Here’s another great sculpture from the Monroe Ice Festival.

 

The organization Habitat for Humanity is just wonderful.  This year, they will help to create up to six homes for Monroe County families.  Part of their fundraising efforts focus on the Habitat ReStore just off LaPlaisance Road on the way to I-75.

I visited the store this past Saturday and found it to be quite interesting.  The first room is filled with second hand furniture, and a combination of new and used appliances.  I even found some aquarium plants for our fish.

The next room is filled with building materials.  There were cabinets and sinks, light bulbs and wood.  You never know what you’ll see, but if you like to fix up the house, this is a great place.  And prices are quite affordable.

Address: 840 LaPlaisance Rd., Monroe, MI

Hours: 9AM to 5PM every day; Closed on Tuesdays and Sundays

Phone: 734-243-1108

 

One of my favorite regular book stops is the Clinton Township Library book sale.

First things first.  This is the town of Clinton that is located in Lenawee County.  There is another one in suburban Detroit.  So, don’t get confused.

The book sale here is very nice.  Books go for what seems to be the standard library book sale prices of $1 for hardcovers and 50 cents for paperbacks.  The books are nicely organized by category.

The sale itself is in the basement.  But be sure to look at the surplus magazine pile at the library entrance.  You can usually find some good reading.

Location: 100 Brown Street, Clinton, MI

Dates: 1st Saturday of each month

Hours: 10 AM til 2PM

Phone: 517-456-4141

I stopped in Monroe yesterday to trade cars with my dad and - surprise - I ran into some ice sculptures.  Downtown Monroe really does have a lot going for it.

 

It always restores my hope for humanity to see the line that inevitably forms before an area booksale.  Everyone there is hoping for some good books.  And that hope outweighs cold weather and the loss of morning sleep.

I took the picture above while waiting for the Saline District Library book sale this past Saturday.  The Saline Library hosts book sales on the last Saturday of every month.  2007 sales will take place on March 31, April 28, May 26, June 30, July 28, August 25, September 29, October 27, November 24 and December 29.  Be aware that the Saline District Library will be undergoing some renovations this summer, so dates could possibly change.

This book sale has three rooms.  The library entryway contains specially priced books.  These are most often books with a local or specialty interest.  Some are fairly new.  The next room mostly contains fiction books.  There are, however, some nonfiction titles.  Downstairs is another area that contains about half fiction and half nonfiction.  Books are nicely sorted into areas of interest.

The prices are good.  Hardcovers are generally $1.  Paperbacks are usually 50 cents.  The pricing scheme is a bit more complicated than that, but the books are cheap.

The book sale hours are 10AM until 3PM.

Address: 555 N. Maple Rd., Saline, MI 48176

Phone: (734) 429-5450

 

I had an epic day of second hand shopping today.  I kind of feel like I was in the cheapskate equivalent of Endless Summer.  “Like, Awesome Find, Dude!”

But I found one item that puzzled me.  It was a “Discriminator Detector.”  As you can see from the picture above, it kind of looks like a metal detector.  But what do you use it for?

I have a vision that you walk up to a person in a crowd and, with the proper setting, you can tell if the person is biased against a certain group.  “Beep.  This person doesn’t like African-Americans.  Beep.  This person is homophobic.”  If only it were so easy, eh?

So, someone please tell me that I’m not going to see this the next time I go through a TSA checkpoint at Metro Airport.

 

The Thrift Shop of Monroe is the grand old lady of second hand stores.  The ladies who run the place have a long and venerable history of helping people with the funds raised in this store. 

And I have to say a little personal “Thank You” because I received a Thrift Shop scholarship while I was attending college.  I owe at least some of my success to this wonderful place.

The store itself is contained within one large room.  Clothes take up most of the space. 
There are also sections for books, shoes, games, housewares, and bedding.

One area that I especially like is the magazine section in the back of the store.  I can buy stacks of recent magazines for very cheap prices.  This helps me save money on my periodicals budget.

Although the selection here is limited by the space in the store, the prices can’t be beat.  They tend to be lower than other, larger thrift shops.  And, of course, the ladies who run the place are just as sweet as can be.

The Thrift Shop is open from 9AM until 3:30PM on Mondays and also Wednesday through Saturday.  The store is open from 9AM until 12:30PM on Tuesday.  The store is closed on Sunday.

The Thrift Shop is located at 119 S. Monroe Street in Downtown Monroe.  You can call them at (734) 242-1082.

 

Ann Arbor is filled with trendy restaurants.  Argiero’s is not one of those places.  It’s just a rock-solid Italian restaurant that specializes in serving Ann Arbor “townies.”

The food is not spectacular.  They have spaghetti, ravioli, veal and a host of other traditional Italian dishes.

The atmosphere, however, is what draws people to this place.  It’s location on Detroit Avenue is right on the corner across from the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market.  You could just spend the day here watching people pass by.

Argiero’s is also a good place if you want to actually talk to your dining companions.  The lighting is comfortable.  The music is soothing.  And the place isn’t big enough to make a lot of noise.

One of the best things about Argiero’s is the fact that it takes a deep interest in its customers.  I first learned of the place from my friend Melissa.  She grew up in Ann Arbor and her family had visited so many times that their family picture has made it onto the wall along with several hundred other Ann Arbor families.

That connection is what has made Argiero’s an Ann Arbor success story.

Hours: Argiero’s is open 11:30AM to 10PM Mondays through Thursdays, 11:30AM to 10:30PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and Noon to 9PM on Sundays.

Address: 300 Detroit, Ann Arbor, MI

Phone: (734) 665-0444

 

The two Goodwill stores in Adrian have two very distinct personalities.  The one on S. Main Street is like a neat, little boutique consignment store.  The place is polished and pretty.

The Goodwill “As Is” store is more rough around the edges.  The interior is more warehouse than store.  The “As Is” store focuses on furniture, dishware, sports equipment and other, larger items.

The most difficult aspect of this store is that it is only open during “business” hours.  It’s open from 9AM until 4:30PM, Monday through Friday.  So, there are no Saturday morning excursions to this place.

The “As Is” store is located at 600 E. Beecher.  I have not been able to find a specific store phone number, but the Adrian Goodwill Industries’ number is 517-263-1665.

The Lenawee Peacemakers is a group of Adrian-area residents who oppose war, support environmental responsibility and advocate social justice.

While the group’s politics are a bit to the left of mine, I love the fact that they screen movies that are not often available in either Lenawee or Monroe Counties.

For instance, on Feb. 27th, they are screening the movie Freedom Fuels, about the history and possibilities of alternative energy.  It starts at 7PM in Dominican Hall of Siena Heights University.

It would be a great thing if groups across the political spectrum would start their own film series.

Here’s the link:

http://www.lenaweepeacemakers.org/?page=events