Oxford Biz

8/14/2019 Oxford Biz

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Whats The Biz -- January 2010 1

BIZBIZWhats theWhats theWhats theWhats theWhats theWhats theWhats theWhats the

January 2010 Vol. 5 # 1Oxford Areas Monthly Business News & Info

With the house torn down at N. Washington andCenter streets in downtown Oxford, local builder/

property owner Dave Weckle is hoping 2010 is theyear hell be able to construct and open the Polly

Ann Bistro. But in order to do that, he needsinvestors. See story on Page 2.

Photo by C.J. Carnacchio.

PRESORTEDStandardU.SPostage

PAID

ShermanPublications,Inc.

Out with theold and in

with the new


2/12

2 Whats The Biz -- January 2010

Comfortable Family Care

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I-69 Exit #155

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830 S. Lapeer

I-75Exit81

By C.J. CarnacchioBetween the troubled economy and

the push to make our lives more environ-mentally-friendly, the old saying wastenot, want not is definitely in fashion rightnow as virtually everythings getting re-used including houses.

On Tuesday, Dec. 8, the old two-storyhouse at the northeast corner of N.Washington and Center streets in down-town Oxford came crashing to the groundas workers from the Orion-based Envi-ronmental Wood Solutions (EWS) demol-ished it.

According to the propertys owner,Dave Weckle, all of the structures woodwill be ground up by EWS, recycled andused for multiple purposes.

Even the homes old-fashioned stone

foundation is going to be re-purposed insome way, said Weckle, who owns the

Oxford-based Valley Building and RepairCompany.

Prior to the demolition, all the plasterand metal inside the home was strippedoff and separately disposed of.

Where the home once stood, Weckleplans to build an eatery named the PollyAnn Bistro for its close proximity to the14.2 mile Polly Ann Trail.

The restaurant would be 1,575 squarefeet with a 1,724-square-foot apartmentabove it. Wrought iron benches and bi-cycle racks would be placed outside theeatery to attract trail users.

Given how tough it is to get a loan fromthe bank these days, Weckle is lookingfor investors for the project.

We could open in spring, he said.This could be built in about 120 days.Id have to go through the planning com-mission again to renew the site plan ap-proval, but that wouldnt take too longbecause its the same plan.

To contact Weckle call (248) 628-7150.

Weckle seeks investorsfor Polly Ann BistroOld house recycledby Orion company

By Andrew MoserThere is nothing quite like eating a Sun-

day dinner after grandmother and mothercooked in the kitchen all day.

Michelle High re-members the days ofgoing to hergrandmas house andeating hearty mealsmade from scratch.

My grandpar-ents just aboutshucked, peeled,shelled, picked andgrated everything weate, she said.

High had plenty of opportunities to ex-perience the Sunday dinners as a child,and now she wants to bring those experi-ences to the patrons of Oxford with hernew restaurant, A Familiar Taste.

A Familiar Taste, located at 33 N. Wash-ington, brings a little southern hospitalityto the breakfast, lunch and dinner table asHigh prepares her southern recipes fromscratch.

Highs recipes were inspired by her and

her husbands mother and grandmother,who loved to cook.

She recalls her grandma going down tothe Eastern Market and picking the fresh-est ingredients to use in her recipies. Ev-ery summer my grandmother made time togo to the Eastern Market to get barrels offresh peaches, apples, corn, green and redtomatoes.

She applies those same principles whenpicking her ingredients. All her ingredientsare locally grown in Michigan; she getsher bread from Birmingham and her pro-duce and meats come from Eastern Mar-kets.

She introduced Oxford to her SouthernAmerican Cuisine at her grand opening onMonday, Dec. 14.

Were talking about Georgia, Texas andLouisiana. So when we look at all thosestates, Louisiana is known for gumbo, Geor-gia is known for peach cobbler and Texasis known for hearty meats and soups, saidHigh.

The passion that I have for SouthernAmerican supersedes loving to cook. It is

Sample some southerncooking at A Familiar Taste

Please See FAMILIAR TASTE on Page 11

High

Vics 24th Street Sports Tavern in downtown Oxford sure looked festive for theholiday season with beautiful hand-painted windows that delighted passersby.Hats off to the local bar for helping spread Christmas cheer. Photo by C.J.Carnacchio.

24th Street sports holly jolly windows


3/12


Andrew Hunterof Edward Jones

Please See EDWARD JONES on Page 7

Andrew Hunter

Financial Advisor826 S. Lapeer Rd., Suite AOxford, MI 48371

(248) 628-3811

www.edwardjones.com

Member SIPC

HAPPYNEW YEAR!New Years is a time to reflect on the year past. It is also a time to set

goals for the future, and Edward Jones can help you do just that. Were

in your neighborhood and available to help you take steps now to help

meet your long-term financial goals.

20 Hudson St Oxford 248-969-1490

Specialists In

ESTATE PLANNINGFor Families

ATTORNEY & COUNSELORS

MaxwellPhillip B.

ASSOCIATES, PLLC&

Come in For

Your

FREEESTATE

EVALUATIONCall For An

Appointment Today

Phillip Maxwell

Molly B. Maxwell

January is upon us, the time of yearwhen we are all inspired to tidy up allthose loose ends. What about your es-

tate plan? Have you re-viewed it recently?Here are some of thereasons why your exist-ing estate plan may be

outdated: There is a birth or

death in the family. Your children have

reached adulthood. A family member marries or di-

vorces.You are getting married or divorced

or have married or divorced since yousigned your most recent estate planningdocuments. A beneficiary or fiduciary (e.g.,

agent, guardian, personal representative,or trustee) named in your estate plan-ning documents dies orbecome incapacitated.

