-- --Ann Arbors fnest Michigan Theater_ Brandon Conradis Daily Film Editor U U -W -w Tudt0, One woman's experience starting By Julie Rowe an independent restaurant in Ann Arbor Daily Staff Writer Since its inception in independent film move- 1928, the Michigan Theater ment, the Michigan's most has been one of Ann Arbor's immediately noticeable most enduring and instantly characteristic is the slew recognizable features - can of not-so-recognizable you imagine walking down movie titles that adorns its East Liberty Street without marquee. But the films it seeing that glorious neon shows are consistently well- sign looming above?In many received and notable, and respects, the theater defines the theater continues to be the arts scene in Ann Arbor, the place to see the next big with its penchant for pro- Oscar contenders. In fact, vocative and off-beat musi- its pure love of all things cians - Yo La Tengo, Jeff cinematic is what sets the Tweedy, Patti Smith - its theater apart from its con- revolving lineup of the latest tenders. What other theater award-winningindependent shows free Christmas clas- films and, perhaps most sig- sics during the holidays? nificantly, its lofty position A perfect counterpoint to as the showcase for both the the State Theater's endear- Ann Arbor Film Festival and ing "small town" vibe, the the Ann Arbor Symphony. feel of the Michigan is one of A true supporter of the a sleek, big city movie palace unchanged by time, com- plete with one of the coun- try's few remaining original Barton organs. When it was originally built, the theater's architect, Maurice Finkel, pictured it as "a shrine to art." It has now become more than that - once alav- ish theater dedicated to the latest and best in entertain- ment, it's now a symbol of the rich history and culture of Ann Arbor. When the Michiganwas close to demo- lition in 1978, for example, students, artists and other inhabitants of Ann Arbor all gathered togetherto pull the theater out of debt - a true sign of the lasting impact it's had on the people in and around this city. SHAY SPANIOLA/Daily Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater has been open since 1928. hen she opened her restau- rant last June, Sava Lelcaj was shocked the cafe's 23 seats were rarely filled. It's hard to imagine the same woman who speaks with fervor as she makes menu suggestions to custom- ers - most of whom she knows by name - spent her first few months on State Street depressed and worried about her namesake cafe. But Lelcaj struggled with a fact-of-life for State Street eateries - not many stu- dents stick around in the spring and sum- mer terms. Even thoughher restaurant sits only 300 feet north of E. Liberty Street, she's isolated from the heavy foot traffic that stops abruptly at the State Theater. A small, simple banner marks the cafe, but does little to draw would-be customers from the Liberty-State intersection. But once September came and brought 40,000 University students with it, Lelcaj said her restaurant came alive. Although Sava's State Street Caf6 just broke even in March, its owner has made considerable efforts to keep the business afloat. The caf6 serves customers from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, and Lelcaj is there "100 percent" of the time, she said. This may change, however, with plans to extend dining hours until 4 a.m. on some nights. "Anything you do, if you do it with pas- sion, you'll do it well and you'll be success- ful," Lelcaj said. She describes her current clientele as "really hip and really trendy," which fits with her vision for the cafe. She achieves her goal of creating a cozy, welcoming atmosphere with soft lighting and warm yellow walls. A support column in the cen- ter of the room is covered with the head- shots of musical theater students - whom she regards as her most loyal customers. She spoke affectionately of the more than 30 musical theater seniors who dine in the caf6 daily, but hastened to add that she'll need the next class to start frequent- ing the restaurant. By Lelcaj's report, at least four other independentrestaurantswere opened and subsequently closed where her restaurant now sits. Her space was home to Pita Pit last year. Still, she's optimistic that her restaurant will become an Ann Arbor landmark. To meet her dream of serving paninis and sweet potato fries to the clhil- dren ofher current customers, she'll need to keep pace with constantly-changing Ann Arbor trends.. While she said adapting to new ' demands will be challenging, the spunky proprietor also said she has the energy to make the necessary adjustments. So far, she has. She doubled her seating capac- ity when she saw an increased number of people dining in and added meatless dish- es when customers requested more vege- tarian options. In fact, it's the spinach and artichoke dip she added in November that customers request the most. She said her first attempt to craft a menu of high-quality, reasonably priced food was successful, and though she's made some additions, nothing has been altered or taken off of her menu. "I sat down and wrote some of my favorite sand- wiches from all over the world," Lelcaj said. Vo "Everybody loves a good sandwich." With the other four sandwichshopsliningState Street, she has some tough competition. But she said her caf6 provides hungry students with "something different." She's obviously found something they want, because despite little advertising effort, she's seen a 75 percent increase in business since last sum- mer. "We are fresh, healthy and we are homemade," Lelcaj said. "You can really taste that in every dish." Still, her four nearby competitors - Amer's Del- icatessen, Cosi, Potbelly Sandwich Works and Earl of Sandwich - have either been around for alongtime or have a major chain to back them up. "Twenty to 30 yearsI ago, Ann Arbor was this little hip town which embraced its indepen- dents," Lelcaj said. While Ann Arbor residents still embrace indie culture, she said, big businesses have forced out small, personal establishments like hers. When business slows at the end of the month as students leave Ann Arbor for the summer, Lel- caj plans to develop an active marketing plan to bring in new customers. Young, active Ann Arbor residents, she said, would be attracted to her promise of good food and aa s N T friendly service. once she's able to person- ally welcome them to the cafe and offer them some- thing from the menu, they'll keep coming back. ited Best Cheap Eats and Best Late Hight Takeut ay O #anw&i Readers in 2008 BEST BURRITO 2006a&2007-*Best New Local Business 2005 Best Mexican Feed 2005 - Best Late Night Munchies 2005 810S. Stale St.2224822.1906 Packard 995-9940 ww.biburrftiolom 00"