Rochester : Development News

The truism that road construction is a business killer may not be so true for downtown Rochester. Several businesses have recently opened or are about to despite a major rebuild of Main Street through the heart of downtown.

"It's like nothing we've ever seen. We are busier this year than all of last year," says Kristi Trevarrow, executive director of the Rochester Downtown Development Authority.

The project is expected to be finished July 20, Trevarrow says. The closure of Main Street started in early April and involves completely rebuilding the road, including unearthing the original brick road, and adding new amenities, decorative details, and energy efficient features. The decorative details such as planters won't be in until September, she says.

Some of the businesses coming to town:

The Meeting House, a restaurant owned by two guys with impressive restaurant backgrounds. Owners Jason Moon and Chris Johnson bought the whole building at 301 S. Main St. and will use the outdoor patio and first floor for dining and the upstairs for private events, Trevarrow says.

Carrie Lee's is expanding from its popular Lake Orion location to 227 Main St., former home of Fuse Lounge & Bar.

Mama Mia's will serve a Tuscan menu on the site of Fortesa, 543 Main St., which closed last year. It was approved for a liquor license this week, Trevarrow says.

Dublin Fish & Chips moved in about a month ago, she says, after deciding a downtown location was better than a shopping strip in Macomb Township.

The trend of self-serve yogurt with a buffet of toppings comes to Sweet Island Yogurt, which is at 404 Main and undergoing renovations.

Also recently opened, and getting lots of traffic (the good kind), is Moon River Soap Co., which purchased a building at 339 East St. to replace its location in New Baltimore.

"It's been absolutely wonderful," Trevarrow says, "even with the construction."

Source: Kristi Trevarrow, executive director, Rochester Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine

Downtown Rochester's big dig of 2012 is turning up some finds that may dull the pain of the Main Street rebuild that has disrupted business.

Two discoveries that were unearthed when the street was ripped up are already bringing more people into downtown and could result in new points of interest for visitors to downtown.

One major find was the original brick road that ran through town, some 600,000 bricks, from two brick-makers. One was a stamped brick called Hocking Block, the other comes from a company Speedway because it built the International Speedway in Indianapolis,

The masonry motherlode were put up for sale at a special event that pulled hundreds of visitors into downtown last week. They also came to buy lamp posts, parking meters and other items that are being replaced during the road rebuild and streetscape makeover.

About 15,000 of the bricks will go back into the streetscape, into planters and other parts, Kristi Trevarrow, executive director of Rochester Downtown Development Authority.

More are available to the public, and thousands have already been sold.

"People can get a couple or thousands," she says. "People want to build fireplaces with them, do driveways with them. It's great.

Another "very exciting, very cool thing" was a collection of papers shoved into an underground coal bin. They turned out to be operation and instruction sheets from a Kroger that few knew was once located downtown, Trevarrow says. The selling tip sheets and other explainers from 1931-1933 store "are hysterical," she says. Pictures can be seen on the Downtown Rochester's Facebook page.

Kroger officials were so excited about the find, she says, they donated $2,500 to help Rochester's Historical Commission preserve and display the papers.

"This is the most exciting thing so far…This is the one that stood out as a piece of Rochester," Trevarrow says. This is a very stressful project for everyone. Our biggest thing for us was we wanted people to have access to our history."

Source: Kristi Trevarrow, executive director, Rochester Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine

Rochester Musician's Academy in downtown Rochester is expanding to keep up with local desire to strum guitar, beat a drum, play a piano, sing a song.

Some in the music education industry say TV shows like Glee, American Idol and the numerous, melodious Disney creations, are spurring the interest.

Rochester Musician's Academy, formerly J.C.'s Drum Store, moved to its 119 S. Main Street address about five years ago, and since then has added staff and students, up four instructors from one and adding more classes, lesson space and a studio. The remodel is expected to be completed in May.

The Academy calls itself the fastest growing music school in Oakland County and credits the growth to the fun classes it offers: Rock Band, Pee Wee Percussion, Steel Band Camp among them.

"We strive to be the most complete musical education in the greater Detroit area,"  onwer Joe Chila says on his website. "Our students come from as far away as Grosse Pointe on the east and Southfield on the west."

