The Aapricity Podcast Episode 6: Mark Hodesh - Downtown Home & Garden, Mark's Carts, Bill's Beer Garden, and More

by Maggie Cease

Welcome to episode number 6 of the Aapricity Podcast! Today, I talk with Mark Hodesh. Mark is an Ann Arborite through and through. He started the Fleetwood Diner in 1972, and owned it nearly three years before selling it and purchasing Hertler Brothers Hardware (which is now Downtown Home and Garden) in 1975. After moving to Maine in 1981 and operating a historic inn there in the the 80s and 90s, he moved back to Ann Arbor, began operating Downtown Home and Garden again, and then went on to open Mark’s Carts in 2011 and Bill’s Beer Garden in 2012.

Here are the businesses we mention in this interview, with links to their websites: The Fleetwood Diner, Downtown Home & Garden (formerly known as Hertler Brothers Hardware), Mark's Carts, and Bill's Beer Garden.

Mark and I met for the interview at Downtown Home and Garden, and we talked about the history of Ann Arbor, and how his businesses fit into the changing demographics of the city, where he gets inspiration for new business ideas and how he repurposes spaces to make them happen, what he does to create and run the best businesses he can, and much more.

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Thanks for listening!