You wish to changethe agents under yourmedical or property pow-ers of attorney, theguardian of your minorchildren, the personalrepresentative of yourestate, or the trustee oftrusts under your Will or revocable trust.You wish to change the distribution

of your estate or the beneficiaries of yourlife insurance or retirement benefits. You wish to provide that a

beneficiarys share of your estate be heldin trust rather than be distributed outright

to the beneficiary. You wish to change the terms of atrust in your current estate planning docu-ments. There has been a substantial in-

crease or decrease in the value of yourassets. Your estate plan was drafted in an-

other state The new Michigan Trust Code be-

comes effective April 1, 2010Call our office and set up a free as-

sessment to assure your plan is up-to-date.

Molly Maxwell-Powell, Esq.

Phillip B. Maxwell

& Associates PLLC248-969-1490

A New Year, aNew Estate Plan

Like many people, you may make someNew Years resolutions.

Perhaps youvepromised yourself youllvisit the gym more oftenor learn a new languageor reconnect with along-lost friend.

All of these are wor-thy goals, of course, andif you achieve them, youmay add new dimensionsto your life. But if youwant to accomplish othermajor milestones you may have envisioned a new home, college for your kids, acomfortable retirement and so on youmay need to set some New Years finan-cial resolutions.

What type of fi nancial resolutionsshould you make? Here are a few ideas toconsider:

Contribute as much as you can affordto your 401(k). Take full advantage of your401(k) or other employersponsored retire-ment plan. Your contributions are typicallytax-deductible, and your earnings grow ona tax-deferred basis. Every time you get aboost in salary, try to increase the amountgoing into your 401(k), but at the veryleast, contribute enough to earn theemployers match, if one is offered. In2010, the contribution limit for 401(k)plans is $16,500, or $22,000 if youre age50 or older, although both these limits may

increase if they are indexed for infl ation. Max out on your IRA. Even if you

have a 401(k), youre probably still eli-gible to contribute to an IRA. A traditionalIRA grows tax deferred, while a Roth IRAsearnings are tax-free, provided youve hadyour account at least fi ve years and dontstart taking withdrawals until youre age59. (Your ability to contribute to a RothIRA is based on your income.) You canfund your IRA with virtually any type ofinvestment. In 2010, you can put up to$5,000 into your IRA, or $6,000 if youreage 50 or older, although, as was the casewith your 401(k), these limits may rise iftheyre indexed for infl ation.

Rebalance your investments as needed.

Over time, your goals and risk tolerance

Time to makeNew Yearsfinancialresolutions


4/12

Sit Down

DiningAmerican Legion Post 108

130 E. Drahner Rd.

Oxford, 248-628-9081Big Boy - Oxford955 S. Lapeer Rd.,

Oxford, 248-628-3841

Kens Coney Island212 S. Washington St.Oxford, 248-969-3665

Lakeville Inn1318 Rochester Rd.

Lakeville, 248-628-4460

Louies Food & Spirit

600 Lakeville Rd.,Lakeville, 248-628-2440

(The) Nugget1055 S. Lapeer Rd

Oxford, 248-628-2503

Ox Bar and Grill22 S. Washington St.

248-628-1400

Oxford Hills Golf Club(Seasonal)

300 E. Drahner Rd.Oxford, 248-628-2518

Oxford Tap5 S. Washington St.

Oxford, 248-236-0380

24th Street2 N. Washington St.,

Oxford, 248-628-1200Robs Place

13 S. Washington StOxford, 248-628-1217

Tamis Grill1386 S. Lapeer Rd.

Oxford, 248-236-0900

Victorias Delights12 S. Washington St.

Oxford, 248-969-3477

EthnicCasa Real (Mexican)21 S. Washington St.,

Oxford, 248-969-2801Golden Dragon (Chinese)

32 S. Washington St.,

Out For LunchWTBs

Restaurant managers-- call us if you would like to

have a menu item featured!248-628-4801

Oxford, 248-628-9800Italia Gardens (Italian)

1076 S. Lapeer Rd.,Oxford, 248-628-4112

Thai Cuisine (Thai)180 S. Washington St.Oxford, 248-236-9205

Coney JointCountry Coney


Pizza PlaceCottage Inn Pizza

51 S. Washington St.Oxford, 248-628-9500

Fattys Pizza40 N. Washington St.

Oxford, 248-628-4471

Guidos Premium Pizza1396 S. Lapeer Rd.,

Oxford, 248-969-2111

Isolas Pizzeria & Restaurant80 N. Rochester Rd.

Addison Twp., 586-752-3585

Jets Pizza204 S. Washington St.

Oxford, 248-969-5387Little Caesars Pizza

89 W. Burdick St.,Oxford, 248-628-6302

Fast FoodBurger King

583 S. Lapeer Rd.Oxford, 248-628-3636

Dairy QueenOxford, 248-628-3690

McDonalds280 N. Washington St.Oxford, 248-628-2780

Subway Sandwiches95 W. Burdick St.

Oxford, 248-969-6920Uncle Boombas Mr. Pita/

Dairy Queen


GoodEats


By C.J. Carnacchio

Honestly, is there anyone in the

world who doesnt enjoy a good sand-wich?

Meat, cheese, condiments, bread

such a simple recipe, such a tasty meal.

The sandwichs popularity is such

these days that it seems like everywhereyou go theres a new chain sandwich

shop opening up and promising every-

thing including dramatic weight-loss,pepper bars and freaky-fast delivery.

But downtown Oxford is breakingthe chains with the recent opening of

Wiches at 40 N. Washington St.

