Photo by Erin Sanchez Pat Bosch of the Nortown Community Development Corp. passes out V-8 Collaborative 2009 business directories at the meeting. The directories include information about local businesses.

By Maria Allard
C & G Staff Writer

DETROIT/CENTER LINE/ WARREN — In an effort to establish a solid business community along Van Dyke Avenue, several business owners and city officials have joined forces to form the Van Dyke-8 Mile Gateway Collaborative.

They gathered with potential members at the Center Line Recreation Center Jan. 21 to talk about the association’s mission, which is to create a more attractive shopping district similar to that of downtown Ferndale or portions of Harper Avenue in St. Clair Shores.

Center Line Mayor Mary Ann Zielinski, Center Line City Manager Nancy Bourgeios, Warren Parks and Recreation Director Henry Bowman, and a representative from Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr.’s office were in attendance, as well as several local business people and community agency officials.

The V-8 Collaborative stretches from McNichols (Six Mile Road) in Detroit north to 10 Mile Road in Center Line and from Mound to Hoover in Warren. Those already in the program are encouraging other business owners to join. The collaborative received a $25,000 state grant to establish the business association.

“Part of our goal is to attract new businesses and more families to the area,” said Maria Zardis, Macomb County Planning & Economic Development special projects coordinator. “What can businesses do to make Van Dyke more attractive?”

Collaborative members will hold regular meetings to discuss curb appeal, marketing and networking, and to make suggestions on how to update or create a business plan. Sharing business strategies also will be a priority. 

“The business community is a vital part of city growth, economic growth and tax base,” Zielinski said. “The small voices will join together to become a large, loud voice to make their needs known to achieve their business goals.”

The collaborative is forming at a time when local establishments are feeling the impact of the state’s economic downturn.

“All retail businesses are hurting as a direct result of what is happening in the automotive industry,” Zielinski said. “To achieve successful results, everyone should be an active participant.”

Additional grant money from the Local Initiative Support Corp. will be used to retain the part-time services of Gary Gray, Façade Improvement Program coordinator; Jan Wiley, Business To Business coordinator; and Melanie Davis, communications for the V-8 Collaborative.

“We have money; we have the support of local municipalities; and we have media support,” Zardis said. “I think we can establish a solid business community.”

Several ideas surfaced during last week’s meeting. When speaking about curb appeal, Walter Hage of Nono’s Pizza in Warren said after renovations on his building’s façade, customer base increased by 40 percent.

“A good amount of them thought it was brand-new,” he said.

Center Line City Council member Ronald Lapham said he recently received a letter in the mail from Stosh’s Pizza in Center Line saying he hadn’t ordered a pizza in a while. He said the letter reminded him the business was still there and that he learned about new items on the menu. That might be a good marketing tool for other businesses, he said.

Horace Thompson, owner of Thompson Real Estate and Tax Service, located on Van Dyke between Six Mile and Seven Mile roads, became a member of the collaborative.

“Not too many people down there are members,” he said. “That’s been my concern.”

His company employs four salespeople and five tax preparers.

“It’s been real down because of the housing market,” he said. “We can’t compete with the banks. A house (that’s) $65,000 to $75,000 banks are selling for $12,000.”

Thompson said the tax service is what is keeping his business going.

The V-8’s inaugural meeting will be held from 8-10 a.m. Feb. 18 at Michigan Maintenance, 22740 Van Dyke Ave., on the east side, two blocks south of Nine Mile. Reserve your spot with Jan Wiley by calling (313) 258-7782 or via e-mail at jan.wiley@yahoo.com.

For more information on the V-8 Collaborative, log on to www.v8gateway.org.