Hey friends,
Jer here. Hope you're keeping cool on this Tuesday! There are a lot of joys of living in a 100-year old home in a Detroit neighborhood, but the lack of central air in August isn't one of them.
Let's get into it. As always, my thoughts are in italics.
👒 Another hat in the ring for Detroit mayor?
Saunteel Jenkins, the former Detroit City Council President, has announced the launch of an exploratory committee as she considers running for Mayor of Detroit.
Jenkins is a lifelong Detroiter and CEO of The Heat and Warmth Fund. Their main thing is providing financial help to those in need on their water, heat and power bills.
With this committee, Jenkins aims to build a coalition of voters and leaders across the city to see if this is a viable run.
Her words, from the announcement:
“I’m proud to see good things happening again - but we still have a long way to go. We need to ensure every Detroiter can live in safe neighborhoods and provide safe spaces and after school programs for our kids. We need a new approach to public transit that will provide more access to jobs - regardless of what neighborhood you live in. And, we need to provide new pathways of opportunity - so that every Detroiter has the opportunity to achieve their dreams.”
My two cents: It's just too early to make too many predictions on this, but my pretty strong hunch is Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan isn't running again. And it'll be a very crowded field for awhile... until it's not.
I hope to have as many candidates through our studio for the Daily Detroit podcast as I can. My biggest question is, "Where do we go from here?"
Duggan has done a good job stabilizing things, but now we need to look to the future.
The hard truth is a city where the median household income is about $37,000 isn't sustainable in the long term.
Who has a compelling vision, and the skills to make happen? And how do we get the resources to get there? Although the city has made so much progress, there are still a lot of improvements to be made.
🍽️ Openings and closings
🎼 Marshall Music has consolidated all of their Metro Detroit locations to a new one in the Oakland County suburb of Troy. The instrument sales, service and rental company had outposts in Allen Park, West Bloomfield and Troy at another location. The new spot is just west of John R and north of Maple Road. [Marshall Music]
🌯 Bobcat Bonnie's has closed their location at Partridge Creek. The spot was in a former Max and Erma's. The timing was terrible, as they swung their doors open in February of 2020. And we all know what happened next. Eight locations remain open, per their website. [Bobcat Bonnie's]
Bobcat Bonnie's, to me, is hipster Applebee's. I don't mean that in a bad way — it's comfort food that's decently priced.
⛽️ National chain Sheetz opened their first Michigan location today in Romulus. I've talked about my experience visiting Sheetz in other cities on the podcast. Apparently, there was a line this morning, with people excited about the combo gas station, fast food and convenience store that's open 365 days a year, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. [Detroit News]
🍻 Florian East, a new taproom in Hamtramck, Michigan, is set to open during the city's Labor Day Festival. Founded by five friends with diverse cultural backgrounds and located at 9530 Jos. Campau Avenue, they offer a range of low-ABV beers, draft mocktails, and cocktail-inspired beverages. The space will also host food pop-ups and screen Premier League soccer games on weekend mornings. The taproom aims to create a welcoming environment for all, whether or not patrons drink alcohol. [Metro Times] [Florian East Instagram]
🍔 High Pointe Burger Jointe is opening up soon across from Grosse Pointe South High School. Focusing on smashburgers, the 30-seat spot on Fisher Road has reportedly got a liquor license to offer drinks in the evening. You can take a sneak peek at their Instagram. No timetable has been set for when they'll be open but they tease "soon." [Instagram] [GP News]
🍜 City Ramen in Downtown Royal Oak has closed after five years. It was a favorite on Main Street for some on our member-only Discord. [City Ramen]
🍗 Fixins Soul Kitchen Detroit opened this week in the Paradise Valley neighborhood of Downtown Detroit (1435 Randolph). The mini-chain was founded in 2019 by former NBA All-Star and Mayor of Sacramento Kevin Johnson “KJ” and his wife Michelle. The menu includes chicken and waffles, oxtails, shrimp & grits, and deep fried deviled eggs. [Daily Detroit]
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🎧 On The Podcast
Each and every weekday, we produce an all-local daily news podcast that pushes Metro Detroit's conversation forward. Here's what we've been up to since we last talked.
🚧 Moving to Detroit? Know it's under construction (Plus 3 stories to know around town) [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify]
🗺️ Michigan Travelogue: South Haven, Downtown Berkley, Inside Henry Ford Fairlane [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify]
🗳️ What It's Like To Have A Presidential Ticket Like Us (ft. Steve Friess) [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify]
Remember that you are somebody... and I'll see you around Detroit.
-Jer