Alger in the Alley on June 24th, 2017

As you could imagine, launching a business takes a tremendous amount of dedication, time, and resources. Over the past three months now I have been on the grind introducing MorningSide Cafe, a coffee and entertainment cafe that will be located at the historic Alger Theater in Detroit’s MorningSide neighborhood coming in 2018. Along this journey, some amazing opportunities have come along, from hosting pop-ups, pitching at Detroit SOUP, and being introduced to a plethora of business owners want along the way.

Just thinking back, it’s kind of funny how I got to this point. It all begin last August when our Challenge Detroit fellowship began. We had the opportunity to visit Artist Village and Motor City Java House in Detroit’s Old Redford neighborhood. It was during this visit where the ideas started to float around my mind at the endless possibilities that awaited a community that desperately needed an infusion of excitement.

Now I always had aspirations of becoming a business owner, but I never really knew what type of business I would venture into. As I was walking around the Java House, I thought to myself, here it is we have this historic neighborhood theater in the Alger that has been closed since 1983 and has only been open a handful of times since its closure. Secondly, we have a commercial corridor that was once considered among the elite corridors in the city. East Warren Avenue was home to a number of dry cleaners, restaurants, boutiques, hardware stores and more.

Unfortunately, the foreclosure crises during the mid to late 2000s hit the MorningSide community very hard. Many longtime homeowners were forced to vacate their homes due to the practice of predatory lending. As residents were exiting the neighborhood, many businesses started to follow, now leaving behind a corridor desperate for some activity.

I constantly think back to what my neighborhood use to be. The commodity of neighbors, occupied housing, the engagement between business owners and patrons, and so much more and that is why I decided to launch a business where I grew up. I want to bring that connection between our neighbors and the business owners again. I desire to see the hustle and bustle that E. Warren used to boast during my childhood. I want people to feel like whatever they need can be obtain right there in their own neighborhood.

Local residents coming together for coffee and conversation at the Alger in the Alley. June 24th 2017.

MorningSide Cafe will be more than just a place to get a cup of coffee and a snack. This will be the place where the residents of MorningSide, East English Village, Cornerstone and beyond can gather and unite once again. This will probably go down as one of my bigger endeavors, but its one I’m committed to and excited for.

To Be Continued…