Source: Rochester Musician's Academy
Writer: Kim North Shine

The last of the tanks, equipment and supplies that will be used to make barrels and barrels of beer by Rochester Mills Beer Co. at its new production facility in Auburn Hills are moving in this week.

The final move-in and finishing construction chores may even be happening as dignitaries and media come to RBMC's new production facility this Friday to see how the brewpub is preparing to sell its suds in bars, restaurants and stores. Rochester Mills Beer Co's. is planning to make the jump from microbrew to mass produced, putting its beers on menus and shelves that are increasingly being taken over by craft brews.

Initially, the new brewhouse will produce kegs to be served on draft, followed by canned beers. The kegging and canning, distributing and selling will create six to ten full-time jobs, including office staff, a controller, an accountant, marketing and sales people, says David Youngman, spokesman for Rochester Mills Beer Co.

"Our roll out plans include adding additional fermentation tanks every couple of months," Youngman says. "As we do that we'll staff up. Our initial capacity with the equipment on hand is 6,000 to 12,000 barrels of beer this year. The site itself, once filled with tanks, could hit 100,000 barrels a year. At that point we'll have 30-40 employees."

Rochester Mills Beer Co. was opened nearly 14 years ago by Mike Plesz in downtown Rochester. He started it - and its successful restaurant - after a three year run at the Royal Oak Brewery, believed to be Michigan's first brewpub in 1995.

RBMC's Cornerstone IPA, Rochester Red Ale and Milkshake Stout as well as seasonal selections made by award-winning beer masters have drawn a loyal following and folded into Plesz's "vision from the beginning to distribute craft beer statewide and beyond," Youngman says.

"This production facility was really 20 years in the making," Youngman says.

Youngman says Rochester Mills Beer Co. canned beer will be part of a growing number of beers that will be canned instead of bottled.

"We selected to go with cans because it was best for the packaged product. Two things that affect beer are light and oxygen…Think of the can as as a little keg. It's the best delivery system for craft beer. You'll see more and more high quality craft product in cans."

The new facility, at 3275 Lapeer West Road near I-75, is within view of the Palace of Auburn Hills and five miles door to door to the brewpub. The new production house is going into a renovated facility that's been home to a rockscape business, an automotive seat manufacturer and a leather bound book maker.

Inside is a "state of the art brewhouse," Youngman says.

A grand opening for the public is set for May 12 from 1-5 p.m. and will include tours and tastings.

Source: David Youngman, spokesman, Rochester Mills Beer Co.
Writer: Kim North Shine

Holy Cannoli!

It would have been an appropriate expression, something said under pressure as the bakers at the newly opened Holy Cannoli's in downtown Rochester worked to keep up the demand for thousands of the little Italian pastries that were selling like hot cakes in the days leading up to Easter.

It was the debut holiday for Holy Cannoli's, a bambino of a family business that made the leap from farmers markets, festivals and private events to full-flown store at 415 S. Main St.

Holy Cannoli's "soft opening" over the Easter week - really a trial by fire - was preparation for the official grand opening still to be set. The family - wives, husbands, children, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends - were so busy making thousands of cannolis, which come in a variety of flavors, there was never time to have the new equipment delivered.

They improvised, turning out their orders without the new oven and other equipment.

Franey owns and runs the store with her sister, Christina Granger, mom, Cathy Schulte and grandmother Sharon Beheler, who also owns an antique store in Washington Township, about four miles outside downtown Rochester.

Franey left her full-time job last week to devote herself full-time to the business and its handmade, traditional cannolis made from a recipe that goes back five generations in the Pino family, which has bonded for decades while sitting around table, each person having their part in the making of the cream-filled, deep-friend sweet.

It was pretty much that scene in a downtown Rochester retail space that played out last week before Easter, Franey says. It's all been a whirlwind for the family that only turned the family tradition in to the beginnings of a business in January 2010.

"You do what you have to do," Franey says, laughing. "It was crazy, but we did it."

Source: Nicole Franey, co-owner, Holy Cannoli's
Writer: Kim North Shine

A major reconstruction project that started this week is shutting down Main Street in downtown Rochester and generating enthusiasm and dread at the same time.

