If Detroit economic development progress is measured one business at a time, a West Village block hit a trifecta.
Three restaurants will fill vacancies on Agnes Street between Van Dyke and Parker, as Nathan Skid describes in Crain's Detroit Business this week. The neighborhood newcomers, which expect to open next spring, are Red Hook Cafe, Craft Work tavern and Detroit Vegan Soul. The openings are part of the pilot program of Detroit Revolve, a collaborative effort between the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. and building owners to marry entrepreneurs with empty storefronts.
The first report on this news, headlined "Signs of Progress," was posted Nov. 9 at Curbed Detroit and names a fourth prospective tenant: Tarot and Tea.
Red Hook will serve coffee and sell pastries by Pinwheel Bakery of Ferndale -- where entrepreneur Sandi Heaselgrave began serving Sumptown Coffee at a front counter in October 2011 under a shared-space arrangement. Craft Work will be an American-style tavern at the former Harlequin Café site, according to Crain's.
Next door will be the vegan soul food restaurant operated by Kirsten Ussery, co-founder of a popular Detroit catering business with nearly 2,800 Facebook fans. For a menu preview, click here.
