Grand River WorkPlace helps startups stay up

Grand River WorkPlace helps startups stay up

To Larissa Carr, Detroiters have a different kind of hustle and grind no other city possesses.

Carr said local neighborhoods have found ways to revitalize themselves through beautification or foreclosure prevention, butCarr thinks residents can also see that hustle through entrepreneurship especially in the Grandmont Rosedale community.

Grand River WorkPlace is powered by Larissa Carr, who is recognized for moving Detroit businesses from pop-ups to “stay-ups.” Photo courtesy Grand River WorkPlace

Carr is manager of Grand River WorkPlace,19120 Grand River, a 24-hour per day office sharing location and pop-up retail space.

Grand River WorkPlace, through Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp., supervises and supports pop-up shops by offering low-rent space for six to eight months testing the store in the area with hope it will transition to its own building.

“We’re really trying to cultivate a community of small businesses where they feel embraced and connected,” said Carr, 26. “We’re here – Grand River WorkPlace and myself – along with Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation to make sure to help cultivate those small businesses in every stage from idea to brick-and-mortar.”

Since it began Carr said five pop-ups have come through Grand River WorkPlace. One success story was the first pop-up store Carr supervised.

Love Travels Imports owner Yvette Jenkins credits Grand River WorkPlace for “lighting up” her business model, sparking its expansion and explosive growth.

Love Travels Imports specializes in fair-trade and handmade women’s accessories and gift items.

The store now located at 19452 Livernois.

Owner Yvette Jenkins worked with Grand River WorkPlace from October 2014 to May 2015 and from the venture she said residents started noticing her business, her customers increased and she developed a stronger relationship with the community.

“It was overall a positive experience,” said Jenkins. “I’m glad I participated. It was extremely helpful.”

But Carr said the businesses aren’t the only ones that benefit.

Love Travels is the kind of shop that guarantees Detroit will never be mistaken as a “look alike” city, where there’s a national chain store on every corner. Photo courtesy of Love Travels

“The great thing about this space is not only are we connecting small businesses to each other, we’re also connecting neighbors,” added Carr. “About half of the businesses that work in this facility live in the neighborhood. So not only are they getting to know each other but they’re also getting to know some of their neighbors.”

In addition to giving pop-up stores their start, Grand River WorkPlace also offers programing for local businesses to improve their own ventures.

Upcoming business events at Grand River WorkPlace include:

BP 102: Marketing Essentials with Detroit SCORE

June 22: 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m

Grand River WorkPlace

19120 Grand River

Detroit, MI 48223

Click to register

Small Business Workshop Series: Managing Your Social Media

June 28; 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Grand River WorkPlace

19120 Grand River

Detroit, MI 48223

Click to register

 

One-on-One Mentoring with Detroit Score

Tuesdays; 10 a.m.

Grand River WorkPlace

19120 Grand River

Detroit, MI 48223

Click to register

Small shops are the mainstay of our neighborhoods. Open the door and look inside and you will discover dreamers and doers who embody the spirit and energy of Detroit’s entrepreneurial class. We invite you to meet them inside our Small Shops series, sponsored by Bank of America.

For more information visit Grand River WorkPlace

Editor’s note: Jenkins is a graduate of TechTown’s Retail Boot Camp and was a pop-up winner in the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation’s Revolve Program.

 

 

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