Wild Side Smoke Shop to fill ex-Sole Sisters on East Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor

The smoke shop, which has dozens of locations throughout Michigan including one on Plymouth Road in Ann Arbor, carries items such as hand-blown glass tobacco accessories, hookah products, cigarette rolling papers and lighters.

The 1,300-square-foot space was only on the market for about 30 days after Sole Sisters closed at the end of January. Owner Tamar Fowler moved her boutique around the corner from South Fourth Avenue to East Liberty Street in March 2010.

“We had many, many inquiries, multiple showings, and in the end, had several [businesses] to choose from,” said Dan Stewart of Sperry Van Ness/Stewart Commercial Group, who listed the building with Mike Lamb.

They marketed the space as a “nicely located retail space with excellent window exposure to pedestrian and vehicular traffic,” according to the listing.

Building owner Michael Yi said he had inquiries from a national restaurant franchise, a hookah bar and Skydive Tecumseh.

Wild Side Smoke Shop, he said, was the “most eager and ready to go.”

He added: “We talked to the landlord of their other [Ann Arbor] location and they told me [Wild Side] is a very good tenant. Also, the fact that they have many outlets throughout the state persuaded me to go with them.”

The windows of the East Liberty Street storefront are currently covered in plastic, and Yi said renovations should begin soon. The owner of the smoke shop could not be reached for comment, but Yi said the store should open in April.

Wild Side joins another nearby smoke shop, Bongz & Thongz, which is located a few storefronts down at 119 E. Liberty St. Other downtown Ann Arbor smoke shops include Stairway to Heaven on South State Street, 42 Degrees on East William Street and Foggy Bottom Bayou on South State Street.