Music : Development News

Two Floridians lured to Michigan by the University of Michigan and the special degree she could obtain there, have not only decided to stay in Michigan after falling in love with Clawson but have opened an art gallery that wants to show off the unexpected talents of Michigan artists.

Maple Arcade opened last week at 38 E. 14 Mile Road in downtown Clawson after months of frustrating renovations but high hopes that the cool and quality vibe of downtown Clawson will let their gallery join the success stories of Clawson establishments like Leon & Lulu and Noble Fish.

Maple Arcade owner Jeffrey Bowman and his wife, Emily, moved to Michigan from Florida two and a half years ago so that she could work on a master of science information degree at U-M. She works as an information architect at Organic Inc.

"We both really liked Ferndale..It's more of a younger type thing, more art, music," he said. "But we couldn't find the house with the yard we wanted. I didn't even know about Clawson…I thought it was Royal Oak. We found this awesome house..
And after they started exploring "we fell in love with the place instantly…We started to eat at the restaurants, got know the owners, got to know the mailman and instantly got to know like six neighbors," he recalled.

The weekend after they moved, during the citywide garage sale, they strolled around the block and saw the vacant spot that would become Maple Arcade, which takes its name from Maple (for their dog, not the street) and from the time when arcade was also a place that housed artwork.

"We live a few blocks from the downtown strip," Bowman said. When we saw this place, I was like, 'look at this cool little place. Wouldn't it be awesome for a store?' "

A few months later they bought it and began the renovations to make it a showcase for all kinds of art. He is a painter himself and has sold works around the country.

"What I'm trying to do here is open a gallery of Michigan based artists and give a more out of the box type of place, not your standard, the stuff you expect to see," he says. "A lot of people who come in here, their first thing is, "Ooooh." Thats the kind of thing you want…You want things that people haven't seen."

Currently artist Zack Green's work is on display.

His bigger plans as he makes more connections with artists are to attract visitors to a multidimensional gallery, where they participate in podcasts with artists, see artists at work.

"We'll have the freedom to shut the shop dow, change it up," he said. "We want this to be a different kind of experience that's about the great art we have here."

Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Jeffrey Bowman, owner, Maple Arcade

Found Sound, a new record store at 234 W. 9 Mile in downtown Ferndale, is finding nostalgia and a craving for the listening quality of vinyl and is attracting a loyal customer base.

The store, opened July 21 on 9 Mile near Woodward, is run by two record store veterans from Recordtime in Roseville.

They know of what they speak of when it comes to vinyl's rise, demise and resurrection. Found Sound stocks new and used records and special orders them. It will also host concerts twice a month and show music-related movies.

Ferndale was chosen as the business location for Found Sound because of "what you might call a counterculture, an art-based culture," says Found Sound manager Ray Hayosh.

"The first day was great. We had people waiting at the door, he says. "I saw this building and thought it is the best location in metro Detroit for a record store. Besides the culture here, we're close enough to the city to get the city traffic and close enough to upper suburbs to get their traffic."

He says the customers are a mix in age, interest and level of knowledge.

"There are enough collectors to make it a niche store, but we have a lot of people who just enjoy music. They're not obsessive fanatics, they're just casual listeners," he says.

And they're not necessarily mostly customers who knew and miss playing records.

"There's a big interest in vinyl with teens. Theres' a pretty big nostalgia factor to it..Even if only their parents listened to the records, they want to know more about it," he says. "For some it's the actual listening…People talk about a warmth to vinyl..The digital just has a very cold kind of feeling…with analog there's a much more inviting feeling. For some it's not the sound but the aesthetics of vinyl records. They can display them on a  shelf and share them with people."

The comeback of vinyl records has been helped by the availability of portable turntables and the business of independent labels that continued pressing records that major labels wanted only in digital format. Some bands, such as Pearl Jam, never stopped putting out vinyl records, he says.

"Now major labels are re-releasing everything under the sun," he says, "and there's a lot of stuff that's available in vinyl."

It may not be high-tech, he says, but it's still a fascinating thing how records play music.

"What's bizarre to me is the idea of a record needle reading a groove, he says. "It's crazy it's been over 100 years and it's still such an amazing thing."

