Pop-ups sometimes don’t work. Avalon, the well-known local purveyor of many breads, sweets and other tasty goods, had opened a spot in the Mike Ilitch School of Business. The announcement was in June, and the opening a bit later. Now, the South End reports that the shop’s location is no more.
To take its place in the 1,000 square foot of retail it leaves behind will be two spots, one being a rotating pop-up.
The article also says that the Avalon space didn’t have a direct door with access to the school. Students would have to leave the building then go to the Avalon.
Two Cents Take: You might think being right next to the stadium is a perfect location for things, but outside of game days, that particular block is often very quiet. This is part of the issue with stadium-focused development in general. Outside of game traffic, unless you do more than the stadium, it’s a dead zone. You also have New Order Coffee right straight up the street with a great ambiance and an established clientele.
If you’re not going to hyper-serve the school (not having direct access seems like a totally dumb move), there’s not going to be much else for a coffee shop there since it’s not like many of the Ilitch’s plans for District Detroit have happened on that side of the street.