Owned by Patrick Hingst, the eateryoffers bagels, soups, salads, gourmet

pizzas, and of course, lots of sandwiches.I think once the word spreads,

people are going to really like what we

have to offer here, said the 27-year-old Royal Oak resident.

Served on fresh-baked bread made

in-store, the sandwiches include favor-

ites like turkey and clubs, but with atwist.

The Turkey Choke consists of tur-

key, swiss cheese, tomato and spinachartichoke spread, while the Clubbin

boasts the usual turkey, ham, bacon,lettuce and tomato, but topped with a

garlic aioli.

Those seeking sandwiches with aLatin flare are encouraged to try the

Bailando con Pollo, a delightful com-

bination of chicken, red onion,

monterrey jack cheese and salsa verde,

or the Cuban B, a mix of pork, ham,swiss, pickles, mayo and dijon mustard.

For those who wish to combine their

love of eating with their love of com-

peting, the new shop offers the Wicked

Wich Challenge.All you have to do is eat the Wicked

Wich in 30 minutes, 3 seconds or less.

This monster sandwich weighs a totalof 4 pounds and consists of turkey,

ham, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato andgarlic aioli, all on a 12-inch bun.

Finish this beast and you receive a$25 gift card to Wiches and a souvenir

T-shirt, plus your photo goes up on the

Wall of Fame

Fail and your photo goes up on the

Wall of Shame until the day you beatthe challenge.

Hingst chose to open his business

in Oxford because I love the down-town feel here.

My family lives in Lapeer, so Ive

traversed this corridor many times, hesaid.

Give the chains a rest and try Wiches

Hes really impressed with how Oxford over

the last five years has built up its downtown

with nice storefronts and eateries.

It seems like the DDA and Chamber of

Commerce have done a great job of gettingevents to bring people to the downtown

area, Hingst noted.

Being from Royal Oak, he admitted he

looked at opening his store in places like

Berkley and Ferndale, but they werent veryeasy to deal with and wanted to make him

jump through a lot of hoops.

Oxford is really the best to work with, he

explained. They wanted me to come here.

They were here to help me out whenever they

could, whereas the other cities, having beenas established as they are, they kind of carry

themselves with an air of exclusivity.

Wiches is open Monday through Thurs-

day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday

7 a.m. until 11 p.m.; and Sunday from 8 a.m. to9 p.m. For more info call (248) 572-4790.

Stop by Wiches in downtownOxford and meet owner PatrickHingst. Oh, and try a sandwich, too!


5/12


By Andrew MoserResidents of Oxford have a new option

when their vehicles need some mechanicalassistance.

Located at 1045 S. Lapeer Road in Oxford,right next to the Golden Nugget, Auto Worksoffers mechanical repairs on any type of ve-hicle, foreign or domestic.

Co-owners Paul Dunn, of Sterling Heightsand Jason Sikora, of New Baltimore, openedthe shops doors on Monday, Nov. 2, and planon keeping its door open all week long to bet-

ter serve customers. Their hours are Mondaythrough Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and onSaturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Auto Works offers services in computerprogramming, radio unlock, driveability, frontend, brakes, suspension, electrical, interiorwork and fuel systems.

We do everything top to bottom, saidDunn. Imports, foreign, domestic, Asian andEuropean imports; we have all the latest andgreatest software and we have dedicated alot of time to make sure we can offer every-thing.

The shop has uses all state of the art equip-ment when diagnosing and fixing mechani-cal related issues that customers are having.Most of the equipment is new, with some ofthe used equipment being picked up at auc-

tions when GM closed dealerships in the areasaid Dunn.

Its dealership quality equipment...wespent quite a bit of time and money intraining...we can do pretty much any car builtas of right now, said Dunn.

The only type of work the shop doesntdo is cosmetic, but if a client wanted a dooradjusted or a fender replaced, Dunn statedthat they probably could do that.

There is one full time master technicianand one part time technician besides Dunnand Sikora employed at the shop.

Dunn, who lives in Sterling Heights and

is currently looking to move back into theOxford/Orion area, has worked 30 years inthe business, mainly as a technician for Gen-eral Motors dealerships.

He is a master electrical technician throughGM and the state of Michigan and is ASEcertified.

Dunn previously owned a repair shop inLapeer for nine years, and he stated that someof his customers have followed him down toOxford.

Sikora has worked on front end suspen-sions and brakes for dealerships in the past.He said that he grew up in the area and hadlots of friends in area as well.

The two bought the shop in early Octo-ber, and in three weeks time turned a buildingthat only had primer on the wall into a func-

tional auto repair shop.We had kept an eye on this location and

decided that we wanted to bring our servicesinto the community, said Sikora.

We did it in a short amount of time, saidDunn. We went from an absolute bare shell;everything was primer white, no counter tops,no floors; nothing was in here. We worked12-hours a day, seven days a week for threeweeks putting this whole place together, saidDunn.

Dunn noted that there were a couple ofvariables that played factors in their deci-sion to locate the business in Oxford.

We really liked the Oxford/Orion area,he said. We liked the customer base andthe economy doesnt seem quite as bad inthis area as it is in a lot of other areas.

Dunn said that some of the other factorsincluded the fact that he and Jason knewpeople in the area and that people took bet-ter care of their cars.

Auto Works also offers 24-hour towingservices, and they are looking to get the Ox-ford Township and Police contract for policetows, accidents and impounds.

Were checking on zoning right now andare trying to see if we can put an impoundlot in the back of the shop here. If not, weare going to have an offsite impound yard,said Dunn.

For more information about the shop or tow-

ing services, you can call (248) 572-6400 or emailthem at [email protected].

