What does a worker-owned small business look like? The team behind Data Driven Detroit discuss their new model and why they wanted a democratic, responsibility-driven workplace.
The young "sneakerheads" at the Michigan Sneaker Xchange mean business. Photographer Steve Koss takes us inside the scene at the rapidly growing event to find out how entrepreneurs are tapping into the booming industry, and how a savvy 14-year-old started the tradeshow here.
In the age of influencers, social media is filled with product and food reviews, entrepreneurism, and beauty tips. Some influencers, however, chose to center their content on their location, and Detroit certainly gives them some content to work with. Here are 5 Instagram influencers who regularly share what makes Motor City so special, how their experiences prompt them to share their perspective with followers, and how they deal with haters.
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.
From charming urban forests to abandoned landmarks restored to grandeur, here are some of the projects we’ll have our eyes on this year.
Economic development is more critical than ever, as our communities work to recover from the devastating impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, including the loss of many small, local businesses. Leaders in the field point to past project successes to demonstrate impact in Detroit, and what role they might play post-COVID.
If you've never heard of "plucking", Neha Vedpathak's current exhibition at the Flint Institute of Arts Graphics Gallery provides a chance to better understand this unique process. "Time: Constant, Suspended, Collapsed" is on display through January 9, 2022.
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.
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."
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