Saline Celebrates Grand Opening of Downtown Business

If local couples are hearing wedding bells, many local businesses are hearing their cash registers ring.

With the opening of some are noting that downtown Saline is becoming a great place to plan a wedding.

Local leaders and business owners gathered Thursday when the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce held a small grand opening celebration at the new business, located at 109 W. Michigan Ave.

"I think it's a great fit. We have (flowers). We have salons. We've got , which is a great place for weddings. And is also hosting wedding banquets now. Having a tuxedo business adds to the mix," said Mayor Gretchen Driskell.

Larry Osterling, executive director of the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce, agreed with the mayor's assessment.

"This is a really good business for Saline. It's the kind of business that brings in corollary businesses," Osterling said. "This is the kind of business that downtowns try to recruit."

John Olsen has catered a few wedding parties through his business, . And his neighbors at Accent Jewelers also serve newlyweds-to-be.

Dave Perry, owner of Perry's Tuxedo, said that he hoped the local businesses could work together to promote each other.

"We've already talked about having some kind of fashion show," he said.

Wedding bells or not, people at Thursday's grand opening were happy to see another storefront filled up.

"We've worked really hard at having events to keep people coming downtown and to promote all the things we offer, so it's good to see things have turned around," said Olsen.

State Rep. Mark Ouimet, R-Scio Twp., said he thought the opening was a good sign for the economy.

"I've always been a believer that it's the local people investing in the community that will grow our economy," Ouimet said. "This is a terrific investment in the Saline community."

For more on the business, .