Foreign or domestic, Auto Works can fix your vehicle Gravel co.donates land

for fire stationBy C.J. Carnacchio

If Oxford Township ever needs to builda third fire station, its already got a spotpicked out and the land donated.

Supervisor Bill Dunn was pleased toannounce that the Detroit-based Edward

C. Levy Company agreed to give the town-ship approximately 2.5 acres of vacantproperty on the west side of M-24, justnorth of Metamora Road.

What a great Christmas present forthe people of Oxford, he said. Every-body should send Levy a thank youcard.

The Levy Company owns AmericanAggregates of Michigan, which has gravelmining operations throughout the town-ship.

Fire Chief Pete Scholz was pretty ex-cited about the news.

I think its fantastic, he said. FormerChief (Jack) LeRoy wrote numerous let-ters back and forth to the Levy Companyexpressing interest and the need for a sta-tion up on the north end of the township.

Representatives from Levy recently satdown with Dunn, Scholz and Treasurer JoeFerrari to hammer out a plan to make ithappen.

We had a meeting with them and theypretty much gave us a choice of 3,200 acresas far as where to put it. Thats the bestlocation that we could come up with,Scholz explained.

Scholz indicated that at some point inthe future, a fire station will eventually beneeded in the northern end based on thepotential growth of that area once thegravel pit property is developed for resi-dential use.

He stressed a fire station will only bebuilt in the northern end if and when oneis needed.

Its all going to be driven by the

growth up in that area, Scholz said. Iwould say right now, youre not going tosee anything for probably five to 10 years.But if the economy hopefully picks upagain and the area starts to be developed,that would be our next move.

Dunn said the donation is anotherprime example of what a good and respon-sible corporate citizen the Levy Companyhas been to Oxford.

Over the last eight years, theyve do-nated thousands of tons of 21-AAcrushed stone thats the really high qual-ity stuff to resurface seven miles of ourtownship roads including Newman,Stanton and Indian Lake, he said.Theyve always been generous andnever turned us down. Every governmentshould be lucky enough to have a com-

pany like Levy doing business in theircommunity.

Paul Dunn (left) andJason Sikora co-ownAuto Works located at1045 S. Lapeer Road inOxford Township.


6/12


Local heroes take kids Christmas shoppingOxfords Meijer was filled with police officers and

firefighters Dec. 9, but they werent there to bust bad guysor pull anybody out of a burning building.

They were there to make sure these rough economic timesdont prevent 52 local kids, ages 3-14, from having Christmasgifts for themselves and their families.

Its called Shop with a Hero and the second annualevent paired boys and girls from Oxford, Orion, Addison andBrandon with 65 cops and firefighters who took them shop-ping around the store.

Sponsored by Meijer and the Oakland County CreditUnion, each child was given $150 to spend anyway they

wished, plus a $20 basket ofgroceries.

It should be no surprise to

anyone that a lot of time wasspent excitedly browsing in the

toy department.Prior to their shopping spree, the kids visited with Santa

Claus and ate plenty of pizza donated by Jets Pizza.Proving their hearts are bigger than their badges were

officers from the Oxford and Lake Orion village police de-partment and Oakland County Sheriffs Department alongwith firefighters from Oxford, Addison, Orion and Brandon.

Representing the U.S. Army National Guard as a heroshopper was Specialist Jena Wilmers, who lives in LakeOrion, but works at the Oxford Meijer.

I just love giving back to the community, she said. Itsalso a great opportunity to get some good publicity for theNational Guard, which doesnt always get that.

Other shopping heroes included Oxford Village ManagerJoe Young and Hank Szlenkier, caseworker for Oxford-

Addison Youth Assistance. Photos and Story by Editor C.J. Carnacchio

Oxford Village Police Sgt. Mike Solwold shops in the toy department with Austin Bishop, 8, of Oxford. Bishops a third-grader at Clear Lake Elementary. Shopping behind them are Oxford Village Police Officer Todd Barraco and BenFreytag, a kindergartner at Daniel Axford Elementary.

Oxford resident JordaynaBarrett, a first-grader atLeonard Elementary, ridesa shopping cart beingpushed by Oxfordfirefighter Sarah Racer.

Trake Gezycki, 10, of Lake Orion, shops with Oakland CountySheriffs Sgt. Randy Praski, of the Oxford Twp. substation.

Addison resident Joseph Weber, 9, a fourth-grader atLeonard Elementary, gets a hand with the stuff on the

high shelves from Addison Fire Capt. Dave Edwards

Lakeville Elementary kindergartners Isabell Stepke(left), 6, and Alex Stepke, 5, visit with Santa Claus.

Heroes take kids shopping at Oxford Meijer


7/12


If you didnt read lastIf you didnt read lastIf you didnt read lastIf you didnt read lastIf you didnt read last

weeks Oxford Leaderweeks Oxford Leaderweeks Oxford Leaderweeks Oxford Leaderweeks Oxford Leader,,,,,

you dont know whatyou dont know whatyou dont know whatyou dont know whatyou dont know what

youve missed!!!youve missed!!!youve missed!!!youve missed!!!youve missed!!!

Hey Oxford!!

52 Weeks -

$30 in Oakland Countyoxfordleader.com or call 248-628-4801

Edward JonesContinued from Page 3

can change. Thats why its a good ideato review and rebalance your portfolio atleast once a year, possibly with the help ofa professional fi nancial advisor who isfamiliar with your situation.

