In the short time since Mike Barry succumbed to his entrepreneurial bug and started his own commercial and residential interiors business, he's landed some pretty high profile Detroit clients, expanded into new markets, and signed the lease on a space for his first showroom, which is set to open later this month in Midtown's Auburn building.
Barry, with over a decade of experience in the commercial interiors industry, left his job as a sales representative for Mohawk Industries to work as an independent sales agent. It didn't take long before he started his own business,
Midtown Interior Finishes, in Feb. 2014.
Commercial interiors, as Barry tells it, are in his blood. He's already landed notable Detroit jobs like the Inn on Ferry Street, the G.A.R. building, and the new retail store
Frida in the Park Shelton. But it's his expansion into the residential market that has pushed Barry to open his own showroom.
"I've really worked hard to curate the selection," says Barry. "People can come in and see the best of the best. We're not offering everything, just the coolest and most stylish products."
Barry's products include everything from ceramic and porcelain tiles to bamboo flooring, from a small area rug for a home to a big carpet installation at a law firm.
Since February, he's been renting a desk at the TechTown co-working space, Junction 440, but will move operations to the Auburn once his space is ready. The showroom will open by the end of the month -- if not sooner, he says.
Midtown Interior Finishes will be operating out of Suite 111, the old
Butcher's Daughter art gallery space. That gallery, which left Ferndale for Midtown in 2013, has left Michigan altogether and is preparing a space in New York City.
Source: Mike Barry, owner of Midtown Interior Finishes
Writer: MJ Galbraith
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