Wyandotte Business Owners Go Leafy Green

Keeping Downtown Wyandotte looking good and remaining a strong part of the community is just good business, according to Gilbert Rose.

Gilbert Rose, 78, of Wyandotte, owns and operates The Willow Tree and Chelsea's with his family.

"Part of being in business in a town like Wyandotte is your affection for the community and your pride in ownership," Rose said.

Gilbert's pride in ownership lead him to make improvements at The Willow Tree. Improvements include foliage on the exterior of the building and renovating the second floor with four new apartments.

Leafy greens can now be seen in a canopy above the store's lighted sign, which is an area that remained baron for almost two years. 

Gilbert Rose's son, Peter, 58, of Woodhaven, also had several solar panels installed on the roof of Chelsea's, which was opened by Gilbert's father in 1943.

Efforts to spruce up the canopy have been thwarted since the Rose family purchased the building in 1967. 

At first, real plants occupied the space, but weather conditions made it impossible for anything to grow, according to Gilbert Rose. Later, real plants were traded out for artificial plants, but construction on the apartments forced Rose to remove them about two years ago.

Undaunted, Rose and his son, reestablished a need to keep Downtown Wyandotte looking beautiful and began making changes to the businesses.

"Creating a business and a physical presence that is appealing to people and makes people think that there's a future here (is important)," Gilbert Rose said.