It’s been my pleasure to have the opportunity to fall in love with this great city all over again. I often find myself overwhelmed by the wealth of talent and determined energy that exists in various forms all across Detroit. Since returning home there has been no shortage of community spaces, businesses, and organizations that I’ve discovered and rediscovered. Community spaces, businesses, and organizations that I feel are worth bragging about. The list of amazing businesses and organizations I could share with you is a lengthy one, but for now I’ll highlight 5. First up is The Baltimore Gallery.
The Baltimore Gallery
The Baltimore Gallery is an Art Gallery that houses phenomenal artwork and also serves an event space where you can see some of the best performing artists in the city. The art director of the space is Phil Simpson. Phil is an artist himself and a native Detroiter with a warm demeanor and huge inviting smile—which is fitting considering he is also the Founder and CEO of The Smile Brand—”an optimistic lifestyle brand dedicated to the life of smiling and spreading joy.”
Detroit Experience Factory
If I had to choose only one business to talk about in this blog post it would be this one. The Detroit Experience Factory “uses interactive experiences and innovative resources to help newcomers and locals alike get more connected to the people, places and projects in Detroit.” I liken DXF to a community based welcome center. One of the ways in which they provide meaningful experiences to community members and tourists alike is through a variety of themed tours. From bar tours to small business tours DXF will provide you with the opportunity to explore Detroit through almost any lens your heart desires—they will literally let you customize a theme for a tour if you’d like. Their executive director Jeanette Pierce is like a human encyclopedia of information when it comes to the city of Detroit. If you want to know something about the history of the city she either knows it or can more than likely point you in the right direction of the resources you need to find out. She has a saying about Detroit that I absolutely love. She often says that “Detroit is big enough to matter to the world, but small enough for you to matter in it.”
Hopcat: The Drunken Retort
As a poet I can tell you that there are a wide array of venues throughout the city where you can go and engage in a night of poetry on any given day of the week—but for now I will focus on one—Hopcat. Hopcat is located on Woodward in Midtown. It’s a two level bar and restaurant with a pretty impressive stage on the second level. Every Sunday night at 9pm Hopcat opens the space up for an open mic night called The Drunken Retort. The Drunken Retort is run by two dope poets—G Foster and Marcel Price—who have set out to make Hopcat the place to be on a Sunday night in Detroit for anyone interested in hearing some great poetry, live music, or comedy. I’ve been a few times now and I think it’s an experience you should have at least once, and after experiencing it once I’m sure you’ll be back for more.
Artesian Farms
Artesian Farms—a vertical indoor farm in a Detroit neighborhood called Brightmoore is the most unique business I’ve discovered so far. This could be because I’m not plugged into the latest happenings in the world of farming, but regardless of your familiarity with the concept of indoor farming—this business is absolutely worth being highlighted. The produce manager and Brightmoore resident Ryan Mooney oozed out passion when speaking about the farm. He told us about the many benefits of indoor farming—the top 3 most important benefits that stood out to me were 1. that your food is grown locally which means it’s more fresh and ultimately better for you 2. this process of growing food is much less wasteful than traditional farming and last but not least 3. the farm is dedicated to providing jobs to people in the community.
Pages Bookshop
I visited Pages Bookshop for the first time last month and for a bookworm such as myself it was like being a kid in a candy store. I fawned over countless books. Their book selection is absolutely incredible and clearly a lot of effort went into making sure they were stocked with only the best. In addition to this they often have interesting events scheduled throughout the year. You can find out what this month’s events are by checking out their site here.
I will be highlighting more community spaces, businesses, and organizations throughout the year, but in the meantime I hope you’re able to visit some of the places mentioned above! I promise you won’t regret it.