Just weeks removed from having recently celebrated their grand opening in Ferndale, culinary outfitter Provisions is already planning a second location in Detroit. The specialty cheese, chocolate, and charcuterie shop is just one of five businesses that are closer to opening their own brick-and-mortar locations in the city after being named winners of TechTown Detroit's Kickstart Awards.
All graduates of TechTown's 2017
Retail Boot Camp, the five businesses have each been awarded up to $5,000 to be used toward their permanent or pop-up spaces, and inventory and point-of-sale systems. Each should open within the next six to 12 months.
In addition to
Provisions, the winners include
Voluptuous Bien' Aime Boutique, a women's clothing and accessories boutique;
Mature, a men's contemporary casual clothing and modern dress wear store;
Chanel's Bling, which offers customized bling designs for shoes, apparel, and accessories; and
Urbanum, curators of various provisions and designs for city living.
"It was a really great program and I was proud of earning the award," says Provisions co-owner and cheesemonger Zach Berg. "I thought the program was a great way to take our business from pop-up to being a real establishment. It was also a great opportunity to meet other like-minded entrepreneurs who were dealing with similar challenges as my own."
TechTown's Retail Boot Camp is an eight-week program designed to prepare entrepreneurs in opening their own brick-and-mortar locations in Detroit. According to their website, Retail Boot Camp covers a wide range of topics, including identifying startup costs, understanding pricing and inventory, and how to manage daily cash flow. Eligibility requirements stipulate that applicants must locate their brick-and-mortar location, be it permanent or pop-up, in the city of Detroit.
Notable Retail Boot Camp graduates include Live Cycle Delight, Third Wave Music, and House of Pure Vin, among numerous others throughout the city.
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