Plymouth

224. Espresso Elevado – December 27, 2016 – Plymouth, MI

espressoelevado1espressoelevado2Coffee shops are some of my favorite places to hang out – especially independent ones. The well-known corporate chain shops just don’t exude the same character that the small, locally-owned ones do (while I do admittedly have a fondness for Tim Hortons –  their peppermint tea is stellar! – the ambiance is, well . . . that of an interior of a Tim Hortons). My friend who recently met me in downtown Plymouth loves coffee shops, as well, so we thought enjoying a hot beverage at Espresso Elevado before hitting the road would be a fitting way to cap off our visit.

The interior of this coffee shop is tiny; there are only a few tables to sit at, plus a pair of plush armchairs. But it’s cute and cozy and makes a mean cappuccino.

Espresso Elevado offers a variety of specialty coffee drinks and yummy-looking baked goods (including gluten-free ones). In studying its website, the emphasis on coffee brewing as a craft is apparent, as is the value given to fostering a workplace where all are recognized for their respective roles and talents (there are profiles on everyone from the founder to the creative director to the baristas). I like that about it. The place may be small, but it’s got big heart!

606 S. Main St.

Plymouth, MI 48170

www.espressoelevado.com

223. Bohemian Home – December 27, 2016 – Plymouth, MI

bohemianhome1bohemianhome2bohemianhome3Bohemian Home is yet another cute shop that I visited while in downtown Plymouth last December. Its wares included: a number of Michigan-themed items, artisan candles, and the fun coin purses shown above.

Seriously, Plymouth, you are on point! If you haven’t visited its downtown, you need to. Its plethora of arty shops and restaurants and Gilmore Girls-eque town square will charm you.

427 Forest Ave.

Plymouth, MI 48170

www.bohoplymouth.com

222. Sideways – December 27, 2016 – Plymouth, MI

sideways1sideways2sideways3sideways4-2Sideways is one of the shops that sticks out for me on my recent visit to downtown Plymouth, because it touts such unique items. I would characterize it as half home goods, half quirky-awesome gift items. There are elegant flatware, glassware, and fancy packaged foods inside the expansive storefront, but there are also coffee mugs and canvas bags with silly sayings on them (see above). There is Poo~Pourri! and goofy notepads. There are fancy coffees and teas and candles and loads of other stuff you’ll get lost in looking at.

505 Forest Ave.

Plymouth, MI 48170

www.sidewaysgifts.com

221. Birch Wood – December 27, 2016 – Plymouth, MI

birchwood1Guys, I’m so behind on this blog! I’ve been posting more regularly on my food blog, A Cookable Feast, which is happy, but it’s taken away from my blogging time here. So it’s time to go hard, for real-for real! I want to catch up and tell you about some of the things I’ve been doing in January – and Year 3 of the blog closes on February 7, a mere two weeks from today! So expect me to be on here more in the next few weeks. I haven’t been exploring nearly enough places this month, and I am happy to have the motivation to get out there more – especially since we’ve been so fortunate to have warmer weather (for January) here in the D.

Birch Wood is another one of the cute shops I visited in downtown Plymouth at the end of December. It offers stylish women’s clothing – and it also touts itself as a home décor and furniture shop on its website. I don’t recall seeing home décor and furniture in the shop on my visit there – but honestly, it’s been a while, and it was probably so artfully woven in among the clothing displays that I didn’t notice it. I do remember a variety of essential oils and a diffuser being on display – that could count as home goods, right?

525 Forest Ave.

Plymouth, MI 48170

 

 

219. Earth Lore – December 27, 2016 – Plymouth MI

earthlore3-2earthlore1earthlore2-2Another store I visited during my recent visit to downtown Plymouth was Earth Lore, a spiritual/new-age store similar to recently highlighted Crystal Treasures in Pontiac, but bigger.

I couldn’t pass up the temptation to add more tumbled stones to my collection. Regardless of whether those crystals really have magic in them, they are beautiful! They bring out a child-like admiration in me that I’m all about honoring. (I find that unless I’m intentional about cultivating wonder, the daily grind of adulting won’t ignite sparks of it in me nearly enough – hence, this blog and the deliberate explorations!)

Besides selling pretty polished stones, Earth Lore offers all of the things you would expect a new-age bookstore to sell: metaphysical books, candles, essential oils, herbs, incense. Go in there for the smell of the incense alone. You know when you go into a store selling incense and the aroma of patchouli clings to you for a few minutes after leaving? I love that!

895 Wing St.

Plymouth, MI 48170

www.earthlore.com

218. Opendohr – December 27, 2016 – Plymouth, MI

20161227_14130920161227_141225Hi guys! Happy Tuesday! I’ve been lax about recounting my visit to downtown Plymouth the last week of December, so it’s time to catch up. Here’s another shop I visited: Opendohr. The store offers – as its front door proclaims – a mix of vintage, antique, and new finds. The eclectic items displayed there appear to be carefully chosen and are incredibly fun to take in – check out the gorgeous tower bejeweled with a variety of colorful plastic items shown in the photo above.

470 Forest Ave.

Plymouth, MI 48170

www.opndohr.com

217. Bella Mia – December 27, 2016 – Plymouth, MI

20161227_14094020161227_140852Last week, during the holiday break, I met a friend for lunch and shopping in downtown Plymouth. We had an excellent afternoon. I was reminded of how much I love that city and how worth it the approximately 45-mile jaunt from my neck of the woods is to get out there!

After lunch at the repeat-visit-worthy Compari’s on the Park and a visit to the aptly named TranquiliTea for batches of organic peppermint tea and a papaya-laced black and green tea blend, my friend and I hit a variety of very cute shops. Admittedly, I think I probably visited some of these during my last visit to Plymouth in January 2015, but I wasn’t disciplined enough to snap photos of most of the shops I went in then. So they are getting covered now. I figure hey, if the initial visit was during the lifetime of this blog, then it’s fair game to post on here. These shops have obviously been curated with care; they deserve to be highlighted!

Take Bella Mia, for instance. It’s a purveyor of stylish women’s clothing and accessories. I loved the boho styles it touted and these really cute knit hats with poms-poms they had. I need to come back once I recover from the holiday expenditures and can more seriously shop!

448 Forest Ave.

Plymouth, MI 48170

www.bellamiaonline.com

96. TranquiliTea – January 2, 2015 – Plymouth, MI

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My initial interest in tea was as a way to warm up in the frigid office climes I’ve been subjected to work in (for the love of God, turn the air conditioner down!). But then I discovered rooibos tea and mutan white tea and peppermint tea and loose tea and all of the amazing flavors that are available – and I fell in love.

TranquilitiTea is definitely one of those shops a tea drinker could get overwhelmed in – so many choices available, with over 140 loose-tea blends for sale there, according to its website. They’ve got an online shop, too, but the experience is so much more fun in person (since you can’t sample-sniff .jpegs).

My eventual choices? Cherry Splendor Rooibos and Organic Peppermint.

904 W. Ann Arbor Trail

Plymouth, MI 48170

http://tranquilitea.myshopify.com

95. Compari’s on the Park – January 2, 2015 – Plymouth, MI

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During a jaunt to Plymouth yesterday, a friend and I had lunch at this charming Italian place. I had pizza but would love to come back and try the eggplant parmesan my friend had. It looked amazing.

Please visit Plymouth if you haven’t already! It’s such a lovely little town with many locally-owned establishments, including shops selling crafty wares and a plethora of non-chain restaurants.

350 South Main St., Plymouth, MI 48170

www.comparisdining.com