The short-term pain - about three months of a complete closure of Main Street if construction goes as planned - is expected to lead to long-term gains. That is attracting customers and businesses to a smooth road and a downtown with new amenities.

It's a mixed blessing for business owners who will have to wait out the inconvenience to their customers. The business owners are worried the road closure could keep customers away, but city planners are encouraging everyone to put the focus on the potential benefits.

There's the practical: a smooth road; exposed, aggregate sidewalks; a replaced 1890s era water main. And then there are the extras, potential draws for customers and businesses: bike racks; decorative planters fashioned from the bricks excavated during construction; trees and plantings; benches; decorative, energy conserving street lights; and more components that will make up an inviting new streetscape for downtown.

In addition, it is likely that artifacts will be uncovered in the construction process. Those artifacts, possibly gas pumps, streetcar tracks and underground cistern, will be preserved, and there are plans to build an observation window onto the cistern for passersby - if not history-seeking-tourists-to see, Kristi Trevarrow, executive director of the Rochester Downtown Development Authority, says.

The Main Street Makeover, as it's being called by the city's Downtown Development Authority, began April 2 and should be completed in September. The Main Street closure will finish sooner, in July, and during the closure all sidewalks and parking lots, except for the one on Main Street, will be open. Parking on side streets will be free until the work is done.

The entire length of the road reconstruction, which in large part was driven by demands of the Michigan Department of Transportation to improve the worn road with an available federal grant, goes from the Clinton River Bridge to the Paint Creek Bridge. The complete Main Street closure runs from north of Second Street to south of University Drive.

Source: Kristi Trevarrow, executive director Rochester Downtown Development Authority, and Nik Banda, economic development director and assistant city manager, city of Rochester
Writer: Kim North Shine

A grant of $25,000 will go toward bank restoration, public access improvements and environmental awareness projects for the Clinton River in Rochester Hills.

The grant, which was awarded to the city and its grant applicant partner, the Clinton River Watershed Council, was the result of a national online vote hosted by MillerCoors and the River Network. The Clinton River project won by five votes.

The company and non-profit interested in promoting clean water gave away a total of $80,000 to water improvement projects.

The grant will pay to restore damage to the watershed and support more but responsible recreation of the waterway. it will also educate the public about how to protect the watershed, which connects to smaller and larger waterways around the state and beyond.

“We are excited to partner with the city on such a great project, and we appreciate all the hard work and help from our stakeholders in getting the word out to vote,” Michele Arquette-Palermo, the Clinton River Watershed Council's education and stewardship director, says in a statement announcing the grant.

Kim Marotta, director of corporate social responsibility for MillerCoors, says the MillerCoors/River Network grant competition has had more than 50,000 votes from around the world cast since the contest launch four years ago.

"MillerCoors depends on water to brew beer, and by partnering with organizations like River Network we believe we can help improve local watersheds,” Marotta says.

"We are excited to further engage communities on water issues that affect everyone, everywhere," she says.

Todd Ambs, president of the River Network, says: “Healthy rivers are vital to the health and future of our communities. Through this partnership, MillerCoors is supporting the protection and restoration of waterways across the country that will produce long-term benefits for people, fish and wildlife, and future generations. ”

Source: Michele Arquette-Palermo, education and stewardship director, Clinton River Watershed Council
Writer: Kim North Shine

Federal transportation enhancement grants are helping cover improvements to biking and walking paths, and unattractive intersections in the cities of Rochester Hills and Flat Rock.

In Rochester Hills, paths for pedestrians and cyclists and non-motorized vehicles will be added to the intersection of Livernois and Avon roads. The $345,825 project will also pay for aesthetic improvements at the major intersection. The paths and other improvements coincide with installation of bridges for pedestrians and bicycles at the same area and over the Clinton River.

The bridge project by the Road Commission for Oakland County  prompted the city to direct its grant from the Federal Transportation Enhancement fund - $207,495 of the project price - to direct the dollars to the same intersection "and further enhance safety and connectivity," according to an announcement from the Michigan Department of Transportation.
The city of Rochester Hills is putting in $138,330 toward the project.

