The Jefferson Market: A Jewel in the Heart of the Old West Side

Sept 2025

Jefferson Market

Address: 609 W Jefferson St, Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Phone: (734) 665-6666

Sue Kaufmann

On June 17, 2019, Angie May and Ed Green became the latest owners of The Jefferson Market. On June 20, they opened for business. Their path to The Market was touched by serendipity. Angie was born and raised in Indiana; Ed grew up in North Dakota and Nebraska. They each found their way to Berkeley, California and then to Bette’s Diner, a small, busy, vibrant restaurant and Berkeley institution. Ed worked at Bette’s for 30 years and Angie for 15. Along the way, they became life partners and co-managers of Bette’s Diner. “It was tiny and had great energy, packed with people coming and going,” says Ed.

By 2019, Ed and Angie had decided they were ready to move on. Their first priority was to find a community in which to raise their two sons, Miles, now a junior in high school, and Ren, a college student. They wanted to find a University town similar in size to Berkeley that had great educational opportunities, was diverse and was less crowded than the Bay area. Once they found that town, they wanted to open a small restaurant where they could recreate and build on the things they loved most about Bette’s Diner.

That March, as Angie was scanning restaurant listings, the previous owner of The Jefferson Market, at 609 W. Jefferson Street, listed it for sale at just the right moment. Serendipity! Although Angie and Ed had never been to Ann Arbor, they knew its reputation and decided to come for a visit. The Old West Side was the perfect neighborhood—the only one they were willing to consider. In short order, they made a successful offer on The Market, found a house to rent a block away, moved, and days later re-opened the restaurant.

Ed Green and Angie May, owners of The Jefferson Market

The Market, prior to the pandemic was growing steadily, with a loyal customer base and the regular addition of newcomers. Business hours were Tuesday through Sunday with breakfast and lunch served all day, as well as weekly specials. Ed finally found a place for his collection of old fans, radios, childhood keepsakes and family antiques from life in rural Nebraska, things which had been collecting dust in storage. They reorganized the kitchen for greater efficiency in preparing the kinds of food they now serve, adding a new flat-top griddle, refrigerators and increased storage.

And then, in early 2020, Covid slammed everything shut. They were closed for two months. They reopened in survival mode: closed Tuesdays with reduced hours and a slimmer menu. While they resumed outdoor-only service in the summer of 2020, they opted to keep the restaurant closed for indoor dining until July 25, 2023. Demand for to-go meals was so high, but they were able to maintain a minimal staff and keep going. For a period after Covid, To-go purchases accounted for 80% of their sales. Now 80% of sales are in-house. The staff continued masking until 2024, with such a small staff they couldn’t risk illness, which would have meant having to close.

I asked Ed and Angie about their priorities and goals for The Jefferson Market. They want to reflect the history of the Market, which has had many incarnations throughout its history. “We are in it for the long haul,” they say. Their goal is to build a restaurant that fosters community, is accessible and fairly priced.

With memories of the vibrant, buzzy atmosphere of Bette’s Diner, they strive to promote interaction among diners and between diners and the staff—to be a place where the servers and the served can have fun while appreciating well-prepared and well–presented food. They stress the importance of teamwork, so that each staff member can and does pitch in wherever needed, and they can interact with customers to ensure the best possible service. Miles and Ren help a lot. Ed pays attention to decor and ambience. He’s good at maintenance and repairs. Angie focuses on employees and customer service: the magic mix of music, atmosphere, service and food.

Welcoming atmosphere in the historic market

Ed says, “We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. Breakfast is generally considered a simple meal, but the attention to detail through our preparation and presentation is what, we hope, sets us apart.” Everyone works hard; Ed and Angie have rarely taken a day off, since vacationmeans closing up. They are at the restaurant six days a week. “Our lives are the restaurant and our boys,” Angie says. She and Ed appreciate the way their family pulls together to support the restaurant and are proud to be demonstrating for their sons the value of hard work and commitment. For Ren and Miles, living in Ann Arbor has meant more liberty and freedom to explore than would have been available in Berkeley.

The Market has maintained relationships with vendors including local businesses Guernsey Dairy, Grazing Fields for free range eggs. Crust, a bakery in Fenton supplies the breads and Tom Maceri and Sons, out of Detroit, provides most of the produce. The in-house baker arrives at 5:00 a.m. each day to make all the (delicious!) pastries sold at the market, including biscuits, scones, muffins and cookies.

Ed and Angie believe they made the right choice. One look around the busy restaurant confirms that their customers do, too. “It’s not just about the food. It’s not just about the service or the atmosphere. It’s the whole package. We want the customers to enjoy the entire experience, start to finish.” The Jefferson Market has become a neighborhood mainstay and an Ann Arbor treasure.

For more information, go to www.thejeffersonmarket.com.

To reach Ed or Angie, write to jefferson@thejeffersonmarket.com.