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Posted on Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 1:30 p.m.

Fresh Seasons Market closes as deal to sell business falls through

By Paula Gardner

Fresh Seasons Market, a 15-year specialty grocer on the west side of Ann Arbor, closed Thursday after a deal with a potential buyer fell through.

The store will reopen on a limited basis Saturday to sell-off remaining inventory, co-owner Lynda Stahl said.

"The economy has really not been our friend," Stahl said. "Competition has come in, and specialty food stores - they're not so special anymore. .... Now everybody has them."

freshseasons.jpg

Owners of Fresh Seasons will reopen for a short time on Saturday to sell off the remaining produce.

Angele Cesere | AnnArbor.com

Stahl and her husband, Ben, tried to sell the business so they could retire. A buyer was lined up, she said, but multiple circumstances - including the pending end of the store's lease at 2281 W. Liberty - made a transition difficult.

They explored finding a new location, but a deal wasn't reached in time.

"When our lease ended (this month), there wasn't a workalble solution," Stahl said. "... We decided to close the doors."

The decision was difficult, Stahl said, especially after they'd sought a buyer and worked with the potential purchaser for several months.

"We didn't want to just close up and leave," Stahl said. "... Our customers had become our friends."

Fresh Seasons once employed up to 45 people, but more recently had a staff of 15, Stahl said.

Stahl, reached at the store today as she prepared for the wind down, said she wants to thank her customers.

"When we first opened the store, I used to think that the people who'd come in were our company, our guests," she said. "I still feel that way.

"We're going to miss them terribly."

Paula Gardner is Business Director for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at (734) 623-2586 or by email.

Comments

bldata2

Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 8:19 p.m.

Very sad. Many of my perennials are from Fresh Seasons. They had small sizes for small areas in my gardens. Always stopped inside to buy small amounts of fruit. Will miss them.

Sandra Samons

Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 11:35 a.m.

I am shocked and grieving about the loss of this market! It has been a wonderful place to shop from the day it opened. It filled a unique niche. Besides the convenience of its easy access, as small as it was, I could often find things there that I couldn't find in bigger stores. For the owners and employees, you will be missed!

15crown00

Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 10:47 a.m.

Never shopped at this store but generally small businesses have a hard time surviving when competing against a large business that sells the same products.Simple reason is the big business buys more so it gets better prices.Tradition is nice to talk about but in the larger picture it means nothing.

bettye

Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 10:43 a.m.

add me to the list of sad regular customers... peace to the staff

earthchick

Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 8:26 a.m.

Oh no! This depresses me more than any business closing I can remember. I love Fresh Seasons!! It's the only place I ever buy my Christmas tree - the guys who help with the trees are always so helpful and cheerful, no matter how cold it is or how busy they are. It's also been my go-to place for Halloween pumpkins, and all kinds of flowers (potted or cut), not to mention specialty food items. I'm so sad to see them go. :(

Lynn Liston

Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 8:19 a.m.

It's really sad news when another locally owned, independent business closes. I've shopped at Colemans/Fresh Seasons for many years, for fresh produce, flowers, unique specialty items and most of the perennials in my garden are from their garden center. I will really miss them.

Marge Biancke

Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 7:02 a.m.

Add my name to those who will miss Fresh Seasons Market. Enjoy your retirement.

Karen Coupland

Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 6:53 a.m.

I'm really sad about this! Fresh Seasons has been my "neighborhood" store since it was Colemans. That's where we'd buy good Michigan tomatoes, corn-on-the-cob, blueberries, strawberries, among other good produce; our Christmas trees, our flower flats and vegetable plants for the garden. This is where I shop especially when I have a small grocery list and don't want to deal with the "busy-ness" of the larger grocery stores. I will miss the store!

Eric S

Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 6:25 a.m.

Sad, but not unexpected. I always thought that their location was an albatross, a place that you'd never notice unless you were actively looking for it, and so the very visible new competitors were going to take even more of a toll. I was hoping that the new location they were bargaining for would be a salvation. Alas. What I'll miss the most will be the broad selection of excellent but affordable wines. I think that was Martha's doing.

cook1888

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 9:35 p.m.

Hard times all around. I counted on them for Jeff Renner bread and their flowers were lovely. I hope they have a good retirement. I wonder what will happen to the staff. The job market is tough. Add Knights Market to the list of great local places. Best beef around and lots of other tasty foods tucked in a small space.

Mike D.

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 8 p.m.

This is really sad, but it was bound to happen. We have more specialty grocers per capita than Paris or New York. Literally. It's great as a consumer, but I can't imagine how they all stay in business. I can drive to the following specialty food stores in less than 5 miles from my house: Morgan & York (super cheese, meat, wine) Zingerman's (high-end deli cheese, meat, bread) Hiller's (special diet foods and Med foods) Produce Station (local produce and prepared foods) 2 Whole Foods! (everything you could want at double the price you'd want) Arbor Farms (they are the only place in town that sells Melinda's, the hot sauce I like) Plum (good prepared food and good deals on staples like S. Pellegrino) And even the chain stores have specialty foods: Busch's (local veggies, the brand of Kimchi I like) Meijer (best price on Jumex and Valle juice and fresh fish at good prices) That's 10 places I go regularly, and I'm probably forgetting a few. How can they all survive in this economy?

foobar417

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 6:01 p.m.

