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- Downtown Home & Garden will permanently close on Dec. 24 after more than a century in Ann Arbor.
- Owner Kelly Vore cited unsustainable rent increases, declining consumer spending, and lingering effects of COVID-19 as key reasons for the closure.
Downtown Home & Garden, a century-old staple in Ann Arbor’s retail landscape, will close its doors for good on Dec. 24, citing unsustainable financial pressures, including rising rent, declining consumer spending and lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Owner Kelly Vore announced the closure in a Facebook post on Aug. 1, reflecting on the store’s recent struggles.
“It was a turbulent ride through COVID and its economic ups and downs,” Vore wrote. “We are currently at pre-pandemic volume with post-pandemic expenses. That makes a tight formula even tighter.”
“The past two years have been unreliable as far as establishing any kind of baseline. Historically dependable metrics and profitability have been elusive,” she continued. “The chilly spring of 2025 and a deeper pullback on consumer spending did not advance our cause.”
Vore, who purchased the business on 210 S. Ashley St. a decade ago after previously working there, said she opted into a lease renewal for 2025–29 but was only granted one year, contingent on improved financial performance. The lease includes a 26% rent increase this year and a 12% hike in 2026.
“Even with the progress we have made reducing expenses and downsizing, the push to market-align with Ann Arbor’s soaring rental rates, is not sustainable,” she added.
In 2024, the store downsized by vacating its adjacent space at 208 S. Ashley St., which it had expanded into five years earlier.
Founded in 1906, Downtown Home & Garden began as a livery stable and feed mill. It later evolved into a downtown emporium offering garden supplies, seasonal plants, housewares, outdoor clothing, pet gear, kitchenware and more, according to its website.
Vore said the store will remain open through the end of the year with progressive markdowns.
“We are committed to giving you the very best experience, now through Christmas,” Vore wrote. “It has been our sincere pleasure to be your trusted resource, to meet your out-of-town guests, to offer a place you can proudly sho(p) as a one-of-a-kind shop, who knows your name — or we at least for sure know your dog’s name.”
Further updates will be posted to the store’s Facebook page.
