Check out the best of Detroit, take a walk down memory lane, help some great local charities, and finish up your holiday shopping at the same time at The Detroit Shoppe in Troy's Somerset Collection.
The 4,880-square-foot seasonal store showcases many products those of us who grew up in metropolitan Detroit remember from our childhood, as well as some cool new Detroit-made items and things from Detroit museums and cultural institutions. Better yet, profits from sales benefit charities like the Detroit Rescue Mission, Greening of Detroit, Illitch Charities, the Kid Rock Foundation, the Hole in the Roof Foundation, and, one of my personal favorites, Forgotten Harvest.
We see a lot of negative publicity about Detroit. A major network news program, which I'm not naming as I don't want to further publicize or legitimize its unjustly biased portrayal of the city, set the Internet buzzing in the wake of its airing this past spring.
Somerset marketing manager Linda McIntosh watched the program, and she thought about possible ways to spotlight Detroit's positive points and encourage pride in our city.
One of the results of her thinking? A store established under the auspices of the Somerset Foundation stocked with a unique mix of Detroit products and museum-quality exhibits.
Carpenters and bricklayers donated their time and talent to transform a former men's clothing store into retail and display area, folks from the Detroit Historical Museum helped design displays, and private collectors loaned some of their treasured pieces to the store for the season. Shoppers can check out a Model T car, a small karaoke booth reminiscent of Motown's legendary Studio A, a nook featuring items from the old downtown Hudson's department store, or a hallway lined with vintage photos covering Detroit's history from the late 1800s on.
The Detroit Shoppe also sponsors excursions with free shuttle bus transportation to Detroit landmarks and museums, and back to the store for a free reception featuring some yummy Detroit food products. Upcoming trips include destinations like the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Motown Museum, and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Regular Midwest Guest readers know that I am a big fan of local museum and cultural organizations. I regularly visit, and hold memberships to, quite a few Detroit museums. So, I hope shoppers take advantage of a great deal where those who sign up for Detroit museum memberships at The Detroit Shoppe receive a $25 Somerset gift card.
I've checked out The Detroit Shoppe several times already this season, including at a store-hosted Tweet Up where members of Detroit's social media community enjoyed a taste of Detroit featuring Detroit-made products like Kid Rock's Badass Beer, Coney dogs from American Coney, Faygo pop, and Better Made Potato Chips.
The Detroit Shoppe opened on November 1 and remains open through the end of the North American International Auto Show on January 23, 2011. Hours are 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon until 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Meanwhile, I need to get back there soon and buy some of the things I scouted out earlier for folks on my holiday gift list!
© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved
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