Yoga Shelter latest in new biz openings in greater downtown Detroit

A bevy of new small businesses have opened in Corktown, Downtown, Eastern Market and Midtown with a new yoga studio, Yoga Shelter, leading the way.

Naomi Ruth and her partner Donna Orbovich are opening the studio on 69 W. Forrest in the retail space that a small grocery store was once planned. The 2,700-square foot space is on the ground floor of a Wayne State University parking garage a half block from Woodward Avenue in Midtown. Ruth and Orbovich are building out the space now and plan to open in May.

“We looked at a bunch of different sites,” Ruth says. “There was just a really great small business community in Midtown. It’s a really great community.”

Among the other businesses to open in the greater downtown area in recent weeks:

• Just Baked, a gourmet cupcake business has opened in the Dime Building in downtown Detroit.
• Germack Coffee Roasting Co. has opened a new coffee shop in Eastern Market, taking over the space that used to house the Rafal Spice Co.
• Mercury Burger Bar has opened its doors in Corktown, transforming the former Mercury Bar space across the street from Slows.

Source: Naomi Ruth, co-owner of Yoga Shelter
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.