At 22, recent grad is living the good life in a downtown Ann Arbor loft
Room with a view: Mark Messmore poses on the balcony of his 650-square-foot loft on West Liberty Street, near South Main Street, in downtown Ann Arbor.
Mark Bialek | For AnnArbor.com
But by the time he graduated in 2008, the now 22-year-old Messmore was living the good life in a downtown Ann Arbor loft, with restaurants, coffee and nightlife at his front door.
Messmore bought and furnished a 650-square-foot downtown loft in the heart of downtown Ann Arbor, at the corner of Main and Liberty streets.
The living room, with a 12-foot high ceiling, leads to a balcony and views of Liberty and Main streets.
Mark Bialek | For AnnArbor.com
“I worked a million hours as an undergraduate,” Messmore said. “I’ve been saving money since I began working at 13 at a diner in Dexter.”
He’s been frugal. He took 20 credits a semester at U-M rather than the more typical 16, finishing in 3 1/2 years to save on tuition.
He lived with his parents in Dexter during his sophomore year to save money. And he worked two jobs - as a server at an Ann Arbor restaurant and as a marketing associate at an insurance company - when he was an undergraduate.
Messmore was so young that he was ribbed at the closing that he was old enough to sign a mortgage agreement but not old enough to legally drink alcohol.

The former apartments (years ago occupied by the Ann Arbor Racquet Club) were being converted into condominiums and Messmore wanted to take the plunge into real estate, even though he was still a college student.


The kitchen in Mark Messmore's 650-square-foot loft at 101 West Liberty.
Mark Bialek | For AnnArbor.com
While the location was ideal, the décor was not.
“There were light blue walls and baby blue carpet,” Messmore said. “And there was a hideous linoleum in the kitchen along with outdated gold frosted lights hanging from the ceiling.”
A leak had rotted the subfloor around the kitchen and bathroom. 
With no training in interior design but with a little assist from family members and help from an associate at Pottery Barn, Messmore was able to put together a hip, stylish but affordable look.
He bought the spring water cherry wood flooring from Chelsea Plank Flooring and painted the walls a warm taupe with highlighted trim. The dark flooring and furniture offered the contrast he wanted, Messmore said.
He installed track lighting and an alabaster chandelier in the living room and colorful pendant lights in the kitchen. He found brushed nickel knobs for the kitchen cabinets on-line.
A stackable washer and dryer is tucked away nicely between the bedroom and hallway leading to the kitchen in the loft.
Mark Bialek | For AnnArbor.com
Like shotgun houses of New Orleans, the downtown condo is long and narrow, a single sightline runs from bedroom through the kitchen and to living room and the balcony that hovers over Liberty Street.
It was the balcony that sold Messmore on this loft.
“I was worried that living downtown, I wouldn’t have a lawn, a way to be outside,” Messmore said.
A look from the balcony down Liberty Street shows three of Ann Arbor’s iconic images: The Bell Tower, the State Theater and the Michigan Theater.
And while the loft is a compact 650 square feet, the 12-foot ceilings make it feel roomier and the layout is efficient, he said. 

