YPSILANTI, MI - As a student at the University of Michigan more than 10 years ago, Nick Azzaro knew an Ypsilanti far different from the place it is today.

"The only time (U-M students) went to Ypsilanti was to go to Deja Vu - that was all people knew of Ypsi. That and Pub 13," said Azzaro, who in late 2014 opened the Chin Azzaro photo studio with his wife, Yen, in downtown.

After graduation, the couple moved to Chicago, but returned to Michigan to raise a family and launch the studio. They chose to set up in Ypsilanti over Ann Arbor for its proximity to the community programs they partnered with and the affordable rents.

What they jumped into and discovered was a business community much deeper than the few Washington Street bars familiar to Ann Arbor residents, one rapidly growing beyond establishments that always thrived, like Haab's, Puffer Red's, the Tap Room and Sidetrack.

During the last six years, a trickle of new businesses - like Red Rock and Mix - put the city's potential on display and offered evidence that new retail and restaurants could succeed here. In the last 18 months, the city's redevelopment accelerated.

The quantity of new businesses opening or planning to open spiked, long-neglected buildings and key spaces that have sat empty are filled or being filled, and there's clear excitement over the city's comeback. And, importantly, Ypsilanti is now known for more than its long-surviving strip club.

More action downtown

"The current business community is exciting," said Beth Ernat, Ypsilanti's economic development director. "Our staple restaurants and businesses are intact, and they're not being threatened by the newer start ups that are drawing the younger crowds. Our businesses are creating more walkability and more action in downtown than there has been in the past."

The city previously didn't track local economic data, Ernat said, so it's difficult to find numbers to illustrate growth. But she pointed to downtown Ypsilanti's property value, which jumped from $13.2 million in 2010 to $21.4 million in 2015. The city is also seeing an average of nearly two new businesses open monthly since the start of 2015, and many more are in some stage of planning or redevelopment.

That's the result of a number of forces at play, like increased rent in Ann Arbor pushing out mom and pops, and a general renewed interest in urban cores. Dave Heikkinen, who runs the Downtown Association of Ypsilanti and Heikk's Decorated Apparel on Michigan Avenue, said many of downtown Ypsi's shops are "destination businesses" that customers will drive a distance to visit. But, once here, they stay for the eclectic mix of shops and eateries.

"People are getting more comfortable coming down here. Having driven through Saline and other places in Washtenaw County, I'd say Ypsilanti has the second-best shopping district besides Ann Arbor because it's so unique, has no chains, it's so different, and that's what's so much fun about it," Heikkinen said.

Aside from offering its own flavor, Ypsilanti is affordable, Heikkinen added, and it sits in a good geographic position. It also has plenty of parking, benefits from the energy in its historic neighborhoods and increasingly appeals to Eastern Michigan University's students.

"All of this comes together and people are sensing that," he said.

Ernat also pointed to Ypsilanti's accessibility from nearby freeways, accessibility from public transportation and the city's willingness to work with small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The community is also highly supportive of one another, Heikkinen and Azzaro said, and those who open and succeed here see and value such qualities.

"Business owners and people consciously go to Ypsilanti for a reason," Azzaro said. "People who are successful here want to be here - it isn't just 'I've got an idea and some change in my pocket, so I'll go here because it's cheap.'"

Below are some of the new businesses, projects, renovations and redevelopments that have helped reshape Ypsilanti over the last 18 months.

* Yemeni-born Mohammed Fayad is opening Sizzles Burgers and Subs, a new burger and sandwich restaurant with dishes inspired by flavors from around the world, at 10 N. Washington. The building's previous owner Jim Pate - who owned several neglected downtown Ypsilanti buildings - had left the space empty for around 30 years.

* A new "high end" tattoo and clothing boutique is operating out of a 1,300-square-foot storefront that used to house the Ypsilanti Courier. Vivid Inks' owners describe their shop's aesthetic as more refined and modern than what's standard for a tat shop.

* David Roberts and his partner/head brewer Ted Badgerow worked throughout most of 2015 to renovate the 5,400-square-foot Ypsi Alehouse space in downtown Ypsilanti's Centennial Building. It opened during the holidays.

* Encuentro Latino Restaurant, the city's first establishment serving Guatemalan fare, is now open in the former Wolverine Grill at 228 W. Michigan Ave. It starting serving late last year after the Wolverine abruptly closed.