Avoid emotional investing. Dontmake decisions based on emotional reac-tions to whats happening with your in-vestments. For example, just because theprice of an investment may have droppedsignifi cantly, it doesnt mean you shouldrush to sell it. Despite the price drop, itmay sti ll have good prospects, and it might

be an important part of your investmentstrategy. Consider all factors before mak-

ing buy or sell decisions. Keep suffi cient cash in your portfo-

lio. During the long bear market of 2008and early 2009, many investors discov-ered that they lacked enough cash andcash equivalent vehicles in their portfo-lios. Of course, you need enough cash onhand to meet unexpected expenses with-out dipping into long-term investments. Butbeyond that, the presence of cash andshort-term, more liquid investments canhelp reduce the volatility in a portfolio thatmay sometimes be battered by both thestock and bond markets.

These financial resolutions, like all typesof New Years resolutions, may not beeasy to keep. But if you can stick withthem, you may have many happy new yearsin the future.

By C.J. Carnacchio

Another bakery is coming to downtownOxford, but the existing one wont have toworry about competition because the newones clientele has four legs and a tail.

P&P Country Pet Treats is moving fromits current location in Orion Township to 14N. Washington St.

Owned and operated by Genevieve

Otlewski for about a year, the full-fledgedbakery features all-natural, fresh-madetreats specifically for pooches including cup-cakes, cakes for special occasions like birth-days, biscotti, pretzels and cookies in differ-ent shapes and flavors such as chicken-fla-vored Santa cookies for Christmas.

Im known as the cookie lady, said the38-year-old Oxford resident, whose populartreats are available at Art & Dicks Party Storeon W. Burdick St. I cant keep them in thatstore.

You could eat the cookies yourself. I haveseveral people that do taste them, she noted.

The idea for the business evolved as shebegan cooking for her own dogs becausethey were picky eaters and she wanted

them to live longer, healthier lives.All her treats are gluten-free and corn-free,which makes them great for pooches who aresensitive to eating those ingredients.

In addition to treats, P&P Country PetTreats carries a locally-made, all natural dogfood called Pet Mix.

Made by her business partner Tom Pe-ters, it consists of two pounds of dehydratedfruits and vegetables to which the purchasercan add five pounds of meat and one gallonof water to make 10 quarts of dog food.

Otlewski said its better for pets than eat-ing commercial dog food, which she likenedto eating McDonalds Chicken McNuggetsat all three meals, every single day for your

Downtown Oxfords going to the dogs!entire life.

What do you think thats going to do toyour system? she said. Its the same withpets. If you dont change their diet, thatswhats going to end up happening.

In Otlewski opinion, dogs should be eat-ing a diet that consists of 75 percent proteinand 25 percent fruits and vegetables.

Thats how your pet should be eating as

well as us, she said. If you feed your dogthat way it will stop ear infections, stop skininfections, stop them from chewing on theirfeet. You would be amazed as just what elimi-nating corn or wheat would do.

Once her new Oxford location is open,Otlewski plans to have an indoor cafe forpets and their owners as well as an outdoorone during the warmer months. She wants togive them a place to rest, relax and shop dur-ing their walks.

That would be an asset to the commu-nity because so many people do walk theirdogs around here, she said. I see so manypeople on the Polly Ann Trail and throughPowell Lake (Park).

Prior to opening in Orion, Otlewski said

she originally wanted to be located in down-town Oxford, but it didnt work out at thetime. Shes glad she didnt give up that dream.

I fought to be in Oxford, she said. Ilove Oxford. Its such a homey little town.Theres so many pets here.

Besides treats and food, her store will alsosell leashes, pet beds, dietary supplementsand even pet clothing.

Shes hoping her new location will becomplemented by her two next door neigh-bors Loris Pet Paradise, a pet groomingfacility, and the Metamora Canine Academy,an obedience school and training facility.

It looks like downtowns northeast quad-rant has definitely gone to the dogs.

Oxford resident GenevieveOtlewski, owner of P&P CountryPet Treats, poses with herpooches.


8/12


HEALTHY SMILE CENTER

Personalized Gentle Care

For The Entire Family

248-969-4840MarthaVega-Crist,DDS

New Modern Office WithState-of-the-Art Equipment

9 N. Washington

(M-24 - Lapeer Rd.) Oxford

CreativeEMBROIDERY

VICKI LUBELANOwner/Operator

(248) 628-9531

10 E. Burdick St. Oxford, Michigan 48371

ComputerizedEmbroidery andMonogramming

Custom DesignsTeams Schools Business

Tees Hats Jackets Shirts

For All Your Family Pharmacy Needs

PattersonPrescription Pharmacy

Tim Davidson, R.Ph.

1 S. Washington St. Oxford

248-628-2538 Fax 248-628-0721

Immediate CoverageFriendly, Personalized Service

1097 South Lapeer Road Oxford248-628-2565 www.dkpins.com

General InsuranceInsurance Protection for your

BUSINESS HOME AUTO

Serving TheOrion/Oxford

AreaFor 56 Years

www.hastingsmutual.com

ASSISTED LIVINGMake Our House Your Home

Janet K. MazzettiExecutive Director Lake Orion

248-814-6714 Fax 248-814-6725www.oaklandcommunityalternatives.com

Silverbell Manor

1241 E. Silverbell Rd.

Pineview Manor

2888 Baldwin Rd.

Orion Manor

1814 S. Lapeer Rd.

TheBLUE BUTTONon our website

links YOU to allof our PICTURES

Go To oxfordleader.com

4053 S. Lapeer Rd. Metamora

Approx 1/4 Mile S. of Dryden Road 810-678-2740

Cass River Bulk Foods Fresh Baked Goods

Baskets Furniture

Granola Honey

Quilts Soap

Jams/Jellies Frankenmuth Coffee

Pinconning Cheese

Sugar / Flour / Grains

Jerky / Sausage

Soup Mixes / Dips

Baking Supplies

Organic Grain & Flours

Make Your Own

LAUNDRY

SOAP

ALoad2

EBTAccepted

Just before you reach Dryden Road in

Metamora, north of Oxford, you will see an

Amish buggy on your right parked in front

of Cass River Bulk Foods.

