With entertainment and restaurants shutdown, downtown Detroit is almost empty. Auto plants have come to a halt. Throughout the region residents are bouncing off the walls from social distancing. The coronavirus has left its mark on Detroit, and small businesses across the region are nervous. Calling on their Motor City determination. small businesses are working […]
The garment industry in America all but died long ago. Everyone wants to send the work oversees. It’s been that way for decades. Mathew Hunt decided metro Detroit was the perfect place to buck that trend. The founder of metro Detroit-based clothing manufacturer GETTEES makes shirts in unused space in his dad’s automotive parts factory […]
Close your eyes and think of the store you recently visited. For many of us, it was probably some kind of chain. The truth is the big stores have more marketing power to attract your dollars. That is why small businesses need to get creative with design and grab attention away from the uniform look […]
There is making lemonade out of lemons, and there is turning heartbreak into a growing beauty supply business. That’s what Rodnesha Ross did when she founded Pray Hustle Slay, which produces natural beauty products. Her perseverance paid off. In April she landed a deal with a local beauty supply chain, Davison Coco Beauty Supplies, to […]
A dollar here, a dollar there, it isn’t much, really. To one man that little amount over the long haul was enough to build a life, support a family and live out his lifelong dream of being his own boss. Rezaul Karim has carved out his slice of the American Dream with a dollar store […]
It seems like every grandfather has some neighborhood business he loves. It must come with the territory … like working a slide rule. Sometimes it is a bar, or mechanic, or hardware store. For my grandfather, it was Scotty Simpson’s Fish and Chips (Scotty’s to those in the know). My grandfather died at age 94 […]
“The best is always the better buy.” That is one of the slogans George Sorisho came up with for Mini Mart Specialty Meats, which has found success in Detroit since 1975. Sorisho began working as a butcher in the 1950s and quickly gained a reputation. It wasn’t long until he started getting hired to help […]
Small businesses will make a big splash at events in downtown Detroit parks this summer. The Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) is asking Detroit-based vendors to apply to be featured at Downtown Street Eats, Market Thursdays, Market Fridays and the Night Markets at Beacon Park. The events attract thousands of weekly visitors. Downtown Street Eats, Michigan’s largest […]
Something was calling Jay Rayford back to the city after living in different states for several years. Even with a professional job in electrical engineering, he had to return home. Social Sushi – a pop-up that brought sushi to various social and networking events – was Rayford’s gift to Detroit. The business went on to […]
The best way to see a florist’s work is on display. At Lashee Floral and Events, located on the New Center One Building’s main level at 3031 W. Grand Blvd., the colorful arrangements and gift packages are some of the first items that get attention. “Walking traffic is what I have, so I’m more visible […]