Today Iâm joined by Khalilah Burt Gaston of the Song Foundation to talk about who actually builds a tech economy â and why itâs often the âgeeks, freaks, and weirdosâ who drive the biggest
On todayâs Daily Detroit, Devon OâReilly is back at the table after a family vacation in South Haven, so we start with some âPure Michiganâ talk about why that beach town has become
The Downtown Detroit Partnership opened the concept today in a fancied-up shipping container right in the park, stocked with Detroit-made goods, apparel, and some genuinely solid local collabs.
The idea is to sell interesting, locally rooted stuff and funnel the proceeds back into keeping downtown parks active and programmed.
A few quick impressions after stopping by: the setup is clean, the Detroit Sign Painters touches give it character, and the new Campus Martius branding looks sharp in person.
I've always been a huge fan of the Michigania statue on the top of the Soldiers and Sailors monument, and I love how she's represented here.
If you didn't know, Michigania is the personification of the State of Michigan and of powerful victory â strong and brave. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument has stood here since 1872.
Thereâs also a limited SMPLFD drop inspired by the tulip bloom, plus the usual mix of shirts, hats, and small gifts.
Plus, there's a Pewabic tile featuring Campus Martius, part of their âPostcards from Detroitâ series and only available here.
Open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 8 p.m., and is expected to run through October.
A few days ago I saw a corner retail spot across from the Hudsonâs development get a bright orange window treatment with the SANA logo.
Now thereâs a job posting for full-time retail associates on their site, which usually means an opening isnât far off. [Sana Detroit]
Founded in 2021 by Michael Sana, SANA Detroit is a streetwear and lifestyle brand that builds hypey, sports-centric drops around the cityâs culture, athletes, and teams. Theyâve done well-attended pop-up events and collabs, and fans tend to line up early.
The corner of State and Woodward was most recently a Born in Detroit location before that brand moved up the street, and a Moosejaw before that.
Itâs on the same block as Nike and Timberland and across the street from the recently opened Alo and Tecovas, putting SANA in the middle of a growing cluster of national and local apparel brands.
Looking through my previous coverage notes, the space is about 4,000 square feet.
No word yet on when theyâre opening, but if theyâre staffing up, weâre getting close â and Iâd bet those opening-day lines will be long.
On this episode of Daily Detroit, I sit down with returning guest Dr. Paul Thomas, CEO and founder of Plum Health Direct Primary Care, to talk about The Real Cost of Healthcare for Michigan Families
Nox Metals, a seven-month-old company operating in Southwest Detroit, has closed a $11.5 million seed round.
The round was led by NYC-based Hyperion, with participation from notable firms including Y Combinator, Palmer Luckey, RoboStrategy, Alumni Ventures, Operator Collective, and DTX Ventures. [Source]
Nox Metals specializes in custom aluminum blocks for CNC machining. By utilizing AI automation, the company claims it can cut lead times from "days to seconds."
In a post, the founder and CEO Zane Hengsperger says:
Our metal has gone to space. It has protected our troops. It is in your car and in the machine that scanned your chest. It is all around us. And we can't stop supplying at warp speeds.
We will be revitalizing a WW2-era, 30,000 square foot factory in Detroit this summer where we will have our techno-industrialists working hard to further pursue our mission. We will be tripling down on technology, which has allowed us to move this fast for America thus far.
Seed funding is used to help a company fund product development, conduct market research, and make key hires.
On todayâs Daily Detroit, we start with big news for Detroit City FC fans and the future of Corktown.
We recap our visit to the new Detroit City FC welcome center on Vernor and
Detroit is losing two of its most distinctive nightspots at the end of the month, as Spot Lite on Beaufait and UFO Bar in Corktown prepare to close.
In a statement, owner Roula David says sheâs âmoving away from nightlifeâ after a fiveâyear run that turned Spot Liteâs warehouse space into a gallery, record store, and dance floor that doubled as a creative space on the east side. [Facebook]
Spot Lite earned a loyal following for its stacked DJ lineups, deep love of Detroit music, and the way it blurred lines between bar, arts venue, and community living room.
UFO Bar, which David took over last year, kept the UFO Factory spirit alive with indie shows, hot dogs, and lateânight music. According to the statement, it'll be re-concepted into the Detroit Vinyl Bar, a cocktail bar and record store.
The last day of service is Saturday, June 28 at Spot Lite and Monday, June 30 at UFO Bar, with Cairo Coffee operating temporarily at 2905 Beaufait as it looks for a new permanent home.
Pine Hall is at the top of the Hudsonâs building (the lower office block) and features the pseudo-mid century design that most of the entire compound follows.
