Home + Design

Building Ann Arbor’s Finest Homes

A family business built on craftsmanship, trust, and an unwavering love for our city Article by Christopher Ankney Don Johnson’s hands tell the story of a builder. Decades of gripping hammers, lifting beams, and smoothing surfaces have left them strong, rough, and shaped by the tools of his trade.   In turn, the family business he co-founded with his brother Tom in 1990, Johnson Brothers Construction, is woven into the fabric of Ann Arbor. Their work stands as quiet markers of a company that...

Local Services

The Tastemaker

With vision and determination, Sava Farah has built restaurants essential to Ann Arbor’s identity Article by Christopher Ankney In Ann Arbor, Sava is a household name. But Sava Farah’s road to becoming an Ann Arbor icon wasn’t paved with investment capital or an inherited empire. She built it herself — one café, one dish, one carefully considered decision at a time.   On the day of this interview, a crisp, early spring morning, she's driving toward Chelsea, Mich., to visit a farmer about the...

Life + Culture

The Magazine Lady

Get to know Ann Arbor City Lifestyle's publisher, Maria Karpiel Article by Maria Karpiel My Partner We met getting our MBAs at Michigan — Ed was coming from San Francisco, I was coming from Boston, and we met here in Ann Arbor. Ed’s my husband, best friend, and partner in all things life. Baseball Mom My sons, William (9) and Lukas (5), mean the world to me. In spring, summer, and fall, you’ll likely find me at the baseball field — embarrassingly loudly — cheering on my boys and their...

Life + Culture

Garden of Delight

Celebrate spring with the unique blooms in the Arb’s iconic peony garden Article by Rebecca Voigt One of the most spectacular sights in Ann Arbor is also one of its most ephemeral. Every spring, the W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden at Nichols Arboretum bursts into spectacular bloom, captivating residents for a few brief weeks in late May to early June. One of the world’s premiere collections, the garden holds nearly 800 peonies with more than 10,000 flowers at peak bloom. To help plan your visit to...