Village Corner

Opened a Unilocal account and wanted to choose a spot I give a damn about to write my first review. Village Corner is a business owned and operated by a local couple who also run one of the best wine programs in the country. More importantly, they’re great people.
While their shop is focused on wine, they curate a hand-​selected collection of anything you might need for a occasions ranging from a well-​stocked dinner party to a night alone by the fire (with snacks & booze). Though I visit for beer, I am often inspired to peruse their whiskey selection, and usually end up with a box of crackers or a chocolate bar as well. Their liquor prices in particular are very competitive; many bottles are at or near the state minimum. In terms of beer and wine, Dick and Sally are ready and willing to walk you through the store and find exactly the bottle (or bottles!) that match what you feel like spending with the whatever flavors or other attributes you’re after. The shop is focused on the quality of what they sell, and the ability to provide for those who care about what they drink.

VC has moved and is no longer on the cusp of central campus. It is now just north of North Campus in a strip mall. You still have Dick Scheer as the owner, who is likely the most knowledgeable wine expert in the state. The new store is smaller, and appears to carry less of the very fine wines wines that Village Corner used to carry, but this process started years ago. If you want a certain wine, just talk to Dick. VC still has a good and varied selection, perhaps the best in town, and his prices are probably the most reasonable. He also sponsors many excellent wine tastings and wine dinners for the public at very reasonable prices through his Taster’s Guild and his Ann Arbor Wine Club groups. Less studenty now than the old Village Corner. BTW, the picture needs updating. It is of the old VC.

I like it!
I’ve been going to the Village Corner for a few months when I need something while at work. They are surprisingly well stocked for being a fairly small store. I might not buy the perishable foods, but everything else seems good.
The store is a little cramped, but I would say that just about anything that you’re looking for you can find.

A true Jewel of Ann Arbor. Pick up your groceries, your average or sophisticated beer, and your everyday or special occasion wine here… if you have the option. The only limitation here is parking, and if you find a spot within a block or two you will drive away happy.
I spent a few student years living exclusively off Village Corner, and found everything I needed within their walls. Ask for some help in the wine section, if you could use it. I always found the resident wine guru slash rocket scientist to be full of helpful information.

As a card-​carrying wine snob, (And a Townie) I must say that there is much disinformation about Village Corner. First off, they do not carry any first-​growth Bordeaux. Secondly, if you could purchase first-​growth Bordeaux, the kid with the blue hair behind the counter does not have the key to the locked cabinet, so you will need to come back later. While the tremendous amount of bottles might lead you to believe they have an incredible selection, you must exclude all the dusty bottles that are about as valuable as a Frat Boy’s beer can collection.
Now for the good news. Prices are quite reasonable for the largely lower and middle range wines that they do have, and you can definitely find some well-​priced gems hidden in the worn wooden shelves and the (upper-​end) padlocked wire cabinet. Until recently they had an impressive collection of small «grower» Champagne that kept me checking in frequently, but only a few of those remain. I will be back the instant they are refreshed.
The beer selection appears to be quite good, (they have Hitachino Nest White Ale, which is excellent but not stocked everywhere) and the remainder of the store seems to have food that college types with bloodshot eyes and the munchies find appealing.
A gritty shopping experience to be certain, but an Ann Arbor institution all the same.

This place is awesome! A little shady looking, to be sure, and often populated by underage-​looking kids, but don’t let that sway you. You can get groceries here, which is a surprising plus, and screw people that wouldn’t do so, elitist jerks.
The main reason to go here, though, is the alcohol selection. You can mix and match six packs of beer, and they have many Michigan beers and a few uncommon ones as well. The wine selection is just incredible. I don’t know anything about wine, but I can respect this selection for what it is, and this place is probably one of the best places in the state for wine selection.
My only complaint is that they were out of Clancy’s hot sauce when I stopped by last, but I’m happy to know that they do normally carry it

Three things I want to point out about this place:
1.) Any questions about wine? Ask for Jorge. He’ll hook you up with the info you need and the perfect wine for your palette. He’s never let me down.
2.) This is the spot for your special cigarettes (um, not those!). What I mean is, maybe don’t buy a regular box of Camels here, but rolling tobacco, papers, filters, Nat Shermans, all of these are the cheapest at Village Corner. I know. I was broke once and I smoked, smoked, smoked. I would walk the fifteen minute walk to save money buying smokes here. Classic and Natural Nat Shermans, especially — they’ve got the best buy in the city.
3.) I love the staff. That’s because I used to party with them. But I fully support them, they only add greatness to the atmosphere.

