Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Boutique shops establishing roots in Harmonie Park

When last I posted something in this space, I mentioned how prominent Faygo, Better Made and any other made-in-Michigan (and even more, made-in-Detroit) products are all the rage downtown these days. I barely finished typing those words when a lunchtime walk led me to a block of retail stores that hammered home the point even further.


I'd never even seen this little strip of shops before. Located on Grand River Avenue in Harmonie Park between Broadway and Centre, where Grand River fades to a small two-lane street, the row of stores features a number of small mom-and-pop clothing shops. In the lineup are stores like Rags, Spectacles, and Iklektikk. And there's also a little nook of a store called DSE Grand, and under its glass-top counter I spotted wallets and change purses made from old Faygo cans, Vernor's cans, and Better Made potato chip bags.

I'm telling you, the movement is everywhere. I left the shops and went next door to Coaches' Corner, and I half-expected them to force feed me a Stroh's.