Spring is bringing fresh faces and revamped spaces to Kid’s Creek Marketplace on South Division across from Meijer.

Dennis Collier, who’s operated a Fantastic Sam’s franchise out of the retail center for the past 10 years, is now an independent salon called LoveHair. With his contract expiring, he aspired to create a hipper space with a new outlook.

“Fantastic Sam’s is a great company, it just doesn’t work up here,” Collier says, noting another Fantastic Sam’s used to operate on Eighth Street under different ownership.

He retained all of his employees yet reduced the number of chairs by two to create more elbow room. Bright paint, funky mirrors, refurbished furniture and new maple flooring all add to the contemporary “updo.”

LoveHair is open every day, including Sundays (9-7 weekly; Saturday, 9-5 and Sunday, 11-4). Collier is considering staying open until 8 p.m. on week nights to take advantage of foot traffic at adjacent Plato’s Closet, a resale store that buys gently-used, brand name clothing and accessories for teens and young adults.

The resale store is in buying mode until the second or third week of May, when it plans to start selling to the public, says Chelsi Schroeder, one of the managers. The store pays cash on the spot for accepted items. “We buy all seasons, all day,” she says. “But trend is the number one criteria – items from the last 12-18 months.”

The Traverse City franchise, owned by Melissa and Mike Dow, is open 10-9 daily and noon-5 on Sunday.

Plato’s Closet replaces “upcycled” furniture store Chairitable Resale run by designer Denine Dingeman, who shut down last October after two years due to “unexpected life changes.” She’s now general manager of Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore and refurbishes pieces from the store with painter/wood restorer Dan Brady for the “UpNorthLive ReVibe” segment that airs on TV 7&4/29&8. “I really enjoyed every aspect of (Chairitable Resale). It was a great learning experience…and got me to where I am now.”

In January, downstate coffee franchise Biggby Coffee returned to its former “brewing ground” at Kid’s Creek. It operated from 2002 to 2009 in the space, after which a branch of Aroma’s Coffee & Tea took over. Aroma’s continues to operate a location out of the Bayview Professional Center on East Traverse Highway.

Another downstate franchise, SVS Vision, opened in Kid’s Creek last month. Next door to SVS, 3,600 square feet is still available and could be split into two storefronts, according to Coldwell Banker Schmidt Associate Broker Dan Stiebel, and 1,600 square feet is up for grabs next to Plato’s Closet. A variety of retailers are eyeing the center, he says, and the owners are looking for “any tenant that’s a good fit” – but not a competing business.

“We do want those that will be a good draw and help the businesses already there,” Stiebel says.

Michael Orden, an associate broker with Real Estate One, founded the retail center 11 years ago with Traverse City attorney Dan Dingeman. Because of its quality and location, Orden says, the asking price is $15.95 per square foot, plus expenses.

“It’s one of the highest quality environments in the Traverse City market because of its visibility and traffic,” Orden says. “For not being a large center, it has an incredible amount of traffic … and we take a lot of pride in its maintenance.”

Long-time retailers include Party Giant and Little Caesars Pizza. Other businesses providing services and products include TC Nails, The Industry Source (hair and beauty supplies), Planet Beach, Kelly Services, and Nourish, a nutrition club that offers smoothies, teas and shakes.