Like everyone has said, you’ll pay for the convenience of buying things from Village. If you’re anything like me, you need the convenience, because Meijer is too much of a haul late at night.
And I’ve showed up here needing real strange crap at weird times. Band-​aids at midnight? Check. KY at nine in the morning? Check. Soup? Check! Not that everyone needs these specific items… but you get my meaning. They have a wide selection of little things without actually being a CVS or Rite Aid.
Village is like some strange vortex where the things you need just magically show up. I’m being figurative, of course.
It’s close enough to walk to in your pajamas, so give it a shot before you move the car and drive out to the supermarket only to find out that what you were looking for was a block away all along!

This is a nice, gritty little convenience store on South U., where only students shop. Lots of school-​related supplies and must-​haves like batteries and duct tape.
It has meat, produce, frozen foods and dairy products, and yet, it is not a good place to do grocery shopping, because the selection is so small and prices are so high. It is a great place, on the other hand, to pick up one or two items that you forgot, plus a bottle of wine or a six-​pack.
If you are a student without transportation, try to shop at White Market, still small, but better than a convenience store. Or better yet, take the bus out to Kroger.

So conveniently located by the shithole that is U-​towers.
Although more expensive than Meijer, it’s definitely priced right for the convenience. It’s a great place to pickup some stuff you run out off before your next big trip to Meijer.
They have an excellent selection of Naked Juice here.

Phenomenal wine selection! Want a great, first growth Bordeaux? VC will most likely have it. And wine tastings? Forget about it! 3 – 4 times a year, they do great tastings around the area, give case discounts around the tastings theme wines, and have the wine knowledge you can count on.

Village Corner is a nice place to go if you don’t feel like driving/​taking the bus to Kroger or Meijer. Although it serves its purpose with regards to convenience, when I really need groceries I just suck it up and head to Kroger.
Village Corner is a bit more expensive than Meijer or Kroger because of its proximity to campus. It provides just about everything a student needs. Both ramen-​eating and cooking adept students alike can appreciate the selection Village Corner offers. There’s a wide assortment of alcohol as well. Those 21 and up (or those lucky enough to know some upperclassmen) will be happy when they see all the wine, liquor, and beer that can be put to good use.
Unfortunately there are some things about this place that are about as attractive as the fat, wine-​guzzling rat posted on the awning. For starters, the fruit is always pretty bad. The same goes for the vegetables. I really don’t like buying either there because their ripeness will forever be inconsistent.
The other pitfall is the price of their products. Knowing that you could be getting the same thing for much cheaper either at the White Market, Kroger, Meijer, or even Village Apothecary can be pretty disheartening when you stop to think about it.
However, despite the pricey, rotten fruit, Village Corner isn’t so bad.
I’ll end this review with a warning for young patrons looking to test out their fake I.D.‘s. Village Corner is notorious for cracking down on fake I.D.‘s. Out of all the places in Ann Arbor, the most stories about botched under-​aged drinking escapades that I’ve heard about have started with a visit to Village Corner. But if this wont sway you, I guess you must be feeling pretty lucky.

In terms of convenient groceries on campus, Village Corner gets the job done. Due to the packed-​in mazelike setup, it’s a challenge to find what you need on your first visit. But if it’s a basic food or sundry item, they probably have it. As others have mentioned, their wine selection is pretty cool. I wouldn’t really visit Village Corner if I didn’t have to, which prevents me from giving it over a mediocre three stars.

Do you lllovvvve wine snobs? Enjoy put-​down artists (who will put down YOU)? Then by all means get involved with the cult of personality built around this improbable combination: cheap student groceries in half the store crossed with upscale wines in the other aisles. You’ll also love the unbearable snobbery in some of the clerks combined with outlandish demeanor and spaced-​out wackiness among the others. Behind it all: a man who thinks there would be no wine in the city if it were not for him. (He’s wrong.)

I used to live about two doors down from VC and loved it. The cashiers were pierced and tattooed and had hair in all the colors of the rainbow. They were also often rude. It was awesome! They had everything I needed between large Meijer’s trips. Oh, and a pretty great alcohol selection. Ah, how I loved the sketchy goodness that was VC.

VC has an excellent wine selection, and knowledgeable staff in that area. There may be certain times of the week (and times of the year) when it’s harder to get help, but there are a number of folks who’ve been there for a while who can help you out.