Youve arrived at your destination and are

now in for a treat.

The store appears small at first glance,

but once you walk inside you will be pleas-

antly pleased with the array of products.

Ubly residents, Randy and Julie Hund

have been operating their business in

Sandusky for the past three years, but when

they opened a seasonal store in Caseville

they found a lot of their customers were from

the Lapeer, Metamora, and the northern Oak-

land county area.

This discovery helped them decide to

open a location in Metamora Township.

Randy, who also owns a window com-

pany, was first introduced to Amish bulk

foods during a trip several years ago to

Holmes County, Ohio.

Now Randy makes trips to Ohio, as well

as Mio, Hastings, Clare, and other Amish

communities in Michigan to order and pur-

chase baked goods, produce, various spices,grains and other items not usually available

in this area.

The store offers a wide variety of grain

products including flours, rolled oats, steel

cut oats and various organic grains and

flours.

Randy also carries Amish jams, jellies,

baking products, quilted items and furniture.

A very popular product for sale is a laun-

dry soap making kit which is an economical

choice, making soap for less than two cents

a load.

Not all products for sale are Amish or or-

ganic.

Some are Michigan made, like Pinconning

cheese and Frankenmuth coffee.

The Hunds invite everyone to stop by

their 1,100 square foot store which is open

from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Mondays through Fri-

day and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturdays.

See what the Amish have tooffer at Cass River Bulk Foods

on our websitelinks YOU

to all of ourPICTURES

The

BLUE BUTTON

Go To oxfordleader.com

Randy Hund,co-owner of

Cass RiverBulk Foods.


9/12


436 S. Broadway (M-24) , Suite C Lake Orion

Licensed Broker Chairperson of County Bar R.E. Comm

Member American & State Bar R.E. Sections

James R. Porritt, Jr.

248-693-6245

30 Years Real Estate Experience

ATTORNEY

For Sale By Owner

TRANSACTION Advice, preparation of Purchase Agreement,

Mandatory Disclosures & related documents. Coordination of financing, inspections, surveys,

appraisals, title work & closing

Cash To New Mortgage Transaction 1/2of 1%

Seller Financed Sales 1%

SIMPLE WILLS FreeInitialConsultat

ion

Self directed disposition of assets Your choice of administrator

Your choice of Guardian for minors Your choice of Trust for minors to be set up after your passing.

Avoiding Probatedoes not justify the cost or inconvenience of setting up a Living Trust and maintaining it for therest of your l ife. Michigans unsupervised probate procedure is inexpensive, uses preprinted forms, avoids formalaccountings, court appearances, or approval of asset disposition.

Short SalesProcedures & Negotiations

If You Must Sell Your Home

And Cannot Without A

Reduction In Your Mortgage

Balance, Call For An

Appointment.(Land contracts, private mortgages, lease with option)

Federal Relief Programmay help with mortgage

Attorney James R.Porritt, Jr.

For those having difficultieswith their home mortgages federalprograms affordrelief to thosemeeting a tightset of thresholdrequirements.

They are de-signed to reducemonthly pay-ments to a maxi-mum of 31 per-cent of theb o r r o w e r smonthly income.

This is ac-complished byeither a modification of an exist-ing loan or through a refinance.

On a modification, the first av-enue is through an extension ofthe term of the existing mortgage

to as long as 40 years.

If that is not sufficient to getthe payment to the cap, the sec-ond stage is to reduce the annualinterest rate to as low as 2 per-cent.

Finally, if that is still not

enough, the principal balance ofthe loan may be reduced.

The re-finance program issimilarly designed to meet theborrowers income limitations andis limited by the appraised valueof the property 105 percent (al-though there is talk of increasingthis limit).

Details of eligibility can befound atmakinghomeafordable.gov

Also check out the followingsites for locating free counseling:www.mshda.info/counseling;www.hopenow.com; www.nw.org

www.mighigan.gov/dhs

Business owners and entrepre-

neurs who need assistance are in-

vited to attend seminars in January,

2010 offered by the Oakland

County Business Center. Business

Basics workshops are now offered

in the evenings on alternating

months.

Pre-Business Research - Areyou thinking of starting your own busi-

ness and want to research your busi-ness idea? Are you a business ownerwho wants to understand which re-search sources to use for your busi-ness plan and where to find the infor-mation you need? The class is held onTuesday, January 7, from 9:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m. at the Oakland County Ex-ecutive Office Building ConferenceCenter, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, westof Telegraph, Waterford. For locationspecifics and pre-registration, visit ourwebsite at oakgov.com/peds/calendar,or call (248) 858-0783. Presented byThe Entrepreneurs Source, OaklandCountys Business Center, Market Re-search Department, and Research Li-

January Business Workshops Offered By Oakland Countybrarian. This workshop is free, but pre-registration is required.

Fundamentals of Starting a Busi-

ness is a seminar for anyone thinkingabout going into business. Participantsexamine their entrepreneurial skills,learn how to implement their ideas andreceive a list of pitfalls to avoid whenstarting a business. The class runs from9:00 a.m. - noon on Thursday, January

14, at the Oakland County ExecutiveOffice Building Conference Center,2100 Pontiac Lake Road, west of Tele-graph, Waterford. For location and pre-registration, visit our website atoakgov.com/peds/calendar, or call (248)858-0783. The fee is $30. No refunds.

