When
Money magazine set out in 2007 to find the "smaller" U.S. cities that best combine economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a strong sense of community, only three Michigan towns caught its eye. Included in this trio was Farmington, a town with 10,300 people and an average home worth $200,000, which
Money this month named the 55th best place to live in America due to the "large number of initiatives and events focused on bringing the town together."
The national attention Farmington has garnered from the listing is a boon to the city's Downtown Development Authority, which in recent years has brought a number of draws to a commercial center that principally occupies just a few blocks of Grand River Avenue and Farmington Road.
In October 2005, for example, the DDA opened the Farmington Farmers and Artisans Market, which brings seasonal produce, flowers, baked goods, and crafts from selected artisans to throngs of shoppers on Saturdays. That same month, the town inaugurated the Walter E. Sundquist Farmington Pavilion, a covered open-air venue that sits adjacent to the city's new Riley Park. The pavilion, which had been conceptualized nearly a decade before, is now home to the farmers market and the site of free Friday night concerts in the summer.
The pavilion and market lengthened a roster of civic attractions that included the annual Farmington Area Founders Festival, which was established to celebrate Farmington's recognition as the state's first Quaker settlement (Arthur Power of Farmington, NY, felled the first tree in 1824). Each year in mid-July, the three-day event draws thousands of families to town for a parade, musical acts, craft vendors, children's activities, and food — particularly Ox Roast sandwiches at the Founders Café. The town also boasts the Governor Warner Mansion and Museum, which sits on three acres surrounded by gardens. Housed in the Victorian Italianate mansion built in 1867 by?P. Dean Warner (father of Michigan Gov. Fred Warner), the collection contains period furnishings and artifacts as well as Warner family memorabilia.
Last but not least, the landmark
Civic Theater, with its imposing marquee and red-and-white façade, does a healthy business showing second-run films for a mere $3.50 ($2.50 for kids). The theater, which was opened in 1940 and purchased by the
City of Farmington in 1999, is one of the few old-fashioned movie theaters still operating in Southeast Michigan.
Slow down
It would be misleading to suggest that the bustle in Farmington during special events is characteristic of the town. On an average weekday, the streets are generally quiet.
Business owners say that could be improved if Farmington better controls traffic on Grand River Avenue to make the city even more walkable. The section of the road that cuts through the city's shops and restaurants is wide with few traffic lights, presenting little organic speed barriers.
Annette Knowles, executive director of the DDA, says the organization has been working with the Michigan Department of Transportation on a streetscape project. While a plan has been developed for Grand River that would better orient pedestrians on the sidewalk and impose on-street parking and fewer, narrower traffic lanes, MDOT has yet to approve it, she says.
The DDA has completed a retail market analysis to identify businesses likely to succeed downtown, she says, and is currently conducting a long-term parking assessment and evaluating the area's "walkability" with the help of a national expert. Knowles says these studies will be used to support a 20-year master plan addressing land use, parking, and circulation.
Ripe for a Renaissance
In the meantime, there are some interesting shops and restaurants to lure residents and visitors.
Jeff Pavlik and his wife, Becky Burns have run the
Farmington Bakery on Grand River for nearly a decade. The couple caters to the morning rush of locals wanting coffee and a scone but also to a distinct group of devotees throughout Southeast Michigan who come for the bakery's famous Limpa (a Swedish rye bread made the same way since the 1950s) and Iranian flat bread.
"Farmington is a town that's been on the verge of a sort of Renaissance since we got here, and we're still kind of waiting," says Pavlik, who raves about the town's residents. "It's a slow-moving place; people have expectations of what they're going to get here."
Chef Jeff Condit opened Gala, an elegant, upscale restaurant featuring new American cuisine, in a rehabbed 100-year-old building on Grand River two years ago because he considers Farmington "the definition of potential."
One shopping highlight is
Bead Bohemia, a boutique that carries beads and findings for jewelry makers of all levels. Owner Leslie Oglesby, who recently moved into her third downtown location, caters to niche markets by offering a unique line of brass findings from Vintaj Natural Brass Co, porcelain leaf- and flower-shaped pendants from Redford, MI-based Marla's Mud, and brightly colored vintage and vintage-reproduction glass beads from Germany.
Down the street from Oglesby's shop is
Eclectic Elegance, which Nancy Coucke and Dana Dunlop opened two years ago and which specializes in pre- and custom-made gift baskets. A Realtor in need of a closing gift can find biscotti, chocolates and coffee arranged on a Monopoly game platter and swaddled in cellophane for his client, while a bridal shower invitee can offer her expectant friend note cards, a stuffed giraffe and a kit to ink and frame her baby's tiny hands and feet. The store also sells chic Retro Rags tee-shirts that pay homage to (mostly defunct) bars, including Detroit watering holes Betty's Cocktail Lounge, Grande Ballroom, and Lefty's Tavern.
Among the most sophisticated stores in Farmington is
Tre Sorelle, which was opened not long ago by three Argentinean sisters and their mother. The store deals primarily in handmade home décor items, apparel and accessories purchased directly from craftsmen in Argentina and Thailand. More novel items include eight-foot-wide patchwork cowhide rugs; brightly colored bags woven from water hyacinth plant; carved mango wood bowls resembling tiger's eye, and slender yoga bags woven from richly colored wool and trimmed with leather.
Stores like these help Farmington meet its goal to retain, as DDA's Knowles puts it, "the look and feel of a traditional downtown as opposed to something suburban."
The "feel" part is largely there. On a recent weeknight, Pavlik was in his bakery after hours when a towheaded toddler outside approached the door, pressing her nose against the glass to see the baker. Pavlik smiled at the girl and waved to her mother. "I just made her birthday cake," he said.
It was a simple exchange, but it spoke to what
Money sought and Farmington ultimately provides: a close-knit community that is just pleasant. That quality is arguably the biggest draw a town can have, and one that can't be figured into a master plan.