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Historic Old Village breathes new life into Plymouth
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The Old Village area of Plymouth is thriving and attracting new retail business in spite of the economy, thanks to the history, atmosphere and shared philosophy of merchants.It may not quite fulfill the 1870 dream of George Starkweather, but the area called Old Village in Plymouth has become a thriving business community.
The property called Old Village was owned by Starkweather, who also claimed the distinction of being the first white male born in Plymouth Township. According to Liz Kerstens of the Plymouth Historical Museum, he predicted the new railroad would come through his vast property and put in Liberty Street where a few early businesses then located to await the arrival of the trains and the crowds they would bring.
That didn’t happen as predicted, however, so downtown Plymouth is located in, well, downtown Plymouth.
Dawn Orzech, the owner of Design Everything, who opened her shop in January was attracted to the area because of the history and tradition. Many other business owners, like Dawn McAllister at Designer’s Choice, have been in Old Village for decades and love the area.
“This is a quaint area. We’re sort of a throwback, I guess,” McAllister said. “This is a real service oriented community. I think most of the businesses down here share the old-time philosophy-we like to get to know our customers and service comes first.
“I think that’s really the secret down here,” McAllister, who has been in Old Village at her full-service design shop for 21 years, said.
“I think its wonderful for business. I live close to here, my husband grew up here, and we attract a lot of people,” Orzech added.
There is a camaraderie among the Old Village merchants who are banding together for an April 17 yard sale and other events scheduled for the fall.
“There is a real resurgence of retail down here,” noted Rob Costanza, whose family has owned the Station 885 restaurant for 25 years. “It’s a tight knit community and a lot of excitement down here about all the new, quaint little shops. We’re really glad to be a part of it.
“The Old Village Merchant’s Association has been planning new events to attract crowds, and has been more active,” Costanza added.
A former train station now houses an advertising agency and one of the Sears Roebuck Kit Homes from the early 20th century has been completely remodeled and renovated into the law offices of Mizerowski and Smith.
“All the new business seems to go a bit against the current economy,” Costanza said, “but this is a different atmosphere. There’s a reason they call it Old Village.”
The new business is welcomed by McAllister, too.
“These new businesses are good for all of us-and for people coming down here to shop,” she said. “We hope lots more people discover us.”
