Our Challenge Detroit team’s journey with Live6 Alliance began with an invitation into a vision that was bigger than a retail shop. Shops on Six, located in the 6 Mile and Livernois corridor, is being built as both a neighborhood general store and a small business incubator that uplifts local entrepreneurs. From the beginning, our team’s focus centered on one core challenge: limited workforce capacity, both within Live6 and throughout the broader corridor, has made it difficult to sustainably staff the shop as it prepares to open. This led us to our guiding design question: How might we create a staffing model and strategy for Shops on Six that builds our local workforce, leverages partnerships, and serves as a model for a broader strategy? 

During our conversations with community members, Dr. Devon Buskin of the Detroit City Lions Youth Club shared something that resonated deeply: “We can create workforce development, community development and economic development all in one neighborhood.” 

That single line captured the heart of what Live6 is building and grounded our team in understanding that our deliverables weren’t just operational tools—they were pieces of a larger ecosystem designed to strengthen the corridor through meaningful opportunity.

As we moved deeper into our work, we explored how employment and funding partners could help bridge existing staffing gaps. Our research led us to develop a series of recommendations outlining how collaborations with universities, corporate partners, and grant providers could create a sustainable workforce pipeline while reducing staffing costs for Live6. This partnership approach became a foundation for imagining a scalable strategy not only for Shops on Six but for future initiatives across the corridor. To complement this, we also designed a three-person staffing model to meet operational needs while offering room for future growth as the shop evolves. The model includes a general manager with retail experience to anchor each shift—overseeing the Point of Sale (PoS) system, daily cash handling, and store oversight—supported by two associates who prioritize customer care and community-centered service. Thinking beyond staffing alone, we also created a vendor dossier: a living, adaptable slide deck designed to help shop staff confidently share the stories, products, and missions of the local entrepreneurs featured in the space. This resource ensures that as customers browse, they are not only shopping—they are connecting with the people behind the products.

Interviewing DeShawn Singleton from Downtown Detroit Partnership.

To ensure long-term sustainability, we also built several additional tools to support Live6, including a recruitment flyer to attract new talent, an onboarding and training handbook to streamline how staff are prepared for the shop, and a general recommendations report that captures insights across all our deliverables—including areas outside the original scope but important to the future success of the project. Throughout this challenge, we developed a deeper understanding of Live6’s commitment to uplifting the 6 Mile corridor in ways that center community voice, honor longstanding neighborhood culture, and fuel economic inclusion. It was clear that their passion extends far beyond operations and into a genuine desire to preserve and strengthen the neighborhood’s roots. For our team, the most impactful part of the experience was seeing how workforce development can serve as a catalyst for broad community transformation when done intentionally and collaboratively.

How might we…

We are incredibly grateful for the guidance, encouragement, and thoughtful insights we received throughout the process—especially from Chanale Greer, who continually helped us remain grounded in the needs and perspectives of community members. Her support, along with the openness of the broader Live6 team and local stakeholders, shaped our understanding of what it truly means to build a community-driven retail experience. Working with Live6 has been meaningful, energizing, and eye-opening, and we are excited to see Shops on Six come to life. Knowing that our work will contribute, even in a small way, to the neighborhood’s continued growth and resilience is something we are genuinely proud of.

Chanale, our liaison sharing final remarks on presentation day.

Our final liaison meeting — thank you Chanale!

For our winter project we partnered with Live6 Alliance, “a neighborhood-based community planning and development organization working to advance economic development strategies that increase opportunity and enhance the quality of life in Northwest Detroit.” Our project was focused on supporting Live6’s mission. Teams of Fellows worked alongside the Live6 Alliance team – Caitlin Murphy, Chanale Greer, Dennis White, Paul Schreiber and Taqee Vernon – as well as engaged with stakeholders, including small business owners, subject-matter experts, community leaders, residents and neighbors.

See other team blogs about our project with Live6 Alliance here.