In the spirit of Curb Your Car Month and Mother’s Day we bring you a Route of the Month post from local writer (and bus rider) Laura B.:

Route of the Month: Route 10
The Route of Unique Gifts

None of the usual Mother’s Day presents appealed to me. Flowers and chocolates are unimaginative. Magazine subscription?–she already gets a zillion. Then it occurred to me: my three favorite spots for unusual gifts are all on one AATA route, the number 10 circling northeast Ypsilanti.

The number 10 leaves downtown Ypsi 15 minutes after each hour. To catch it from Ann Arbor, take a bus leaving the Ann Arbor station half past the previous hour. Since traffic often causes delays, particularly during rush hours on route 4, it’s best to ask the driver when boarding, “Could you hold the 10 for me in Ypsi”?

After leaving downtown Ypsi, the 10 cruises over the river and down Cross Street. As it turns onto Prospect, riders can debus to walk or bike east down Cross to south on Harris and the first gift stop, Ypsilanti’s well-loved Value World. Riders can also stay on the bus—it stops across the street from this thrift shop, after a trip down Forest and a loop through the township past Appleridge Park.

Value World on Michigan Avenue (debus at the CVS across the street at the stop just after the Kroger’s) boasts four huge racks of purses, ranging from totes to clutches and arranged by color.

On the prowl for possible gifts, I found an adorable appliquéd spring beige canvas purse, in perfect condition, for $2.70. Hmm, a gift certificate to a restaurant could fit very nicely inside. Nearby was a sturdy, elegant cast iron wine rack, also in perfect condition, for $4.24. I estimated the rack would cost up to $60 in a fancy boutique. Tuck in a few bottles of Michigan wine, I thought, to make another nice gift.

Hopping back on the 10 brings riders into Depot Town, where one jewelry hotspot is Silver Spoon Antiques at 27 E. Cross St. The shop specializes in pre-1960 jewelry, and arranges pieces according to color, making it easy to select a piece of jewelry according to the giftee’s favorite palette. The shop’s “amethyst” table is particularly striking, glowing with purple necklaces, brooches, bracelets, and rings. Silver Spoon also has a selection of fancy lacy hankies for around $3 each—another extra to tuck into my appliquéd purse.

Just down the street, Salt City Antiques features a collection of mini-shops under one roof. About 12 dealers offer everything from Fiestaware to antique signs. One striking object was a $22 recipe-book holder with two metal balls suspended from the top back rail of the rack. Laid over each opened side of the book, the balls gently hold it open without fuss.

One short ride on route 10 had shown me wonderful ideas for gifts I’d never thought of. In addition to the fun of discovering unusual items, my Mother’s Day was covered.