Retail :
Featured Stories
Natalie Burg
Thursday, April 25, 2013
If there's a canary in the coalmine for downtown vibrancy, it's a thriving grocery store. Lafayette Market and Cafe in downtown Pontiac opened its doors at the end of 2012 and is reaching beyond the loft-dwellers that live above to connect with the surrounding community.
Kim North Shine
Thursday, April 25, 2013
What started as a noble experiment in support of local artists, creatives and vendors has turned into a vibrant success. Not only has Ferndale's Rust Belt Market been both a home and launching pad for new businesses, it's in the process of becoming an event destination.
Kim North Shine
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Urban revitalization is infectious and Grosse Pointe has caught the bug. Big changes are afoot in the east side community as new eateries, businesses and ideas threaten to energize the otherwise cloistered community. Could GP become the next RO?
Kim North Shine
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Homecoming isn't just an event for Rochester's McGowen brothers, it's a philosophy. Over four generations, the family has made their home furnishings and interior design business a place where locals always felt welcome. Returning from stints in L.A., siblings Jonathan and David have decided to pick up the family legacy, opening shops across the street from one another.
Kim North Shine
Thursday, January 10, 2013
When you've been to the Super Bowl six times what else is there to do? For defensive tackle and Birmingham native Mike Lodish the answer was peanut brittle.
Kim North Shine
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Diane Kubik could be a poster child for urban advocates. Six years ago she moved from the sprawl of the suburbs to open Max And Ollie's in downtown Mt Clemens, just six blocks from her new home. Since then, much happiness has ensued. Not only has her shop found success, she's become an enthusiastic booster in her community - part of the reason the 'Clem is making a name for itself.
Kim North Shine
Thursday, January 19, 2012
For decades national chains, the stores most American shop in, have set their sites on malls and shopping strips. But the times they are a-changing. Every year the focus and enthusiasm for downtown living and shopping grows. So, how do you integrate and accommodate national retail into a city's core? Metromode chats with Julie Fielder, Birmingham's go-to gal for putting stores into its downtown storefronts.
Kim North Shine
Thursday, November 10, 2011
It may just be five blocks, but the neighborhood around Grosse Pointe Park's Kercheval Avenue is starting to change the character, residential make up, and expectations of a community that has long been regarded as --dare we say it?-- cloistered.
Dennis Archambault
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Though technology and big box retail have taken their toll, there's still a place for the downtown book store. Some Metro Detroit businesses are pushing past the traditional browse and buy forumla to create a third place for art, events, and socializing.
Amy Kuras
Thursday, September 15, 2011
From big box to big ideas. Ferndale's Rust Belt Market is an artist and craft fair, DIY marketplace, and music festival all rolled into one. And it happens day in and day out in a space that formerly housed an Old Navy.
Jon Zemke
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Gay-friendly community? Check. Locally owned small businesses? Check. An emphasis on walkability? Check. Once a working-class auto industry town, Ferndale is emerging as Metro Detroit's go-to community for new urbanist success. Metromode's Jon Zemke looks into why.
Nicole Rupersburg
Thursday, April 28, 2011
It's not a GLBT-friendly community without the drag queens. Though Ferndale is singled out for its pink and lavender street cred, Royal Oak is home to Five 15, a cafe, gift shop, art gallery, and party
venue that unabashedly embraces queer culture. And it's found incredible crossover success with its sold-out-weeks-in-advance Drag Queen Bingo.
Kate Rose
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Throw a stone in the air in Ann Arbor and if you miss a student or
professor you're bound to bruise an entrepreneur. Writer Kate Rose decided to seek out a few of the city's young start-up types
to better understand what drives them to succeed and how they turned
obstacles into opportunities.
Terry Parris Jr.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Downtown Birmingham's buttoned-up rep for professional offices and trendy boutiques only tells part of the story. Amidst the doctors, lawyers and financial consultants, Old Woodward's second story houses a little-seen collection of new economy businesses. From sports agents to "an incubator on steroids" Terry Parris Jr. uncovers the people you might not meet every day.