Source: Ray Hayosh, manager, Found Sound
Writer: Kim North Shine

Rochester Musician's Academy in downtown Rochester is expanding to keep up with local desire to strum guitar, beat a drum, play a piano, sing a song.

Some in the music education industry say TV shows like Glee, American Idol and the numerous, melodious Disney creations, are spurring the interest.

Rochester Musician's Academy, formerly J.C.'s Drum Store, moved to its 119 S. Main Street address about five years ago, and since then has added staff and students, up four instructors from one and adding more classes, lesson space and a studio. The remodel is expected to be completed in May.

The Academy calls itself the fastest growing music school in Oakland County and credits the growth to the fun classes it offers: Rock Band, Pee Wee Percussion, Steel Band Camp among them.

"We strive to be the most complete musical education in the greater Detroit area,"  onwer Joe Chila says on his website. "Our students come from as far away as Grosse Pointe on the east and Southfield on the west."

Source: Rochester Musician's Academy
Writer: Kim North Shine

The Ferndale City Council has approved a liquor license for a cigar and tapas bar in downtown Ferndale.

Secret Bar & Bistro could open sometime this summer at 319 W. 9 Mile, according to city records.

It's early in the process for the 3,500-square-foot renovation that will include a special ventilation system and feature a menu of top cigars and a variety of shareable edibles called tapas. There will also be live entertainment.

Secret is one of several restaurants expected to open this spring or summer in Ferndale. Renovations on the former Le Soups spot have yet to begin.

Source: Ferndale City Hall and Ferndale Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine

A mix of local and national retailers, restaurants and other businesses are making downtown Birmingham their address.

A recruiter hired by the city's Principal Shopping District has attracted some of the newcomers. The Principal Shopping District functions somewhat like a downtown development authority but does not capture taxes as traditional DDAs do or buy or purchase land. The PSD uses funds from a special assessment on commercial properties to operate. That includes marketing downtown Birmingham and hiring a recruiter to find national retailers.

One is Paper Source, a Chicago-based stationery and paper supply store that has 44 locations, with seven opening nationally this year. Paper Source is filling the space occupied by Sherman's Shoes at 115 West Maple.

About 15 businesses, from restaurants and candy stores to salons and clothing stores, have opened recently or are expected to open soon.

Look for Detroit Guitar, which is under construction at 243 W. Maple and will bring music lessons and music gear in funky surroundings to downtown in September.

What Crepe?, a Euro dining eatery, is moving into 167 Old North Woodward. Sanders, the ice cream and candy store, is relocating just down the street to 172 North Old Woodward. Shish Kabob and Subway are adding to eating options, as are three bistros: Townhouse, Bella Piatti and Churchills. Revive, a men's clothing store, is coming to 163 W. Maple, where Adventures in Toys once was. Salons, H202 and Nude, opened in May on Hamilton Row.

"We definitely have had an uptick in businesses coming in," says John Heiney, director of Birmingham's Principal Shopping District.
Last year there was a net increase of 15 businesses, including spas, a florist, a jeweler, home decorating stores and food establishments.

"We seem to be on a similar pace this year," he adds.

The recruiting effort is focusing on national retailers looking for boutique-size operations of 2,500 square feet or less, he says. Apparel stores are the main focus. City Manager Bob Bruner has been on the job since February and comes from Ferndale, which is known for a vibrant downtown.

"We hope the national retailers will join our excellent local retailers," Heiney says.

Source: John Heiney, director, Birmingham Principal Shopping District; Birmingham City Manager Bob Bruner
Writer: Kim North Shine

Downtown Plymouth, known for its history, its ice festival, and boutique shopping, is making a name for itself as a designation for nighttime fun.

Tony Bruscato, director of the Plymouth Downtown Development Authority, says the city has hit the sweet mix of daytime vibrancy with boutiques, shops, restaurants, and soon-to-expand office space with nighttime action that's attracting 20-somethings on up.

The Detroit section of about.com listed Plymouth in its top 10 up and coming neighborhoods for nightlife destinations. Bruscato says it's here and now.

There's live music and a lengthy drink list at 336 Martini Bar, a DJ every Friday at Hermann's Olde Town Grille, the Penn Bar and Grill, Sean O'Callaghan's Pub, the Grape Expectations Wine Bar and more.

The city nighttime vibe gets to pumping even more when the Music in the Air concert series starts in Kellogg Park this weekend.

