Anthony B's Rebuilt from Ground Up; Tim Hortons Added to Garfield Corner

With its green roof and red sign, Anthony B’s Party Store at the corner of 17 Mile Road and Garfield was something of a Clinton Township landmark, but the familiar building is no more as the entire property has now been razed and rebuilt.

The old party store was demolished this month and Mike Elias, owner of the property, said the new building should be completed by the end of October.

“We went through a lot of steps to have a nice building that will complement the corner and the city and it’s something to be proud of for me and the neighborhood,” Elisa said. “We put a lot of extra money in designing a building that will attract attention and be a complement to the township.”

This redesign is more than two-and-a-half years in the making, and will feature three businesses when complete.

At 5,800 square feet, the building will include Anthony B’s Party Store, Tim Hortons and a third retail location that Elias has yet to lease.

“The township is very pleased with the project and with the redevelopment in general,” said Carlo Santia, township planning director. “It is now a beautiful looking building and is organized significantly better. It will be a little crowded, but it will be a very nice site.”

Although the property is on the small side for three businesses, Elias said he is confident parking will not be an issue as each business has different hours of peak operation. For instance, Tim Hortons tends to be busiest between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m., while Anthony B’s serves most customers in the late afternoon and evening.

While the corner will no longer feature a car wash, Elias said customers can count on Anthony B’s continuing to serve up its popular pizza and subs, while Tim Hortons will offer both drive-thru and counter service.

With the project's completion date in sight, Elias said he credits his success thus far to officials in the township’s planning and building departments, specifically Santia and electrical inspector Skip Anderson.

“It is a lot of work, but I had a lot of encouragement from officials in the township. I showed them my original plans and they encouraged me going forward. I’m hoping my improvements will complement the surrounding area.”