While I love the variety, the west side of town does have a lot of grocery stores. Arbor Farms and Kroger have been there a while, but Plum Market and Meijers (out in Scio Township) opened up in recent years and Aldi's is about to open as well. On the southwest side of town, you have Busch's and Meijers, plus Whole Foods opened recently.

Ralph

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 5:47 p.m.

Hey about those $1,500 U of M football tickets and that new $200 million dollar addition!

Paula Gardner

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 4:03 p.m.

Fans of Jeff Renner bread: It's still going to be available at a nearby store. I just got this email from Jeff: "I was so saddened, but not shocked, to learn Thursday that Fresh Seasons would close. The Stahls and their staff have become friends. I've been delivering my "Best French Bread in Town" to them since shortly after they opened. "I am pleased to announce that Arbor Farms will be carrying my bread starting next Friday (after a planned vacation). Delivery times will be the same - Tuesday through Friday, at about 3:30 PM and 5:15 PM."

David Briegel

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 3:39 p.m.

I too will miss the fresh stuff down the street. I was addicted to their sweet corn, Jeff Renner bread, Guernsey Farms ice cream and the great staff, Denise, Martha and the rest. Sad!

djm12652

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 3:14 p.m.

Ann Arbor Mom...isn't the new Walmart in Saline? Specialty shops have historically carried higher quality items than mass merchants and therefore had higher pricing. In this economy, everyone [even Ann Arborites] are feeling the pinch as consumers. It's sad, but life goes on and perhaps in the future another store will fill the gap left by the Stahl's. In the meantime, they will be missed.

48104

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 3 p.m.

We only ever go there at Christmas, but we have gotten our tree, wreath, and all sorts of stocking stuffers and goodies there since Christmas 1997, when our oldest was just a baby and we started doing Christmas bigger than before. I guess we'll need to change our tradition.

Arboriginal

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 2:26 p.m.

Best roses in town! Great staff! I count myself as one of the guilty for not shopping there enough.

Cartman's Conscious

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 2:09 p.m.

When it was Coleman's you could count on good quality fresh produce at the same price as Meijers and Krogers - who often didn't have as good selection or quality. And they did the seasonal garden gig as good as anyone. If Fresh Seasons had stuck closer to that business model they might have survived. Bulk gum drops at 4 bucks a pound and a dollar per ounce 'specialty foods' just didn't cut it for me.

Ann Arbor Mom

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 2:07 p.m.

Sadness. Our local businesses really do make our town special. Think about this when you stroll the aisles at the new Walmart....

A2K

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 1:36 p.m.

I'm very sorry to hear this...we just visited yesterday and it looked bare/down-at-heels...now I know why. I'll have to order my holiday hams from Arbor Farms now. I'll certainly miss the flowers (especially the cut flowers!) candies, and the super-nice staff.

Klaatu Barada Nikto

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 1:30 p.m.

For those of us who've been here a long time, it's a familiar lament...it seems that every time you turn around in Ann Arbor, someone or someplace you've come to love is gone. So, here is another. Of course, I'll miss the pumpkins, and the flowers, the fresh produce, and the candy corn...but mostly, I'll miss the people. Like Martha, who knew how addicted I'd become to the undependabley delivered Dockside Bakery Wheatberry bread, and would call to let me know she was holding a couple of loaves for me. That kind of personal service becomes a little rarer all the time. Good luck, and thank you to everyone at Fresh Seasons. :-)

a2grateful

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 1:29 p.m.

I am very sorry to see this WS a2 business close. However, having owned many businesses, sometimes it is best to move on. Know when to stay, know when to go.... I find it sad that the building owner wasn't able to agree on terms of continued tenancy, especially in times of poor retail performance and growing vacancy. A paying tenant, with reduced rent, sure beats a vacant building where the owner bears expenses.. The grocery business is a low-margin business. Any building owner that thinks escalated grocery store rents are the current trend is mistaken. It will be interesting to observe the fate of this property.

b master b

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 1:07 p.m.

The old Fresh Seasons building on W. Liberty is for sale or lease. Jim Chaconas of Colliers International is the broker.

81wolverine

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 12:48 p.m.

That's too bad. I've bought a lot there over the years. They seemed to have a nice "old country market" feel to them. But, I have to admit to not going there nearly as much in the last few years. We've started to buy things at literally 4 different grocery stores, and Fresh Seasons kind of became the "odd-store out", at least for us. I'm surprised that with all the competition in Ann Arbor for groceries and food, more stores haven't gone under. I wish the best of luck to the Stahls.