Hey friends,
Jer here. Thanks for opening the newsletter today, and welcome to the weekend.
Detroit is buzzing with new things ahead of the NFL Draft (and we'll get to more of those in a minute), but I have new details on something underway that'll open in the next three or four months.
Qargo Coffee is coming to the corner of Mack and Woodward in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood.
As I first reported, the spot that had spent years as a Starbucks closed in February of last year.
Qargo is a Florida-based chain that started in 2020, serving Lavazza coffee along with pastries and snacks in "beautiful spaces for meetings, work, study, relaxation and fun."
Their motto is to "empower the creators to do what they do best one cup of coffee at a time."
This will be one of "many" spots coming to Metro Detroit. I was able to confirm with their Director of Marketing Sebastian Garcia that Canton is on the list to get a future location at Canton Center Crossing.
The franchise chain plans to add around 100 stores across the country in the next year. They currently have stores in California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, and Washington DC.
This franchise is owned by Wissam Charafeddine, who has strong ties to the Detroit metro area and is very active in a number of projects, causes and businesses.
When looking at where to open up, Qargo's representative tells me they run the data on how much coffee people in the area drink. He says they're excited to open where there's a lot of activity — including a new hotel opening soon the next block over.
👀 Eye Spy: New things ahead of the NFL Draft
Heading down Woodward down to the Central Business District, there's a lot coming together with the clock ticking for the NFL Draft that's less than two weeks away. Here are a few things I saw.
>> As we mentioned on the Friday episode of the podcast, Chipotle is now open near Campus Martius and lines went out the door this week.
One day when I stopped by at 1:30 pm, a good time after the lunch rush — the line was still long.
>> The Starbucks in the same area just finished an interior refresh after being closed for a few weeks.
>> The Lone Goat, a British-themed pub, did a soft open for Tigers Opening Day. They're located in the Metropolitan Building at 33 John R., which is also home to the rooftop Monarch Club.
As this photo from our Friday podcast host Devon shows — it does, indeed, include a goat.
>> There's a new "Next Level" arcade that's popped up in the former Under Armour spot at Woodward and State.
The signage outside promises gaming, roller skating and concessions.
I kinda hope it sticks around past the draft. We need more kinds of experiences down there.
>> The often talked about "Whaling Wall" on the Broderick Tower will be covered again in time for the NFL Draft. This time, with a Cure Auto Insurance advertisement.
Thanks to listener Katherine for the tip and the photo.
>> And finally, that giant tower being built by Bedrock finally has a name, a finished height, and a hype video (that's above).
It's officially going to be called "Hudson's Detroit," and stand 685 feet tall. [Urbanize Detroit]
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Until next time, remember that you are somebody... and I'll see you around Detroit.
-Jer