* A bar/restaurant and professional creative workspace called Landline Creative Labs is planned by blogger Mark Maynard and Wurst Bar co-owner Jesse Kraynak. The pair is renovating a mostly vacant downtown building that burned in a September 2014 fire. The 6,500-square-foot space sits across from Ypsilanti Transit Center.

* Lampshade Cafe isn't only a cafe or coffee shop. It's much, much more. Ricky Herbert opened the 1,700-square-foot space, at 206 W. Michigan Ave. in late 2015. The storefront last functioned as the Green Room, a music venue for indie bands, in the late 1990s.

* Wagon Trail Home Decor, an Amish furniture store, opened late last year at 108 Pearl St. The 1,200-square-foot shop specializes in high-quality heirloom Amish dining room and office furniture.



* Cultivate Coffee redeveloped the former Ted's Auto Electric at 307 N. River St. It offers local coffee, local beer and food.

* A new vape shop, the Independent Vapor Company, is seeking to end stereotypes about vape stores. It recently opened in a 1,200-square-foot space at the corner of Michigan Avenue and South Huron Street.

* Craft ice cream parlor Go! Ice Cream is inching closer to its grand opening in downtown.

* Recycled Cycles took over an empty storefront at 36 N. Huron St. The company takes used bikes that are then fully refurbished, cleaned and outfitted with new parts before being resold for significantly less than a new bicycle of the same caliber.

* In February, a2Vintage, which had already established an online presence, chose 109 W. Michigan Ave. in downtown Ypsilanti for a brick and mortar location. Owners Anne and Kelly Callison upcycle, repurpose and combine old items, transforming them into new and original pieces.

* Attracted by Ypsilanti's new energy, former Ypsi residents - and husband and wife - Jim Spencer and Nan Plummer opened a new gallery, loft and sound studio called 22 North at 22 and 24 N. Huron St. Spencer is an Emmy-winning sound engineer, while Plummer runs the visual gallery.

* Free produce is now offered by The Hope Clinic in a previously abandoned party store the agency converted into a produce stand.

* Hyperion Coffee, a coffee roasting company run by former Ugly Mug managers Eric Mullins and Dan Kubera, opened in 2015 in Depot Town at 306 N. River St.



* The recently opened Ypsi Alloy Studios offers 2,400 square feet of shared studio space that's geared toward three-dimensional artists like sculptors, metalsmiths and furniture makers. The studios are housed in a warehouse at 564 S. Mansfield St.

* The Azzaros opened a design and photography firm/art gallery at 9 S. Washington St., and the pair are now focusing much of their energy in working with Ypsilanti Community Schools.

* Elan Ruggill and Sarah Okin redeveloped the former building that housed A Green Financial Group at 10 N. Washington St. The building is a new concept in downtown Ypsilanti that toward budding businesses and entrepreneurs in small spots. It houses seven tenants.

* A shared office and coworking space called The Back Office Studio is planned for the former Pub 13 at 13 N. Washington St. Wayne Millette, who founded the New Beginnings Academy in Ypsilanti, is one of the three partners who purchased the 9,000-square-foot, bi-level building for $200,000 in January 2015. The $1.4 million project is expected to be complete this year.

* Milan resident Beth Kwiatkowski is converting a vacant party store at 908 N. Congress St., into Little Bird Cafe, a neighborhood cafe with a full coffee menu, sandwiches and soups.

* Beezy's owner Bee Roll is nearing completion of a major expansion into a 3,200-square-foot section of the former Club Divine across from her current Washington Street location. She previously said it will address Beezy's space crunch and allow her to take the company in new directions, but since then she has said little publicly about the plans.

Aside from new businesses, the city is making improvements in its parks. In November, it installed a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Huron River just south of Michigan Avenue that's a final link of the Border to Border Trail in Ypsilanti's park system. Also in Riverside Park, a group of residents and parents is planning a 4,600-square-foot playscape. The Ypsilanti Running Company rehabbed Frog Island's historic track, and there's also discussion of an ice skating rink there.

However, the future of several other renovations remain in question. The new owners of the Smith Furniture Building made improvements to the once leaky and moldy building, but the project appears idle. It's widely believed that the Ann Arbor-based buyers of the Farm Bureau - or Frog Island Beer - building will have to demolish the structure, though they told city officials they plan to redevelop it. The former Elbow Room is still under renovation, but it's owner recently told The Ann Arbor News he plans to open in 2016.

But in Depot Town, there's renewed hope for two stalled projects. An Ann Arbor-based developer is planning to purchase the Thompson Block, and the city is moving forward with a new train stop.