Fundamentals of Writing a Busi-

ness Plan is a workshop for small busi-ness owners who are developing a planto serve as their road map to success.The class is held on Thursday, January21, from 9:00 a.m. - noon at the Oak-land County Executive Office BuildingConference Center, 2100 Pontiac LakeRoad, west of Telegraph, Waterford.For location specifics and pre-registra-

tion, visit our website at oakgov.com/peds/calendar, or call (248) 858-0783.The fee is $40, which includes all ma-terials. No refunds.

Legal & Financial Basics for Small

Business -- This workshop covers manyof the key legal and financial issues facedby both new and existing small businessesin Michigan. The program initially focuseson the many management and liability con-

cerns faced by entrepreneurs, as well astodays tax consequences. The programalso provides solutions and techniques forbusiness concession and individual invest-ment and retirement planning. Presentedby Carter & Affiliates, P.C. Tuesday, Janu-ary 26, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Oak-land County Executive Office BuildingConference Center, 2100 Pontiac LakeRoad, west of Telegraph, Waterford. Forlocation specifics and pre-registration, visitour website website at oakgov.com/peds/calendar, or call (248) 858-0783. Thisworkshop is free, but pre-registration isrequired.

Fundamentals of MarketingYour Business -- Marketing is an es-

sential of business success. All prod-ucts/services must be sold to well-tar-geted audiences with a wide-rangingmarketing mix. Our staff/SCOREcounselors can guide you through suc-cessful techniques and marketing prin-ciples helping you to promote yourproducts and services to the most prom-ising customers-your target audience.

Presented by The Michigan Small

Business & Technology DevelopmentCenter (MI-SBTDC). Thursday, Janu-ary 28 from 9:00 a.m. to noon at theOakland County Executive OfficeBuilding Conference Center, 2100Pontiac Lake Road, west of Telegraph,Waterford.

For location specifics and pre-reg-istration, visit our website atoakgov.com/peds/calendar, or call (248)858-0783. The fee is $40 (make checkpayable to E.M.U.), which includes allmaterials. No refunds.

The web site address for OaklandCounty Planning & Economic Devel-opment Services Workshops iswww.oakgov.com/peds/calendar .


10/12


Loran S. CoffmanWPS Investments

Fall is the time to consider someyear-end financial moves little and not-so-little things you might do to plan toimprove your financial position.

You could put more in your 401(k)before they play Auld Lang Syne.As you only get

one chance tosave for retire-ment and an an-nual deadline tomake retire-ment plan con-tributions, youcould increaseyour final re-tirement plandeferrals of2009 to themaximum al-lowed by yourplan, assuming your finances permit youto do so.

Contributions to traditional IRAs and

401(k)s are usually made with pre-taxdollars and thereby could help you re-duce your tax bill.1

If you havent contributed to yourIRA or Roth IRA for 2009, you have untilApril 15, 2010 to make that move.

You can contribute up to $5,000 toan IRA (or spread up to $5,000 of con-tributions across multiple IRAs) for taxyear 2009; those over age 50 may con-tribute up to $6,000 to their IRAs for2009.2

If your modified adjusted gross in-come (MAGI) is into six figures, thismay reduce or even prohibit Roth IRAcontributions depending on your filingstatus.

You could try to harvest somelosses. You might want to sell some los-ers to offset some winners (not everysecurity was a winner this year) andcounterbalance capital gains.

Keep in mind that if you are in the10 percent or 15 percent federal incometax bracket for 2009, you wont have topay capital gains tax that break ex-tends into the 2010 tax year as well.

If you want to sell, sell carefully you dont want to generate so much in-come that you creep into a higher taxbracket.3

You could try to pick up some taxcredits. Are you thinking about buyinga home? The up-to-$8,000 first-time

homebuyer credit has been extended tothe end of April and complemented by

its new variant, the up-to-$6,500 creditfor move-up buyers.

Remember, the phase-out limits onthat credit just rose they are now$125,000 for single filers, and $225,000for joint filers. The home has to have aprice tag of $800,000 or less and it must

be your primary residence.A first-time homebuyer is defined as

someone who hasnt owned a homewithin the past three years; a move-upbuyer is defined as a buyer who has livedin the same primary residence for astretch of five consecutive years orlonger.4

How about some energy credits? Ifyou make your principal residence moreenergy-efficient or purchase solar hotwater heaters, geothermal heat pumps,wind turbines or other qualifying alter-native energy equipment to heat or coolyour home, you can qualify for a taxcredit for up to 30 percentof the cost ofthe improvements.

There is a maximum tax credit limitto $1,500 for improvements put in ser-vice in 2009.5

Do you have sons or daughters incollege? The Hope Credit has becomethe American Opportunity Tax Credit, acredit of up to $2,500 toward qualifyingcollege expenses.

Phase-outs kick in at $80,000 MAGIfor single filers, $160,000 MAGI for jointfilers.6 Additionally, you could contrib-ute a little more to a 529 plan before theyear ends.

Prepay some deductible expenses.If you are pretty sure you will be in thesame tax bracket or a lower one in 2010,think about making a thirteenth payment

on your home loan in 2009 to boost yourmortgage interest deduction, or prepay-ing your property taxes if your financialsituation lets you do so.

Spend that FSA money. Do youhave a Flexible Savings Account for yourhealthcare expenses?

Think about getting some newglasses or braces, or find some way touse that money money you might loseafter December 31, unless your employerallows you the extended-access optionto your 2009 FSA funds (in which caseyoull still have to use them by March15 of next year).7

Sit down with your financial ad-visor for a portfolio review. See how

(well) youve done this year.Think about next year, and what you

might do as the economic recoveryprogresses.

