Show your Love: Eat, Drink and Shop in Downtown Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor’s diverse group of independent restaurants, retail shops, musicians, artists, and professional services make up the downtown community you know and love. COVID-19 has changed how we live, and we have to make an effort to ensure it doesn’t hurt the places we cherish. Help us preserve the personality and spirit of Ann Arbor by showing your love to the community. Please shop, eat, and drink downtown Ann Arbor.
“Everyone has a favorite Downtown Ann Arbor memory, whether it’s St. Patrick’s Day at Conor O’Neill’s or Ashley’s, or walking around Kerrytown Shops and stopping at Zingerman’s for lunch,” said State St. Director Frances Todoro. “We want to keep the nostalgic charm of Ann Arbor thriving. What is your favorite memory or downtown tradition?”
Why does buying local matter? The money you spend at community-based merchants not only keeps the businesses and people you love downtown, it also impacts the larger local economy in a multitude of ways. With each dollar spent at a local independent merchant, more than three times as much wealth is generated in the local economy compared to a dollar spent at chain-owned businesses.1 Specifically, it positively impacts the number of jobs in the community, supports increased wages and benefits, helps to reduce poverty and decreases inequality, increases social capital and civic well-being, and strengthens the middle class with greater economic returns.2 By changing just 10% of your shopping habits you can have an extremely positive impact on our local economy.3
How do you change your habits to help support downtown? Visit ShowYourLoveA2.org for a list of downtown businesses, ideas of how to support them, and upcoming downtown events.
Buy local to have a direct positive impact on your community, neighbors, and local businesses.
ShowYourLoveA2 Photo Contest
Follow us on Instagram @ShowYourLoveA2, post a photo of what you love downtown, and tag #ShowYourLoveA2. Each week through the end of December we will choose our favorite photo and the winner will receive a $50 gift card from a downtown business of your choice!