Itâs modern, clean and its patio wraps around the entire western side of the building, with city views to the west and south.
Since it was a busy opening night, I stuck to one cocktail and got the Silk Standard. A riff on an Air Mail, itâs a mix of Doctor Bird rum, lime, lager, and North African spices (specifically Ras el Hanout).
The drink list was more limited than I expected, but with a full suite of food as well, I think it evens out. Donât expect a Sugar House level menu.
In terms of vibes, it felt distinctly younger and sexier than say Kamperâs or Monarch Club.
It positions itself as the most urbane of our lofted libation lounges. If Kamperâs is for the tourists, Monarch is for the older suburbanites and Godfrey or Cambria for the locals, then Pine Hall feels like the Happy Hour move for the key card warriors.
With hours clearly catering to those that will work and play downtown, they will have their doors open every day at 4 p.m., closing at midnight during the week, 1 a.m. on Saturday and 10 p.m. on Sunday.
In Metro Detroit, itâs not enough to talk about transit plans. There are tons of ideas out there. It's about action.
I sat down with SMART General Manager and CEO Tiffany J. Gunter
Airbnb is betting on Detroit as a destination â and the numbers back it up. On today's Daily Detroit, I'm at the Grand Hotel talking with Vince Frillici, Airbnb's policy lead for the
Did you know Metro Detroit now has five innovation districts?
MICHauto executive director (and new Southwest Detroit pub coâowner) Glenn Stevens joined us to talk about why Michigan needs a 'moonshot' for innovation.
Plus,
Busy episode today on your Daily Detroit. Here's your rundown of nine stories we talk about today with timestamps:
0:55 - The new New High SociĂŠtĂŠ restaurant in Dearborn
05:08 - Revisiting Republica in
Today we talk about how Michigan slipped from a topâtier state into the bottom 10 on key measures like education, income and population â and why acknowledging the crisis is the first step to fixing
Three stories we talk about today on your Daily Detroit, finished as finalist in Hour Detroit's Best of Detroit (thank you!)
Detroit's Dutch Girl Donuts is back in the headlines, and we start
This episode of Daily Detroit (audio embedded above) was recorded at the Mackinac Policy Conference, and Jer and Devon have a wideâranging conversation about Michigan's political future and Detroit's urgency problem.
From
Transit in Metro Detroit is at an inflection point.
We talk with Transportation Riders United executive director Megan Owens about the new Wayne Countyâwide transit millage, what an extra eight bucks a month could
On todayâs Daily Detroit, we start the week with a conversation with State Senator â and Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful â Mallory McMorrow.
Itâs the third in our series of Democratic Senate candidate interviews,
Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has abruptly ended his independent run for governor, blowing up Michigan's 2026 race less than six months before voters head to the polls.
In this emergency episode of Daily
Detroitâs parks, rivers, and wild pockets are far richer and more active than many people realize, and Ian âIan Outsideâ John Solomon is on a mission to show Detroiters what theyâve been missing.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Thomas Tucker on Tuesday afternoon granted the cityâs request for a final decree, ending federal court oversight of Detroitâs finances.
The move signals the city is meeting the terms of its post-bankruptcy plan, including keeping up with pension obligations.
Fiscal year 2027 will mark the fourth consecutive year Detroit has made its required pension contributions, supported in part by the Grand Bargain and the cityâs Retiree Protection Fund.
âOur team remains focused on the rigorous, long-term fiscal management necessary to protect our retirees and ensure our residents never face this kind of financial uncertainty again,â said City CFO Tanya Stoudemire in a press release.
The move wraps up one of the most consequential chapters in Detroitâs modern history and shifts full responsibility for maintaining fiscal discipline back to City Hall.
On Thursday, crews put in place the final steel beam on the new $2.2 billion, 20-story Henry Ford Health Patient Tower.v
When it opens in 2029, the hospital will add 432 allâprivate, highâtech rooms, five floors of specialized ICU care, and a vastly expanded 75,000âsquareâfoot ER with 100 private treatment spaces, roughly doubling the current emergency department.
The tower is a centerpiece of Henry Fordâs âDestination: Grandâ expansion, which also includes a new 1,500âspace parking garage, a shared services building, and a central energy hub that will help make it one of the largest allâelectric hospitals in the country.
In pure scale, itâs in the same conversation as the Hudsonâs tower and the Gordie Howe International Bridge. And although the University of Michigan Center for Innovation gets a lot of press because it's visible downtown, the investment on this project is multiple times larger.
If you want to see it for yourself, look for it just off the Lodge at West Grand Boulevard.