Discuss some of the different as-pects of your financial situation. If youwant a better understanding of whereyou are at financially, this is the chanceto gain it.

Loran S. Coffman is the founder ofWealth Preservation Strategies, LLC andmay be reached on the web atwww.WPSinvestments.com, by phone(248) 693-5599, or by [email protected]. SeeThe Science of Financial Health,Coffmans exclusive weekly financialcolumn on the web every Wednesdayat www.LakeOrionReview.com.

These views are those of the authorand should not be construed as invest-ment, tax or legal advice. Past perfor-mance is no guarantee of future results. All information is believed to be fromreliable sources; however we make norepresentation as to its completeness or

accuracy. Please consult your Invest-ment, Tax and/or Legal Advisor for fur-

ther information and advice about ap-plication to your specific circumstances.Presented and authored by Loran S.Coffman & Peter Montoya, Incorpo-rated.

Securities offered through H. Beck,Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC. Investment

advisory services offered throughM.R.Spencer Advisory Services, LLC.WPS-Investments, Inc., M.R. Spencer Advisory Services, LLC and PeterMontoya, Incorporated are unaffiliatedwith H. Beck, Inc. Branch address ofWPS is 189 W. Clarkston Rd., Bldg. A,Lake Orion, MI 48362.

Citations.1 foxbusiness.com/story/personal-finance/retirement-advice-ages/ [12/26/08]2 irs.gov/retirement/article/0,,id=202510,00.html [11/10/09]3 usatoday.com/money/perfi/taxes/2007-06-15-mym-capital-gains_N.htm [6/15/07]4 money.cnn.com/2009/11/05/news/economy/Extending_unemployment_benefits/index.htm?postversion=2009110612 [11/5/09]5 irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=206875,00.html [11/13/09]6 irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=205674,00.html [11/6/

09]7 bankrate.com/finance/money-guides/use-fsa-money-so-you-don-t-lose-it-1.aspx [2008]

Some things you might want to consider before 2009 endsPresented by Loran S. Coffman CPhD, RFC

Loran S. Coffman, CPhD, RFC

WPS-Investments Inc.Stone Pine Complex

189 W. Clarkston Rd.

Lake Orion, MI 48362

248-693-5599www.WPSinvestments.com


11/12


Carolyn Chevrier ispresident of LakesCommunity CreditUnion.

Holidays area chance tohelp others

350 N. Park Blvd. (Lapeer Rd.) Lake Orion 248-814-4000www.LakesCommunityCU.org

from

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January 20thDirect Mailing & The Oxford Leader

February 2010The Lake Orion Review & Oxford Leader

January Space ChaseIn The Ad-Vertiser During January

Anniversary Section

Health & Wellness

December brings many celebrationsto our lives!

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza nomatter what your religious belief, it is atime to share the joys and meaning of theseason with friendsand family!

Its also a time ofreflection.

A new year isquickly approaching.

What was your2009 year like?

How can youmake 2010 even bet-ter?

Many peoplefaced tough chal-lenges during 2009 as

the problems in theeconomy continued to create job lossesand home foreclosures.

Unfortunately, many economists pre-dict that the outlook for Michigans 2010economy isnt going to be much better.

Lakes Community Credit Union isreaching out to help those in need by sup-porting local food banks at our Waterfordand Mt. Clemens locations, and our LakeOrion branch is sponsoring a holidayfundraiser for two Lake Orion families thatare in need of assistance.

Can you help? Please feel free to stopin to one of our locations and donate bigor small, every donation counts!

Lakes Community Credit Unions phi-losophy is people helping people.

Not only do our financial products helppeople reach their financial goals, Lakesalso helps to sponsor local events, offersgrants to schools, scholarships to HighSchool seniors and participates infundraising events.

Come in and see how Lakes can offeryou the financial products you desire, with-out the attitude of the big financial in-stitutions.

We have many specials (see our ad)and offer fixed rate, no annual fee, no gim-mick credit cards to members that qualify.

If you live, work or worship in Oak-

land County you can join!

therapeutic to cook these recipes and knowthat someone else will receive the same loveand nurturing my husband and I receivedgrowing up with our grandparents.

Open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m.to 6 p.m., the restaurant offers a wide selec-tion of simple foods, beginning with a break-fast menu full of different sandwiches andhot and cold cereal to a lunch and dinnermenu that features eight different kinds ofsoup on a daily rotation, sandwiches, sal-ads, and desserts all made to order.

The soups come with a side of cornbread,made fresh daily, the salads come with rolls,and the sandwiches come with the choice ofpotato chips or potato salad and a pickle.

The prices range from a $3.95 buttermilkbiscuit to the corned beef sandwich, whichis $7.50.

High prides herself on her corned beefsandwich, which takes meat from Wrigleysin downtown Detroit and adds mayonnaise,mustard, shredded lettuce, tomato, red on-ion, American and Asiago cheese.

She features different cakes of the day, aswell as numerous pies, puddings and par-faits.

She will be introducing an entree sectionto the menu in the spring, which will featureclassic southern food like fried chicken,braised short ribs, pork chops, chicken potpie, crab cakes, etc. She is looking to hire anassistant cook and an assistant baker to helpget their entrees ready.

One of the most unique things about usis that we actually cook. It takes it a lot ofhard work and it allows us to keep the integ-rity of what southern cooking is all about,scratch cooking, said High. Once you or-der it, we make it. So it does take us a littlewhile longer because its not like a grab andgo, but you are getting the freshest prod-uct.

For more information call (248) 572-6333.

Familiar TasteContinued from Page 2

TradeYourOld

Camera

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oxfordleader.com

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12/12


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