Holy moley, there's a huge list of new things coming to the Livernois Avenue of Fashion including new businesses and art installations, courtesy of a bunch of grant money and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation's Revolve program.
Revolve's mission is to revitalize the area on Livernois and Outer Drive, near the Sherwood Forest neighborhood, via art, businesses, performances and pop-ups.
After reviewing a deep pool of prospective tenants and artists, Revolve has whittled the list down to 12 new permanent and pop-up businesses, and more than 20 artists, some local and others as far off as Europe, who will help in the revitalization.
The new art installations and businesses will debut on Friday, Sept. 20, the day the Avenue of Fashion hosts the Detroit Design Festival.
The permanent stores that will join the neighborhood:
- Regal cafe: a coffee shop
- Local Social Ice Cream/Good Cakes and Bakes: a combined ice cream shop and bakery
- Renaissance: a clothing store
- Art in Motion: a ceramics studio.
The pop-up shops will include:
- Thrift 7th Avenue: a self explanatory women's thrift shop
- Fresh Food Co-op: a grocery-type store that will include products from Batata Shop, Beautiful Soup, Fresh Corner Cafe, and Treats by Angelique
- H2BT: something described as "an online radio station and boutique clothing retailer for emerging musicians"
- Pages on Livernois: a book and gift store
- Fill-Anthropy: non-profit bar that gives proceeds to neighborhood projects
- Detroit Fiber Works Creative Center: a fiber arts store and workshop location
- Love Travels Imports: fair trade and handmade goods
- True Indulgence: a bakery full of tiny bit-sized desserts
As for art, 13 creative projects from local and national artists are planned, including two murals, a set of kaleidescope-like viewfinders, art installations and galleries. Michael Owen, contemporary painter hailing from Baltimore, will paint a mural on the wall of Jo's Gallery on Livernois that "honors the legacies of African American musicians from Detroit," according to a press release issued by Revolve.
There will also be art programming and events held in shop and other buildings on Livernois including "Word," a workshop series in screenwriting, song writing and novel composition.
Additionally, Amy Haimerl at Crain's Detroit Business reports "that about $1.5 million will be flowing to the area for streetscaping projects along the 2.8-mile stretch from the Lodge freeway and Eight Mile. The money is a matching deal between the federal government ($975,000) and the DEGC and other partner organizations ($525,000), and will be used for landscaping in the medians and pedestrian-safety improvements. The project will start next spring."
See pictures of all the spaces getting rehabed on Revolve's Facebook page.
Earlier coverage: Neighborhood Boost: Projects Coming To Livernois 'Avenue of Fashion' Area, May 20
