More construction development for Eastern Market is on the drawing boards now that the Collision Works is moving forward.
Collission Works aims to build a boutique hotel made of used shipping containers on the east side of the Dequindre Cut near Division Street. The 16,000-square-foot structure will include 36 hotels rooms, 3,000 square feet of event space and a large outdoor courtyard.
"It's a boutique hotel and community work space built around storytelling," says Shel Kimen, founder & CEO of
Collision Works. "It's a place to let people tell their stories and to give these stories a home. The idea is when people of different perspectives and backgrounds come together interesting things happen."
One of the main places where these sorts of conversations and connections will be happening is in the hotel's co-working space. The communal office space will be big enough to accommodate between 15-20 people.
Kimen worked in digital design and strategy for an advertising agency before taking on this project. She has a degree in architecture and design from Michigan State University and sees Collision Works as a great opportunity to put those skills to use while enhancing the community. She is currently working with the city to acquire the land and alternative lenders to secure financing for the project, which she hopes will break ground midway through next year and be done by spring of 2014.
"We're making headway with the seed funding," Kimen says.
Source: Shel Kimen, founder & CEO of Collision Works
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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