Hey friends, Jer here.
When some of my family moved to Oak Park from Ferndale a little over a decade ago, I had a feeling things were about to shift in the formerly dry (no alcohol allowed to be served) suburb outside of Detroit.
Oak Park — a city of about 29,000 people across five square miles in southern Oakland County — has been racking up a series of new openings and investments.
Stuff with a real neighborhood feel, and making connecting the community a priority with things like double protected bike lanes on Nine Mile.
As nearby communities have become more expensive or ran out of space, Oak Park has been a place where people have landed.
One of the latest to open is Hansen's Hall. Situated in nearly 75 year old former auto service center, the 2,800 square foot spot focused on beer and cocktails has already attracted early crowds.
In 2015, the city voted to allow alcohol and it's been at the root of a retail and restaurant upswing.
"We were welcomed by the city government and by the neighbors," said co-owner Shawn Kelly when I talked to him. "They didn't want to slap a Walmart down on the corner and say, 'deal with it, neighbors.' They wanted to make sure that it's people with like-minded goals and aspirations of community and wanting to do stuff together."
Their liquor license is one of possibly more than 20 newly issued in Oak Park, lowering costs. In Ferndale, Kelly says, a liquor license costs north of $60,000; where in Oak Park, it's a fraction of that, making it easier to start up.
One thing that the city of Oak Park also did to help is rewrite outdated rules around parking minimums. That's something that many people wish would happen in bigger cities.
Under the old rules, a building would have had to be bulldozed to make room for the previously required 36 parking spots.
Instead, Hansen's Hall can have its 60 seats and event space full (total capacity of 100), but there often are just a few cars in the parking lot, says Kelly, because so many neighbors walk or bike there. "By design, we wanted it to be a neighborhood spot."
Hansen's doesn't serve food. Logistically, it keeps things simple — but it is also in part due to places like Pie-Sci being right across the street.
The unique pizza joint started in Detroit's Woodbridge neighborhood, but expanding to Oak Park was a natural fit for their creative menu with pies like the "Fig Lebowsky," "Detroit Brussels Harder," "We So Corny," and "Take Bahn Mi."
In fact, the owner of Pie-Sci was key in recruiting Shawn Kelly and his co-owner Janelle Anderson to the space.
I'm told it's been a strong opening after starting their journey rehabbing the space in the beginning of 2023.
Shawn told me that he "wants Hansen's Hall to be an extension of your living room," and if that was the goal — I think they did well.
Here's a look at the drink menu from when I visited.
You can find Hansen's Hall online here and at 8150 West Nine Mile in Oak Park, Michigan. Open every day at 4pm.
Let's celebrate 1500+ episodes of the podcats together!
It's crazy to think that our show, often one of the top 100 daily news podcasts in America, has been able to not only keep going, but keep evolving.
So join us for Happy Hour at The Congregation in Detroit on October 17th — 4pm until at least 7pm. We'll have some fun, enjoy your choice of drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic, no pressure), and catch up.
You can sign up for the event here. It's free, but I ask for an RSVP to help with planning. Look forward to seeing you!
If you didn't know we had a podcast, you can follow it free on Apple Podcasts or tune in on Spotify.
Remember that you are somebody,
-Jer
p.s. - If you'd like to support the newsletter or show, consider joining us as a member on Patreon.