In Flat Rock, a multi-use path from Huron Park in Flat Rock to Oakwoods Metropark will be funded with a federal transportation enhancement grant of $342,150. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is matching that amount for a total investment of $684,300.

The path will be the final link in the Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative. It will finish the east-west route that connects Oakwoods Metropark to Lake Erie Metropark, providing residents, tourists, recreational and competitive riders, hikers and others with a continuous pathway through Metroparks and waterways.

The grant will pay for trail construction, signs and railroad crossing work.

Overall, the purpose of the grant is to boost interest in Michigan recreationally and economically, according to MDOT, which administers the federal dollars.

"Transportation Enhancement projects boost a community's appeal to residents and businesses," State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle says in a statement announcing the award of more than $1 million in grants to four counties. "Increasingly, new generations demand multi-modal communities, meaning those that offer access to bicycling and walking, which contributes to healthy, active lifestyles, and streetscape projects that improve safety, walkability, aesthetics and economic vitality."

Source: Jeff Cranson, spokesperson, Michigan Department of Transportation
Writer: Kim North Shine

The cities of Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills, and Rochester are looking to preserve residents' quality of life and enhance their business climates by sharing services. By doing so, the communities expect to save money by eliminating redundancies while also providing the services that each is best at.

The three cities formally agreed to regionalizing public works such as road and sidewalk repair, water and storm drain systems management, street lighting and more.

Shared services and consolidation is a move that more cities and counties are taking - a move encouraged by Gov. Rick Snyder - as a lagging economy has led to new thinking on how to preserve public services when there is less revenue to work with.

In a statement announcing the collaboration, which is an extension of earlier shared services (or interlocal) agreements, Auburn Hills director of public services Ron Melchert says: “Each community has specific areas of expertise, specialized skills, knowledge, equipment and tools that are difficult to obtain from other service providers to perform economically, properly and in a timely manner.”

A group of citizens, city staffers and elected officials from the three municipalities formed the Tri-City Sustainability Advisory Committee in 2011. The "overarching goal of the Sustainability Advisory Committee is to ensure an ongoing high quality of life for all residents and a strong business climate for commerce."

Source: Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce
Writer: Kim North Shine

The word downtown was tossed around a lot in 2011. Everybody has one or is working on creating one as they pursue the newfound love of things urban. Downtown Development Authorities, Chambers of Commerce, Main Street programs had Main Streets - and their equivalents - throughout metro Detroit putting money into makeovers and facelifts in 2011 as city leaders saw promise in creating places that preserve history, have varied businesses and invite walking, biking, strolling.

The changes were big and small. Together should convey: You want to come here. Decorative, energy-efficient street lights, attractive, theme-appropriate benches, trash-receptacles, pedestrian-safe sidewalks and crosswalks, art installations, benches, historic preservation projects, special events, facade grants, kiosks to direct visitors, even phone apps to get them around town - all wrapped in business recruitment and PR.

Cities with the most real downtowns: Rochester, Ferndale, Royal Oak, Mount Clemens, Dearborn, Plymouth, Northville. The up-and-comers: Auburn Hills, Clarkston, Berkley, Novi, Wyandotte.

Downtown Rochester $1 million streetscape re-do is on
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0818rochesterredo0221.aspx

Downtown Lake Orion gets $2 million streetscape, new microbrewery
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0922lakeorion0225.aspx

Mount Clemens invests more than $250K in way-finding signs
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0915wayfinders0224.aspx

Wyandotte DDA's business improvement grants paying off
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0526plymouthnightlife0211.aspx

Nightlife builds in downtown Plymouth
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0526plymouthnightlife0211.aspx

Ice rink cometh to Auburn Hills heating up plans for downtown
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/icerink0192.aspx

Graduate housing, downtown parking and retail complex coming to Auburn Hills
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/1201ahhousing0234.aspx

Main Street Oakland recognizes top downtown projects
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0310mainstreetoakawards0200.aspx


By Kim North Shine

Regional mass transit champions, especially of train and light rail, received several pieces of good news in 2011 as Amtrak operators and bus service providers saw ridership hit record numbers. Funding added up, new stations opened and Woodward Avenue light rail moved as close as ever to leaving the station.

