If you have an interest in starting a small business in Detroit (or even if you just have an interest in small businesses in Detroit!), be sure to check out Open City. The group meets on the third Tuesday of every month at Cliff Bells. This month's meeting is tomorrow at 6:30 and the topic discussed will be finding the right location in Detroit. The atmosphere is very relaxed, the setting is beautiful (I think every time I go to Cliff Bell's it is even more gorgeous - and now they are serving French food!) and the meetings are always inspiring. Hope to see you there!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Open City!
If you have an interest in starting a small business in Detroit (or even if you just have an interest in small businesses in Detroit!), be sure to check out Open City. The group meets on the third Tuesday of every month at Cliff Bells. This month's meeting is tomorrow at 6:30 and the topic discussed will be finding the right location in Detroit. The atmosphere is very relaxed, the setting is beautiful (I think every time I go to Cliff Bell's it is even more gorgeous - and now they are serving French food!) and the meetings are always inspiring. Hope to see you there!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Trunk Show at Naka
Last week's trunk show at Naka featured two favorite local designers Bettula and Comfortably Lovely. Heather Fagan of Bettula creates gorgeous, simple jewelry from birch bark harvested from fallen trees. I picked up a pair of her earrings as a gift for a friend's birthday. Her work is available online and at several stores including Naka in Ferndale.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The State of the City
Yesterday I attended Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr.'s state of the city address. The speech was well delivered, and included rough outlines of some of the ways he intends to trim the budget, expand the police force, and improve Cobo Hall.However, for me, the highlight was his outspoken support of public transportation - not only a merger of the suburban (SMART) and urban (DDOT) bus systems, but also his commitment to lightrail for the city of Detroit.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Green House
After a controversial Detroit News story surfaced last week regarding the discovery of a frozen body in the abandoned Roosevelt Warehouse in Detroit, local and national media outlets have used the building as a reason to create another round of tired one-dimensional generalizations, characterizations, and metaphors. Though there is an obvious gravity to this sad story, and one should feel empathy for the innocent victim, it is sad that the structure has been cast in such a despairing light.As with nearly everything in the city, the Roosevelt Warehouse is endowed with a complex beauty that is belied by over-simplification and and misunderstanding. In fact, one could argue that the building truly is a metaphor, but not in the way that the original Detroit News story might lead you to believe.
The metaphoric quality that I see is most evident in the indoor third-floor forest that has grown out of the ashes of a fire that was extinguished decades ago.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
About City Bird
City Bird is a company operated by siblings Andy and Emily in Detroit. We design city-themed housewares, accessories, jewelry and paper goods, available on our website, etsy and at retailers in Detroit, Chicago and New York. Our products include map soap, metallic skyline buttons, map plates, and jewelry. This photo of us was taken by our pal Marvin Shaouni for a story about us that ran on Model D last year.
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