Still, downtown loft living has its downsides, Messmore said. There’s the $130 a month for parking (for the first two years, he received free parking) and there’s the $110 monthly condo association dues.
And there are the groceries. His parking spot is two blocks away, forcing him to park in the alley to unload anything heavy before he can park his car. It’s a small price to pay, Messmore said.
“I love living downtown. There’s always something to do, even if it’s just getting take-out from the Parthenon.”
Comments
UgottaBkidding
Thu, Oct 14, 2010 : 12:20 p.m.
@mavfunn - The glass is always half-empty for you, isn't it?
Alisha
Thu, Feb 4, 2010 : 9:13 a.m.
Props to Mark. It looks I have some work to do! I'm 23 and also a recent UM grad but nowhere near the point in my life to be able to do this. Love the lighting too!
Freshtight Designs
Tue, Dec 29, 2009 : 10:10 a.m.
well-written article
spm
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 2:23 p.m.
This article is in the "home & garden" section of the "newspaper". If my memory serves me correctly, that section talks about all the local and not so local property and the people who live there. It's not "news" it's just a local interest piece. What is good news is he didn't up and leave for Chicago or New York like so many others young graduates are doing. Thank you AnnArbor.com for updating us on this young man.
mytwocents
Fri, Dec 25, 2009 : 9:47 p.m.
Mark was indeed a finalist for the Ann Arbor News Young Citizen of the year. He went out of his way to support others and contributed a great deal to the community. I suspect that has not changed. Well done, Mark. Very proud of you!
Dan H
Fri, Dec 25, 2009 : 4:54 p.m.
Way to go, Mark. You are a rare inspiration in this day and age. Frugality, fiscal responsibility. What novel concepts in this day and age. As for the senseless rant against praising this kid and extolling coverage of the poor, try to remember that all wealth that is used to help the poor COMES from the private sector. Governments do not create any wealth; they only redistribute it, and inefficiently at that. The poor would be even poorer if there was no wealth creation. I won't hold my breath.
Otto Mobeal
Fri, Dec 25, 2009 : 11:55 a.m.
Good for Mark. It's good to see hard work can pay off. But I can't say I understand the point of the article.
racerx
Fri, Dec 25, 2009 : 2:06 a.m.
Mavfunn-thanks for you very thoughtful insight to this story. I also failed to see the success that is so overly blown in this story (and threads). Even the average worker will make a million dollars in their lifetime working. And you're correct, 22 UM grad, brought dwtwn loft...what else is there? Who cares that he saved his money. I brought a three bedroom house, 2 1/2 baths, 2 car attached garage, 1700 sq.ft. home with a huge yard for $170K new, I might add, in Pittsfield Township in 1999. Am I worthy of a story? I'm also rasing two young ladies 17 & 12, the elder who was recently accepted to a local university, while the youngest gets all A's & B's? Am I worthy of a story? I've been working since I was thirteen, first by selling flower seeds until I got a paper route (delivered the former A2 News, DFP & DN)then as a bagger at A&P. I was working at the KFC on Jackson Rd. when Elvis died, then worked at Winkleman's dept. store at the mall while still in high school! Am I worthy? Most people have a strong work ethic so "highlighting" this guy for it is meaningless. Gawd A2, you really are bored with you own lives to see any glory in this story. Still, the housing market has priced me out of the city, even my old neighborhood around the "Crescents" is no longer affordable. Yup, I'll take my hard working work ethic to the lower taxes township and raise my girls to be productive citizens as we're taught, but leave their snoobness (yea, I know, not a word) out of the city! Where's a real news story.
John Galt
Thu, Dec 24, 2009 : 10:03 p.m.
Good for this young man. We should celebrate hard work, success and self-sufficiency. In addition it shows the vibrancy of downtown and is an example of at least one young person who is staying in our economically depressed State. Pay no attention to those who attack you. The world is full of those who feel free to judge others and wish to take your labor and property to fund thier "social utopia."
russellr
Thu, Dec 24, 2009 : 3:03 p.m.
Good for him!! He still worked hard anyway you slice it. Thank you for working hard and getting ahead. That's one less person on the Welfare System. Just remember to put Jesus Christ first in all you do. God Bless you Mark
jmo
Thu, Dec 24, 2009 : 2:35 p.m.
Wow. I'm surprised by the harsh tone of some of these posts. I was one of Mark's high school teachers, and I was glad to see this update on him. As I remember him, he was really involved in school activities that "made a difference" in the community. Ironically, I think he was recognized by the Ann Arbor News for his community service during his senior year. So since I knew him years ago, I guess I'm not unbiased, but I think this was just supposed to be an article about a nice young man who has worked hard and done well. What's so bad about that? Lastly, I have some bad news for some of the posters (comments have since been removed) who associated his great work ethic with Republican politics. Unless Mark changed A LOT in college, I'm pretty sure he's NOT a Republican! Regardless, let's just be happy for someone who has worked hard and done well. Merry Christmas everyone!
djm12652
Thu, Dec 24, 2009 : 11:54 a.m.
@mavfunn, I think you missed the point of a young man with a great work ethic making a good life for himself through hard work. Gee, let's all live in squalor while being so altruistic... I lived across the hall from his unit before the apts were converted to condos and it's a vibrant location. Kudos to him and his parents [for instilling values that make him who he is...NOT a slacker]! Merry Christmas to All!
mavfunn
Thu, Dec 24, 2009 : 11:08 a.m.
How exactly is this a "success story" much less warranting being a featured story? Sure, the site has a neat graphic for "Ann Arbor's Hidden Poor" but they still seem pretty hidden from view and overshadowed by such a meaningless non-story. It's a story about a person buying a trendy downtown loft (granted, it's a young person who purchased it with his own money, but still, that's all it is) that seems to be for the entertainment of the comfortably affluent and bored rather than shedding light on actual hardship and those less fortunate than he is. To say that this is a predictor that he'll "go far" and has the potential of a "millionaire" just highlights the obsession our culture has with material goods and money. Where is the success exactly? It is an accomplishment, but one whose aim seems entirely selfish, so why should anyone else really care? What about the recent UM grad starting out in teaching while simultaneously organizing after school programs for youths in the less affluent parts of Washtenaw County? Maybe she lives in a shabby apartment where rent is cheaper, but she also chose to sacrifice her time to educate herself so that she could educate and elevate others. THAT is a veritable success story, NOT the mere act of purchasing a loft (yes, with one's own money at a young age, nevertheless) simply to live in a trendy part of town and be able to walk a short distance to innumerable places selling overpriced coffee. Maybe that's where our collective light should shine instead of glorifying material accumulation. Maybe we should start considering success to be something more meaningful than purchasing power. I fail to see how this is being hailed as a success when there's no significant accomplishment here, and if there is something genuinely "successful" about this specific person, it's conspicuously absent from the article. As far as we can tell, he's a 22 year old UM graduate cum Spanish teacher who bought a loft. I'm certainly not saying he's a bad person, but this looks like overblown meaninglessness.
48104
Thu, Dec 24, 2009 : 11:06 a.m.
Do you all even READ the articles? He teaches Spanish in Saline. He needs to get to work and I think AATA cut bus service to Saline a couple years ago.
bugsmum
Thu, Dec 24, 2009 : 9:55 a.m.
I think this a fabulous/uplifting success story! I will share it with my 15 yr old daughter as a fine example of what can be accomplished with hard work & determination.
foreigner
Thu, Dec 24, 2009 : 9:28 a.m.
And very nice to see a positive, success story about one of our own!
foreigner
Thu, Dec 24, 2009 : 9:26 a.m.
Props to this young man!
EDM450
Thu, Dec 24, 2009 : 9:08 a.m.
Talk about a young man who is right on the ball! This guy is one focused person. Someone this forward thinking, at such a young age, is going to go far in life. Anyone else feel he will be a millionaire before retirement?
bruno_uno
Thu, Dec 24, 2009 : 8:15 a.m.
not too many can say they bought a condo in dt ann arbor without mommy and daddys money, kudos to this kid. its sad we will never be able to have middle class people buy residences in dt ann arbor with the NIMBYs so against more density in a city center like ann arbor. only allowing more residential developments will bring down the prices which unless your on U of M property wont happen in all our lifetimes.