Despite Challenges of COVID-19 Businesses Continue to Open in Westland

For Immediate Release- Official Press Release

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Press Release

Office of

Mayor William R. Wild

36300 Warren Road Westland, Michigan 48185

Office 734.467.3200 / Fax 734.422.1230

WWW.CITYOFWESTLAND.COM

===================================================== Despite Challenges of COVID-19 Businesses Continue to Open Doors in Westland

Westland, MI - October 29, 2020 – Last week was a busy week in Westland as the City celebrated the grand opening of four new premier destination businesses; Versona, Sleepyhead Mattresses and More, Dreambox Boutique and Lefty’s Cheesesteak. The City also welcomed Homestead Kitchen and a new Comcast Xfinity store in September.

Westland celebrated its first on-site grand opening since the pandemic related shut downs in September. Catrina Staats and her family joined the Westland business community with the opening of their new bakery, Homestead Kitchen. Homestead Kitchen is located at 8306 N. Wayne Rd. and offers a wonderful assortment of delicious cakes, baked goods, coffees and teas.

Also in September, Westland saw a new addition to the shop and dine district with the opening of a new Comcast Xfinity Store, located at 35745 Warren Road in the West Ridge Shopping Center. The 2,782 square foot facility features contemporary displays and comfortable seating areas where customers can interact with all Xfinity products and learn from trained technology specialists.

Versona, located in the Westland Shopping Mall 35000 Warren Road in the former Charming Charlies' spot, officially opened its doors on September 14th. Versona is a women’s fashion boutique offering apparel, jewelry and accessories. Versona promises to be a fun shopping experience where women can find unique, on-trend styles at a great value. The franchise opened nine other stores on September 24 in: Illinois, Ohio, New York, New Hampshire, Texas and Florida. There are two stores in Michigan (Westland and Clinton Township). The storefront has received a head to toe Interior makeover, full of glitz and glam complete with beautiful chandeliers.

Sleepyhead Mattresses and More located at 37816 Ford Road, opened in April of this year. They specialize in everything bedding, from mattress to the sheets and all the above. Their moto is “high quality with low prices.” With a smaller building footprint, they are able to keep prices low because they do not have to keep inventory in the store. All products are delivered free of charge.

Dreambox Boutique, also located at located at 37816 Ford Road, specializes in women’s, men’s and children’s apparel as well as home décor. All products are one of a kind and all products are in the store for customers to see in person. The owner, Oriana, began her business exclusively online, but has now expanded to a small brick and mortar operation. Through her company, Oriana is proud to support and work with other local aspiring entrepreneurs.

Lefty’s Cheesesteak is located at 7040 N. Wayne Road, opened October 20th, 2020. There are 29 locations (opened now and/or opening soon) in Michigan and 33 locations total nationwide. Lefty's is known for their cheesesteaks as well as their famous corned beef, which is marinated with their own recipe of spices and cooked in house every morning and sliced deli style on their very own slicing machines. The new interior has been designed to optimize social distancing and to be convenient and easy for customers to get their food. While there don’t forget to stop by the dry erase board titled "lefty's corner" where right handed individuals are challenged to write their names left handed every day.

"Despite economic challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Westland," commented Mayor William R. Wild. "We are very proud that these very unique businesses chose Westland, further enhancing the services and products available to our residents."

For more information, please call (734) 467-3200.

Westland, Michigan is the state’s 10^th largest municipality, with a population of over 84,000.

Westland has been recognized as one of 24/7 Wall Street’s America’s Best 50 Cities to Live, offering residents and visitors an ideal blend of single – family affordable homes, apartments and condominiums, great schools, and access to numerous outdoor activities. Public safety is delivered by full-service, professional law enforcement and firefighting personnel.

Westland is well known as a premier destination for shopping and dining in Wayne County with hundreds of shops and restaurants anchored by the Westland shopping Center, one of the country's original four regional malls.

The City is served by two public school districts; Wayne-Westland Community Schools serving 12,000 youth was recently named one of the best schools in Michigan by WXYZ-TV and is the proud recipient of 14 Golden Apple and two Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards. Livonia Public Schools, educating nearly 15,000 students, is proud of their MEAP/MME scores that exceed State averages and the district has also earned Golden Apple and Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School awards.

The City provides competitive incentives for those who are interested in investing in Westland, making it one of the hottest investment markets in the region. Westland's Fast-Track to Business Team, which consists of key decision makers who work diligently to “cut the red tape” and expedite the approval process for new business development.