The concerts attract 3,000-4,000 people, Bruscato says.

"I think Plymouth is a good market. It's a good place to be right now," he says. "I think if you were looking for the cool downtowns Plymouth would certainly be one of those.  We've really turned into a town for nightlife. A younger clientele is coming in. Larger business offices are moving in. Young families are moving in…We've been very lucky."

Source: Tony Bruscato, director Plymouth Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine

The latest chapter in the up-and-down history of Pontiac's Crofoot Building, one of its oldest downtown structures, will begin when it reopens as a concert venue on Sept. 6th.

The Crofoot’s latest chance at life comes thanks to Blair McGowan, a local preservationist who has rehabbed a number of historic downtown Pontiac structures including Clutch Cargo's. Vacant, boarded up and run down, the Crofoot stared demolition square in the eye as recently as 2005. Until McGowan stepped in with the idea of restoring the building to its 1850s state.

"It's now geared up for another 100 years of service," McGowan boasts.

With the help of a $100,000 Cool Cities grant, the Crofoot will reopen as a live-performance venue with a 1,000-person capacity, similar to St. Andrews Hall in downtown Detroit. It will also house two corner bars and a pool hall at the southeast corner of Saginaw and Pike streets while maintaining many of its historical features, such as old wood beams.

“Pontiac is the fourth oldest and one of the most historic towns in Michigan,” McGowan says. “It's just full of beautiful, historic buildings.”

This is far from the first time the Crofoot has undergone major work. The building has experienced its own tragedies and rebirths since its construction in the 1830s. Many nearby structures in the surrounding commercial district burned in 1840, but the Crofoot survived. Because of that fire all subsequent buildings in the district were built of masonry.

Michael E. Crofoot renovated the structures on the southeast corner of Pike and Saginaw, including the Crofoot, in 1882. He re-used foundations, floors and walls and renamed the resulting building after himself.

Crofoot was a prominent businessman; county probate judge and attorney who helped build the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Detroit. Pontiac’s Crofoot School, which is still in use, was also named after his family.

The Crofoot building underwent a number of exterior modifications throughout most of the 20th century that resulted in the loss of most of its Victorian-era details, including the third floor Mansford roof and adjacent tower. It was combined with two smaller adjacent buildings during World War II into the structure it is today.

Urban renewal projects in the 1970s, which were in a rush to tear down numerous historic structures, nearly doomed the Crofoot. However, it was spared while the area southwest of Saginaw and Pike Streets and much of the historic property south of the Clinton River were razed for what was seen at the time as “progress.”

The building continued to decline and by 2005 it had been vacant for nearly a decade. The city condemned the property and scheduled it for demolition just before McGowan came to the rescue. He now plans to keep the historic name “Crofoot” in his new businesses there, the “Crofoot Café” and the “Crofoot Ballroom”.

"Maintaining these historic buildings can invoke a sense of value in people's lives because it's more permanent than the latest news cycle or fad," McGowan says.

Source: Blair J. McGowan, owner of the Crofoot Building
Writer: Jon Zemke

In an attempt to attract Detroit's creative talent to downtown living spaces and help create a network of artists, designers and fashionistas, Sabra Sanzotta, owner of The Loft Warehouse and WOUND menswear host LAUNCH, a unique hybrid of party, scene and lifestyle sales pitch.

LAUNCH is sponsored by Cintron Energy Drink and will be held on Friday, May 11th at FD lofts in Eastern market in Detroit and feature a night's worth of entertainment and downtown culture.

There's a fashion show from Wound along with Eugenia Paul and Michel Delon (both from Detroit), Lara Miller (Chicago), JUMA (Toronto), and Wrath Arcane (Cleveland).  

• Music by DJ Captn 20, Mike Anthony, Scott Zacharias, spinning until 2am
• Larger than life paintings from reknown Detroit design legend Camilo Pardo
• A big screen backdrop of the Detroit lifestyle, provided by The Loft Warehouse
• Video coverage by Model-D and, of course, cocktails.

The goal is to put the spotlight on Detroit's emerging culture of creative talent and entice them into making downtown their home.

FD lofts are at 3434 Russell St. Tickets are $25 in advance. VIP available. Visit the event website at www.theloftwarehouse.com/launch or call 313-658-6400 for more info.