Lori Maher (wife of recently elected Detroit mayor, Mike Duggan) with Mandisa Smith, owner of Detroit Fiber Works
The First Lady Shops the Avenue
Lori Maher, wife of recently elected Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, did her last-minute holiday shopping with some of her friends on the Avenue of Fashion. Her appearance increased the visibility of existing and new small businesses on Livernois. These include: Detroit Fiber Works, Good Cakes and Bakes, Voigt’s Soda House, Art In Motion, and more. “We shopped until we dropped,” she said.
Temporary to Permanent
The year started off with good news: Detroit Fiber Works, a fiber art studio that is focused on community enrichment, launched permanently on Livernois Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. The art studio initially launched as a pop-up on September 20, 2013 during the Detroit Design Festival. Since then, owners Mandisa Smith and Najma Wilson, have had a good deal of success building clientele, hosting workshops, and featuring local and world-renowned artists.
Love Travels Imports, a fair-trade shop featuring handmade items from artisans all over the world, has started a Booster campaign. The campaign is selling shirts to provide more work for artisan groups in South Africa. These groups hand make quality bags, scarves, and other items. Five hundred shirts sold; $6,410.00 of which will go to handmade product costs. The hope is to continue fair-trade practices, keeping local business in Detroit, as it is one of very few shops of it’s kind in the city.
Future Projects
REVOLVE is currently focused on 2014 planning, centered around two major construction projects. These projects involve working with developers to engage the community in the redevelopment process through the arts, temporary uses, and events. These activities will illustrate future permanent uses or vet prospective uses and activities to determine long-term feasibility.
Press:
-- http://www.mlive.com/business/detroit/index.ssf/2013/12/detroits_soon-to-be_first_lady.html