4-10-2013 6:37pm

Saline Salutes Joy Ely, Queen of Downtown Saline

More than 20 years ago, Joy Ely and her mother, Janet Swope, felt like Saline’s orphans as they operated the family business, Pineapple House, in their Bennett Street location.

Today, after 21 years in the heart of Saline, Ely has gone from feeling like an orphan to being the Queen of Downtown Saline.

The Saline Area Chamber of Commerce will honor Ely with the Lifetime Achievement Award at Friday’s Saline Salutes banquet at Saline High School.

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Ely is being honored for 30 years of volunteering to make Saline – especially downtown Saline – a better place. She’s been a proud and outspoken member and leader of the chamber of commerce. She was a founding member of the Saline Downtown Merchants Association. More recently she was a founding board member for Saline Main Street. What all that means is, Ely has given thousands of volunteer hours to Saline.

Mayor Brian Marl said he was glad to see the chamber recognize Ely’s efforts.

“Joy is one of our community's truly outstanding small business people, with a keen eye for design and great taste. I continue to be impressed by the wide scope of the stellar reputation of her business, which extends beyond the borders of our city. Over the years, she has been a tireless advocate and promoter of Saline's downtown,” Marl said.

Saline resident and business owner Anne Brandon said she was thrilled to see Ely recognized by the chamber.

“Joy was the first business owner to welcome me to downtown Saline, when I opened my business. She has been a tireless volunteer, from everything from blowing up balloons and putting them in front of the local businesses for Ladies Night Out, to being on the initial planning meeting for the Main Street program,” Brandon said. “I've stopped in her store at 8 p.m. on a Friday night just to ask her a question, and she has always been willing to give me advice, a friendly ear, and smile. I appreciate both she and Ron and all that they do for this community that I am lucky to belong to. I consider it a gift that she has befriended me.”

Ely, of course, is modest about the award.

“I was stunned when I heard. Totally stunned. I am honored that people recognize all the time I’ve put in, but I don’t think I’ve done anything particularly special or anything that others haven’t done,” Ely said.

Ely’s mother, Janet Swope, founded Pineapple House 30 years ago in Hillsdale as an antique business that rented booths at shows. Ely, who lived in Saline with her husband Ron and their family, joined the business and it moved to Bennett Street in Saline.

Ron had encouraged Joy to go into business after their daughter Morgan, who has special needs, was born.

Pineapple House began to evolve to take advantage of Ely’s interior design skills and the mother-daughter team needed more space.

“We always felt like Saline’s orphans on Bennett Street and we began looking downtown,” Ely said.

There wasn’t much going on downtown. Marcia Duncan had just opened Calico Cat in what is now Stone Arch. Kelly’s was a new restaurant the space now housing Mangiamo Italian Grill.

21 years ago, she and her husband purchased a building that sat vacant at Michigan Avenue and Ann Arbor Street for five years.

“It was really in terrible shape,” Ely said. “We were friends with the contractor who renovated Calico Cat and he convinced us we could turn the building into something nice.”

Looking back, Ely said, the corner of Michigan and Ann Arbor was the perfect fit.

“Saline was the perfect sized town for me. If I’d been in Ann Arbor, I might have been swallowed up and intimidated. If I had been in a smaller town, I might have been bored,” Ely said. “Saline has enough going on, but it’s small enough to make a difference.”

With a business on the main corner in Downtown Saline, Ely knew that anything that was good for Saline was good for her business. So she got involved in volunteering to make good things happen for Saline. She was an active member in the chamber of commerce, serving as board president. She co-founded the chamber’s retail council – a predecessor to the Saline Downtown Merchants Association. And when local merchants formed the SDMA, Ely was among the founding members and most active members.

The SDMA was an important organization for local businesses, Ely said.

“Before SDMA, the merchants didn’t really talk much. And we lacked that singular voice that could represent us on important issues,” Ely said. “It was really nice when the city began to consult and listen to the SDMA. We accomplished so much for Saline that a lot of people don’t even know about. But I know how it got done and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Over the years, she volunteered untold hours planning, organizing and working at events designed to highlight all the great things to do downtown.

“I think that comes from my mom. My mom always encouraged me to work hard. She always said that if I was going to do something, I was going to do it the best it could be done,” Ely said. She grew up on a horse farm in the middle of Livonia, where her mom ran the biggest and best 4H club in the area.

And, Ely said, volunteering has been a great way to develop long-last friendships.

Today, Ely’s mother and husband continue to be a source of support and inspiration.

“Ron is a tremendous supporter. He helps out so much around the store and when we have events. And he takes care of our daughter so I can do these things,” Ely said. “And my mother has always been my biggest cheerleader. ‘Go Joy, Go!’”

Another source of inspiration is Ely’s daughter, Dr. Brooke Sharp, who has a business, New Era Chiropractic, just down the block. Ely likes to spend her Mondays with her granddaughter.

After 30 years in business, Ely has no plans to retire or to stop volunteering.

“I don’t think that’s in the cards yet. I was thinking about taking my first vacation in 18 years when they redid Michigan Avenue. But that’s been pushed back to 2018, so who knows?” Ely said.