Apparel and textile design studio relocates to downtown Ann Arbor
An apparel and textile design studio opened its doors for business on South Fourth Avenue in downtown Ann Arbor this week after relocating from a location on South Ashley Street.
The studio, Nonpareil, is now located in a 1,252-square-foot second-floor space at 208 S. Fourth Ave. next to the Asian Martial Arts Studio.
Nonapareil, an apparel and textile design studio, relocated to a second-floor space at 208 S. Fourth Ave. this week.
Photo from loopnet.com
After first opening on South Ashley Street in October, Moenssen said she wanted to move the studio to the heart of downtown Ann Arbor for more visibility and a bigger space.
“She wanted some traffic,” said Joe Palms of Swisher Commercial, the agent who brokered the deal for Nonpareil. “She didn’t need to be right on Main Street, so that space was good for her.”
Moenssen said she does mostly tailoring and alterations at Nonpareil, but she also wanted to pursue the creative aspect of sewing by offering instructional classes and making “wearable art.”
Classes at Nonpareil include dollmaking, feltmaking, sewing and fabric dyeing.
“I have a pretty comprehensive class schedule,” Moenssen said. “And so far, most of them have really filled.”
Moenssen first started a tailoring business in Birmingham, Mich. in 1996. She was voted “Best Tailor in Metro Detroit” by the readers of Hour Detroit and Style magazines in 2002, according to her website.
Although she said business was “booming” in Birmingham, she wanted to offer instructional classes and thought Ann Arbor would have the right demographic for her vision.
“I thought Ann Arbor would be a great place to open this kind of business,” she said. “I thought people would really go for that here.”
After offering Groupon and LivingSocial deals for her classes, Moenssen said that business in Ann Arbor is going well and she looks forward to continuing to expand her customer base at her new downtown location.
“Business is definitely picking up and now I’ll have enough room to fit more people,” she said. “I’m so happy with my move.”
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.