Ypsilanti-based residential real estate company Yarrow hopes to uplift local business in downtown Ypsilanti with its recent purchase of 114 W. Michigan Ave. The building was formerly occupied by the Unicorn Feed and Supply gift shop and is currently home to event venue Yours Truly.

"We see the growth of Yarrow as inextricably bound up with the growth of Ypsi," says Yarrow co-founder Dylan Cinti. "The biggest risk with the growth of any city is pushing people out, and we’re always thinking of how we can preserve the spirit of the city while still propping it up."

Cinti worked closely with the building’s former owner, Unicorn Feed and Supply owner Jen Eastridge, to finalize the sale. Cinti says he hopes Yarrow can continue to "uphold the same standard of building stewardship [Eastridge] had." Cinti hopes to support Yours Truly through Yarrow’s social media in addition to ensuring the building’s safety and quality.

"What we’ve seen in Ypsi over the past few years is businesses closing before their time, and quite a few closures that I think were preventable," Cinti says. "With this purchase, we saw a potential to elevate and support the business that’s already there, and a potential for long-term building stewardship."

The building is Yarrow's first commercial real estate acquisition. While Cinti says residential properties will remain Yarrow’s main focus, he feels that this move into the downtown space is indicative of Yarrow’s dedication to the Ypsi community. He hopes to work with the city's Downtown Development Authority, business owners, and community members to help revitalize Ypsi’s downtown.

"I want Ypsi to be a place where people come to spend four hours exploring," Cinti says. "The more diversified you can make a downtown space in terms of commercial offerings, the more consistent the foot traffic will be in the entire downtown space."

Cinti says he hopes to "provide a better climate for more businesses that capture the spirit of Ypsi."

"I’m extremely optimistic about this city, and I hope we can all work for a way to move forward in a way that will benefit everyone," he says.

Rylee Barnsdale is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. She wants to use her journalistic experience from her time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

Photo by Patrick Dunn.