One kept a re-zoning proposal alive, another step toward opening a local store, while the other is set to close today. Here are our picks for last week's winner and loser in local business news:

Rise: Menard Inc. and Pittsfield Township

The Wisconsin-based home improvement store chain kept alive its proposal request to rezone 57 acres on Carpenter Road in the township when Planning Commissioners decided they wanted more information on the request — and to consider the history and reasoning behind the original zoning. It’s a positive step for both the retailer and the township. For the retailer, it preserves the hopes of building a local store. For the township, the consideration of whether the property should be part of the township’s commercial zoning will get their full vetting before the master plan revisions are presented for final approval.

 

Fall: eve the restaurant

One of Ann Arbor’s most popular independent restaurants closes, as owner Eve Aronoff sought to heal a back injury and focus on her new restaurant downtown. Also an issue was a differential between the hopes of the landlord to sign a long-term deal while Aronoff was hesitant to do so. Many in the city mourn the loss of the eatery, which gained national prominence during Aronoff’s appearance on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” and what it brought to the Kerrytown district. The next step will be for Zingerman’s to move deli production to the building and use it for catering — so there is some positive movement for that local business.