Metro Detroit suburbs liked what they saw and threw money and manpower behind studies and possible land acquisition into linking their main corridors, namely Woodward Avenue and possibly 8 Mile, to light rail or other regional mass transit system.

Of course, the Woodward Avenue Rail project has been put on hold in favor of a rapid bus transit plan... but the conversation deepens and most assuredly continues. 

Note: The record numbers and the funding have been a "trend" since at least 2008, but 2012 might show us if this thing that has brought so much economic stimulus to other towns can happen in metro Detroit. It's why we posed this in 2011: If Dallas can do it, why not Detroit?

As train and bus ridership gorw, $47 million is committed to new transit options
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/1020masstransit0229.aspx

Transform Woodward ponders light rail beyond Detroit
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0804woodlightrail0219.aspx

Woodward Avenue as linear city
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0609woodave0212.aspx

If Dallas Can Do It, Why Can't Detroit?
http://www.metromodemedia.com/features/dallasdetroitlightrail0218.aspx

Case for Detroit light rail grows with $25M federal grant, 23 percent growth in Amtrak ridership
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/lightrailplans0195.aspx

Nearly $200M federal grant accelerates high speed rail in Metro Detroit
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0512highspeedrail0209.aspx

Next stop: Dearborn. New new train station pulling in
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0721dearborntrain0217.aspx

New transit center in Pontiac welcomes bus, train commuters
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0811pontiactransit0220.aspx

By Kim North Shine

Streets for everyone. The Michigan Complete Streets initiative gained momentum in 2011 in metro Detroit and around the state as cities enacted changes or made plans to design roads and sidewalks that take pedestrians, cyclists and drivers into account. The Michigan's Complete Streets movement got props for being a role model nationwide. Separately from Complete Streets, cities and various nonprofits worked on the same goal: streets that accommodate all. It's been a process playing out for a few years now so expect to see more bike lanes, new style crosswalks and other changes coming to a town near you.

Michigan is national leaders in street design that serves cars, bikes and pedestrians
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0317micompletestreets0201.aspx

Streetscape grants from Royal Oak's WA3 help unify Woodward Corridor
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/woodwardcorrgrants0194.aspx

Royal Oak's non-motorized transportation plan is out for public feedback
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/1110royaloakwalkride0232.aspx

Walkers, cyclists may like changes coming to Grosse Pointe, Dearborn
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0901fedtransgrants0223.aspx

By Kim North Shine

The final piece of funding for a massive redo of Rochester Road in downtown Rochester is in place.

A $523,778 federal grant - combined with a matching amount from the city - will set off a project that will modernize the street, lights and sidewalks while preserving history and enhancing safety, appearance and usefulness.

Rochester Road, the city's main thoroughfare through downtown, is one of Michigan's most admired Main Streets. The million-dollar-plus streetscape project will include new LED street lighting fixtures, pedestrian benches, trash receptacles, reconstructed crosswalks and sidewalks, and more. New street lights and posts with the energy saving bulbs will be replaced along the stretch from Second Street to the Paint Creek Bridge. The old lights, if financially feasible, will go into alleys, says Kristi Trevarrow, executive director of the Rochester Downtown Development Authority.

During construction, which will begin in April and end in September 2012, it is expected that the original brick-paved Rochester Road will be uncovered. Those bricks will be used to make new planters, not only repurposing what could be waste but adding greenery to the city, says Trevarrow.

In addition,the sidewalks will be restored to their original exposed brick walkways. Crosswalks will be made of stamped concrete that slows cars and have downward facing lighting for pedestrians - both for safety. Street signs will also have backlit illumination.

Bike racks will be constructed into the new planters and the streetlamps.

The project has the potential to draw visitors and business to the area and also make Rochester another example of how to build a thriving downtown. But it only began because the state-owned Rochester Road was due for maintenance improvements. The Michigan Department of Transportation helped the city obtain the federal dollars.

"We thought this was a great opportunity to do things we've been wanting to do," Trevarrow says.

Source: Kristi Trevarrow, executive director, Rochester Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine

It's getting easier to park and plug in electric cars as more charging stations open across metro Detroit.

