A Cloud Bean, an X-Wing, and a dining-table sized version of the Operation game were just a few of the don't-miss attractions at last weekend's Maker Faire at the Henry Ford. But if you did miss it, check out these cool images.
In 30 short years Scott Brills has visited 70 countries, launched a website development firm, raised funds for international charities, and is now launching a safari company. And he's doing it all from his home base in Farmington Hills. Still think you lead a busy life?
The buzz about a two-story restaurant and lounge under renovation in downtown Royal Oak is that it will be the next "it" place to eat and hang out in metro Detroit Bistro 82 and Sabrage will be opening in the space formerly occupied by Spanish tapas restaurant Sangria at the corner of 4th & S. Lafayette. An impressive lineup will staff Bistro 82, which will occupy the bottom floor of the nearly 10,000 square-foot corner spot. Sabrage, which is French for the technique of using a saber to open a champagne bottle, will take over the top floor with a garden terrace, a stage for live music and booth seating along with a white onyx bar for post-dinner drinks. The staff's resumes will bring experience from top restaurants around metro Detroit, Michigan and California under one roof when Bistro 82 and Sabrage open by fall. Besides fresh and often locally-sourced dishes and a wine selection that is expected to rival top-seeded restaurants around the country, owner Aaron F. Belen of AFB Hospitality Group wants the two-story restaurant and lounge's interior design and atmosphere to also be a standout. A large shark tank built into a DJ booth along with a floor-to-ceiling wine cellar, extensive champagne list, private dining room, a specialized sound system designed by Harman Co. and Euro-bistro influenced meals served in courses are part of owner Aaron F. Belen's vision for Bistro 82 and Sabrage. The establishment will seat at least 159 people and 226 in the lounge, make a major investment to Royal Oak and create 75 full- and part-time jobs. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Justin Near, publicist for Aaron F. Belen and Bistro 82/Sabrage/AFB Hospitality Group
While construction moves ahead on a new transit center in Dearborn, the focus is on how to develop the land in and around the station and how best to connect it to the community. The station is scheduled to open in 2014 on Michigan Avenue in west Dearborn and, if all goes well, to be a stimulus for economic development and even a local attraction. The station is multi-modal, a place where trains, buses, taxis will pick up and drop off passengers. It will be a stop on an Ann Arbor to Detroit Amtrak line which is also undergoing improvements to the tracks and the trains in preparation for high speed rail service between Detroit and Chicago. It can also be a spot for bikers and pedestrians to pick up public transit or carpools. In addition, the center is seen as a way to link Dearborn's neighborhoods to its commercial thoroughfares and landmarks such as The Henry Ford and the Ford Performing Arts Center and major employers and schools such as University of Michigan Dearborn and Henry Ford Community College. The project is part of a federal transportation plan to stimulate transit-oriented development, which promotes public transit and transit centers as magnet for economic prosperity by leading to the creation of businesses, improvement of neighborhoods and quality of life and by connecting cities and bringing about a sense of place. Dearborn received the largest federal grant in Michigan, $28.2 million, to build the station. Focuses of the recent public input meetings included what parts or features of the city should connect to the transit station and how it should be designed. One design could create pedestrian paths rich in landscape with a splash fountain for play, benches and other amenities that make the station a place for the community to come together. Dearborn was chosen as one of five cities to receive planning and design assistance from the MIPlace Partnership. The MIPlace Partnership is a collaborative effort of the Michigan Municipal League, Michigan State Housing Development Authority and Michigan State University. For more information, click here to see the conceptual plan. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: City of Dearborn
Stone Works is bringing interior design and masonry work for indoors and outdoors to a storefront in Grosse Pointe Woods. The store can serve as showroom and planning site for home and commercial projects. Stone Works is scheduled to open mid-June on Mack Avenue in place of a closed Verizon store. "We've had very vibrant activity along Mack Avenue," says the city's building department director, Gene Tutage. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Gene Tutag, director, Grosse Pointe Woods building department
Michigan is home to an impressive list of inventions and innovations, but few would give a shout out to Modern design. Cranbrook, the state's Historic Preservation Office, and Preserve America would like to change that. This week launches an effort to raise awareness about the Mitten's profound contributions to American Modernism.
State Historic Preservation Office launches blockbuster show June 14 at Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills.
An elevated walkway that connects downtown Northville's Main Street to a parking area is done, later than expected, but to the excitement of city and DDA officials who see it as a way to make the central business district more accessible and attractive. The nearly $800,000 project, the Comerica Community Connection, is a pedestrian bridge styled with an historic downtown feel that connects the Marquis parking lot to Main Street near Comerica Bank and keeps downtown visitors from cutting through businesses or having to go around the block. The walkway, which was first planned about five years ago, is one of several improvements for downtown and was spearheaded by the Northville Downtown Development Authority. There are also street scape enhancements, new downtown signage and electric car charging stations done or on their way. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Northville Downtown Development Authority
A Northville website design and development company that's just turning five is celebrating its success with a move into a larger office in downtown Northville. Commercial Progression's new office at 115 North Center Street, Suite 203, brings together the company's team of web developers, graphic designers and freelancers who specialize in Drupal, a content management system for mobile or desktop uses. The firm calls itself The Drupal Experts. A motto of Commercial Progression is to "help you leverage and turn great ideas into reality." Alex Fisher founded the company in 2008 and not only helps businesses and entrepreneurs build websites they can manage but guides them through digital strategy that speaks to long term goals and success. "We're a full-service Drupal shop, providing assistance at every step," Fisher says, "from before there's even a test site to many years hence." Clients include National Geographic Ad Sales, TRW micosites event platform, the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology and School of Nursing, Motawi Tileworks and many others. The company is hiring as more clients sign on. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Alex Fisher, founder, Commercial Progression
First came Great Wall Custom Coverings. Next came the Detroit Wallpaper Co, which has accelerated the growth of the Ferndale-based company. Josh Young and Andi Kubacki started Great Wall Custom Coverings nearly a decade ago, providing custom wall paper projects that were as eclectic as their imaginations and those of their customers. They began scaling that sort of creativity last fall with the Detroit Wallpaper Co, which sells the pair's popular avant-garde wallpaper designs utilizing non-toxic and environmentally friendly supplies. Some of those designs include patterns they are labeling as "Botanicals" (think flowers and plant patterns), "Wallgazer" (self-described as a "marriage between high concept and functional design") and "Wander Walls" (images that bring far-away locales to mind). All 63 different designs are colorful, contemporary and probably like nothing you have seen on a wall before. "It's really a commentary on our society," Young says. "What we're really interested in is technology, music. We have a lot of pop-culture references in our designs." The two companies employ eight people between them after hiring one person over the last year. The rising demand for Detroit Wallpaper Co's products are driving the growth in the company right now. "It's quickly growing," Young says. "It's beginning to eclipse Great Wall already." Source: Josh Young, co-owner of Detroit Wallpaper Co Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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