For the launch of Deviate’s Fall/Winter ’22 collection, the Detroit-based fashion house partnered with over 50 local artists earlier this month to bring the city’s art, style, and substance to New York City in a unique immersive exhibition.
The owners of five Black-owned small businesses talk about how they’re blazing their own trails as entrepreneurs in the city — and what Black History Month means to them and their business.
A fundraising campaign has been launched for Taqueria El Rey, the small but mighty family-owned restaurant in Southwest Detroit that suffered serious fire damage on Saturday, Jan. 29.
Which downtown designs across the state are impressing the experts? The Michigan Downtown Association’s annual awards this year included several notable projects emphasizing the importance of placemaking and community building our downtown public spaces.
If the dining business doesn't pick up, nearly a quarter of Michigan's restaurant operators say they won't be open in half a year. Facing winter, fewer commuters, delayed deliveries, and staffing concerns, we find out how downtown Detroit restaurants are evolving, how COVID-19 has changed the game, and what the future looks like for them.
“What I liked the most about doing this was discovering the Black women-owned businesses that I didn’t know were out there in the city. I don’t think they get a lot of light, as far as publicity goes,” Tytiana says.
Despite celebrity endorsements from Beyoncé and Kevin Hart, the founder of Ellis Island Tea is determined not to forget her hometown. “I got my resilience straight from the city of Detroit,” Nailah Ellis-Brown says. “There are no handouts. There aren't many resources, and you really have to figure things out on your own."
As the pandemic extends into its second year, downtown Detroit industries are serving the diverse needs of their workers in different ways: “I think what we’ve all learned during this era is that the old way of doing things is no longer working. You need to provide a level of flexibility for your employees or team members that really works for them."
Meet Jennyfer Crawford, the "solopreneur" behind Ask Jennyfer and All Things Detroit – a small business convention that has helped some small business owners earn more revenue in a single day than they had in two years in business. Now she's teaming up with Bre Mills for her next venture.
Meet Enid Parham, aka Chef Sunflower, who is renowned for her cannabis-infused culinary delights. She talks to Model D about her craft, and how the industry is linked to issues of social equity and criminal justice reform.
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