DTE Energy is adding 16 plug-in electric vehicle charging stations, or PEVs, to the mix, including four at Detroit Metro Airport. They will be located in the two main parking decks at the airport – two on the eighth floor of the McNamara Terminal and two on the fourth floor of the Big Blue Deck by the North Terminal. There will be no cost for PEV drivers to use the charging stations, and they're scheduled to be operational within one to two weeks, DTE Energy spokesman Scott Simons says.

Of the 12 other stations which are installed or soon to be installed, two each are in Ferndale, Mt. Clemens, Rochester, the Village of Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills. Saline and Automation Alley in Troy have one apiece.

These latest PEVs join several electric vehicle chargers at DTE's downtown headquarters.

The installations are part of a General Motors Corp. project with the Department of Energy to build a system of charging stations to support the move away from oil reliance and toward alternative energy for automobiles. The project is supported by grants being shared with DTE and four other utilities across the U.S., Simons says. DTE received $400,000 and is matching with $400,000, he says.

"The more infrastructure there is, the more there will be an impetus for people to buy electric vehicles,"  Simons says. "The more infrastructure that's built in the country…the more people will see that this is as a viable option. Hopefully this will be the start of the nation's acceptance of electric vehicles and, going forward, being an environmentally-conscious country."

Source: Scott Simons, spokesman, DTE Energy
Writer: Kim North Shine

A new kind of office is opening up to keep up with the rising number of floating workers, whether freelancers, work-from-home professionals, independent contractors, or any of those generally flexible employees who define the new way of working in this new economy.

Shared workspaces are giving home-based and vagabond workers who office at coffee shops, restaurants and other public places their own work place and more. It comes with a desk, internet, conference rooms, and other office supplies, along with the opportunity to collaborate, brainstorm and interact with co-workers in and out of their fields.

Shared workspaces can be found in Chicago, New York, San Diego, Denver, Austin, and even smaller cities in the U.S. and also across Europe.

Downtown Rochester is in the process of joining the list.

Rob Ray, president and organizer of ShareSpace Rochester, has found a 2,200-square foot, second floor space to lease at the Rochester Area Regional Athletics (or RA-RA) building downtown on Second Street. He expects to welcome workers by November 1.

For a membership - there are many levels - or drop-in fee, workspace sharers will have access to a desk, wi-fi, conference rooms, projectors and other office supplies -- even coffee. Some memberships come with a floating desk and other services for $25-$150 per month, depending on services. Or for $300 a month, a permanent work area with lockable file cabinets and other office equipment and supplies is available.

"This segment of workers keeps growing. As of late, with this whole economic malaise we're going through people are getting more creative in trying to find employment and thinking outside the box," says Ray.

Membership would also come with a reciprocal use of workspaces in other cities and countries, giving Rochester members an office when they travel and visitors to Detroit a space to work as well.

"With this you have a place that you're supposed to go to for work and the coffee is free," Ray says. "Instead of working on a 2-foot-by-2 foot little table where people are bustling around, you get a collaborative environment. It can be a place for inspiration or to get some feedback on an idea or you can just work on whatever it is you're working on."

Across metro Detroit there are groups participating in meet-ups for this very reason, but this gives them a permanent place. Ray sees ShareSpace Rochester as a pre-incubator where there's no need to have a proven business plan or financial stability to join, as is the case with most business incubators. He also hopes it will nurture the enthusiasm that comes from conferences such as TedX and Ignite.

"My hope is this space becomes the hub where these ideas and these people have a place to go so these ideas don't die," he says.

Ray pictures it working something like this: Members wanting to work undisturbed could display a red card, maybe on a coffee coaster, meaning, let them work. A green coaster would indicate willingness to hear ideas or just talk.

"It's more affordable than your own office and you pick up the social enterprise aspect of the co-working environment plus the resources we'll offer with conference rooms, copier, projector, coffee, wi-fi, the whole kit and caboodle," says Ray, whose architect friend will design the space pro bono. "And you can do it without being stuck in a coffee shop or a closet."

Source:  Rob Ray, president and organizer of ShareSpace Rochester
Writer:  Kim North Shine