Grosse Pointer turns memories into Detroit Scroll biz

Patti Kay is turning nostalgia into moolah with her art-based business, Detroit Scroll.

The Grosse Pointe-based company got its start when Kay was traveling and saw prints of bus stops stacked on one another. It inspired her to start Detroit Scroll and create the Detroit version of that.

"They were really cool but I didn't want one from another city," Kay says. "I wanted one from Detroit."

Those scrolls show the streets from Detroit-based bus routes in the 20th Century. Street names only Detroiters would recognize, like Fenkell, Fort and Fullerton, are listed in black and white and framed as wall art.

"The resonate with everybody because of Detroit pride," Kay says. "Everybody recognizes their street or their bus route."

The 2-year-old business became Kay's full-time job in December. She just hired an administrative assistant and steadily gives work to an independent contractor. Detroit Scroll's business has steadily grown to the point that it is now offering t-shirts, glassware, stationary and apparel.

"I have been told if you do something you love you will never work another day in your life," Kay says. "That's so true for me."

Source: Patti Kay, owner of Detroit Scroll
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.