, but Powers says he’s optimistic there will be renewed interest in developing the site. "The results of the public process will be a development that will bring in some needed revenue to the city, that will add to the downtown's vibrance, and will be something that will be a source of pride for Ann Arbor," he says. Source: Steve Powers, city administrator, City of Ann Arbor Writer: Kristin Lukowski

Arbormoon Software isn't the little software firm that could. It's a small business that did. Or, at least, is doing it. The downtown Ann Arbor-based company recently was recognized as a FastTrack award winner for the third consecutive year. That means it had at least six-figure revenues with an annual growth of 20 percent for the previous three years. Arbormoon Software has accomplished this for three years running. The company's leadership[ chalks that success to its work of creating mobile apps that have huge amounts of downloads, such as creating the apps for Weather Underground and XanEdu. "We're small but we have a lot more reach than larger companies," says Dave Koziol, president of Arbormoon Software. The 11-year-old firm offers a comprehensive set of services for creating custom mobile apps. That work allowed it to move into a larger office last year and hire a couple of software developers, expanding its staff to a dozen people. Arbormoon Software has also been working on creating software for new technology. For instance it has produced a couple of apps for mobile phones worn as watches. It is also working on beacon technology projects that help enhance mobile signals in places with limited receptions, such as large buildings. "We're pushing the technology envelope and seeing how things evolve," Koziol says. "We're on the bleeding edge of technology looking for new things." Source: Dave Koziol, president of Arbormoon Software Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Densu Dixon and his friend Eric Jensen were both dedicated athletes when they came to the University of Michigan. They not only took their workouts seriously, but also their diets. It's a lifestyle choice that took an unusual turn when it became their business. "We started to get frustrated with the availability of fresh produce on campus," Dixon says. "We couldn't find a service to help us so we decided to make one ourselves." The U-M sophomores launched Fruit Fairies earlier this year. The startup aims to eating healthier in college more affordable through a weekly subscription service that delivers baskets of healthy food to the doorsteps of co-eds across the country. The baskets include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and additional options. The Fruit Fairies staff assembles the baskets on Sundays and delivers them to its customers across Ann Arbor. The Sunday assembly-and-delivery system allows them to buy fresh food in bulk from wholesalers. The student-run startup is currently trying to raise $7,500 through a crowd funding campaign to grow its business later this spring. Check it out here. "We are hoping for the beginning of April," Dixon says. Source: Densu Dixon, co-founder at Fruit Fairies Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The old and busted narrative went thusly: Suburbs are safe, smart and affluent. Cities are scary, poor, and un-educated. What a difference 20 years make. Excerpt: Putting urban neighborhoods under a microscope, a University of Virginia researcher has concluded that the traditional urban "donut" pattern — a ring of thriving suburbs surrounding a decaying city center — is being replaced by a new pattern: a thriving urban core surrounded by a ring of suburbs with older housing, older residents and more poverty. Read the rest here.

Though it may be as much as a decade or more away. talk of train service between Ann Arbor and Traverse City has really struck a chord. This Q&A with Jim Bruckbauer of Michigan Land Use Institute gives hope that Michigan may finally learn to embrace rail travel. Excerpt: "The tracks between Traverse City and Ann Arbor run through some of Michigan’s greatest downtown’s like Cadillac, Mt. Pleasant, Alma, Durand and Owosso. A 2009 Grand Valley State University study showed that Michigan towns with rail service—even just once-a-day service—had anywhere from a $7 million to $45 million boost to their local economies because of that service. Rail would allow the residents and college students in these towns to have another option for traveling to other wonderful Michigan cities and, because it intersects with two Amtrak lines, they’ll have access to major metropolitan areas around the country." Read the rest here.

Increased sales, additional employees, and a larger office to match -- software company Amplifinity has grown into expanded space on the Ann Arbor’s north side. Amplifinity recently doubled its office square footage from 6,500 to 13,500 at its location at 912 N. Main St., taking over the whole building after two other companies moved to new space, explained company president Eric Jacobson.  ?"Our head count has about doubled in the last year," he says, from 25 to 43 employees. "We're growing fast and selling a lot of software." Amplifinity makes software for companies to manage brand advocacy marketing programs on social networks, and its popularity helped lead the company to its expansion. After employees became more and more packed into their previous space, Jacobson was able to work out an arrangement with landlord Peter Allen & Associates for the whole building, in no small part because he loves the location -- still within walking distance to downtown yet near the Huron River and its adjoining nature trails, and much more inspiring to creativity than a bland office park. "Being able to walk out and walk away from your computer screen, sit by the river, watch the water flowing by -- it clears your head and allows you to solve problems in a completely different environment, rather than letters and numbers on a crystal display," he says. Source: Eric Jacobson, president of Amplifinity Writer: Kristin Lukowski