Kerrytown, Ann Arbor

You may know Kerrytown as the collection of eclectic food and retail shops that occupy an old, long-since-converted factory building near the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market. But according to Kerrytown District Association president Deanna Relyea, Kerrytown actually extends several blocks down to Depot Street on the north and even reaches across Huron Street to include the Performance Network to the south.

Hands-on Museum? It’s in Kerrytown. Zingerman’s? Yep, that’s Kerrytown too.

Kerrytown Market and Shops owner Joe O’Neal made a conscious decision to rent space to locally-owned businesses – to choose a Sweetwater’s over a Starbucks – for example. It’s just one of those things that have helped preserve the historic neighborhood’s unique character.

The Kerrytown District is part of what used to be an African-American neighborhood, and Relyea says its history includes a lot of Underground Railroad activity.

Relyea opened the Kerrytown Concert House in 1984, converting the pre-Civil War house, one of the oldest in the neighborhood, into a 100-seat performance venue, with teaching space upstairs. The Concert House hosts everything from theater groups to kids’ piano recitals to an avant-garde jazz festival in October.

Lest you doubt that there’s always something interesting going on in Kerrytown, on August 21 the Kerrytown District Association sponsored “Nash Bash”– a mini country music festival complete with beer, barbecue and performers from Nashville. Nash Bash was rounded out by “Trunk-A-Palooza,” a garage sale where people sold things out of their car trunks.

A popular condo complex for medical students within walking distance to Kerrytown is Nielsen Square.

I love to take a break from the Ann Arbor Real Estate Market to explore the unique shops and grab a bite to eat; I invite you to explore and let me know what your favorite is.