Hello from The Congregation! It’s a great coffeeshop and venue located near the Boston-Edison neighborhood of Detroit. I couldn’t think of a better place to beat the heat and write some newsletter stuff from around southeast Michigan for you.
As always, my analysis is in italics.
⚡️ What to know
» The auto industry is facing a problem as it produces more electric vehicles (EVs) to challenge Tesla: There are not enough buyers. 🔋 Despite growing interest in EVs, concerns about price and charging infrastructure are making potential buyers hesitant, leaving automakers with a surplus of EVs and waiting for demand to catch up. [Axios]
- You can’t raise the price 50% like Ford did on the F-150 Lightning and think people are going to be okay with that [The Verge]
- We also can’t minimize recently rising interest rates and higher insurance costs as factors
» Retail and office demand is way down post-pandemic, so what to do? 📦 Apparently, make the first floor and basement of a historic apartment building in New Center storage units. [Crain’s]
- The space mentioned in the article was Saks Fifth Avenue store #4 between the 1940s and the 1980s
- For context, at the Mackinac Policy Conference I heard a rep for Bedrock say that downtown Detroit’s office and retails is at a 50% physical vacancy rate
- It turns out converting offices to residential is very expensive. Here’s a great episode of “Odd Lots” from Bloomberg that talks about what it takes to convert offices to residential [Apple Podcasts]
We discussed this and more on a recent episode of the Daily Detroit podcast:
» Actor Hill Harper is running for U.S. Senate. 🗳 He’s joining a Democratic primary field that includes current odds-on favorite U.S. Rep Elissa Slotkin. Other entrants include Nasser Beydoun, Zack Burns, former state Rep. Leslie Love, and Michigan State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh.
Here’s his campaign launch video:
- Harper made a big splash in Detroit’s Cadillac Square today, with a polished announcement party
- He has never run for office before, though has done nonprofit and activism work
- He is positioning himself as a progressive and anti-establishment
- Harper says there are too many “career politicians” and that the delegation the Washington D.C. needs more diversity in an interview with [TIME]
- Hill has an uphill battle, as Rep. Slotkin has already raised more than $2.3 million
It’s going to be a long campaign, but do you have a favorite right now?
» Plant theft at the Oudolf Garden on Belle Isle: 🥀 There are only a few of these well-curated gardens in the world by the well known designer, and this report gets into the thefts. [ClickOnDetroit]
I decided to go out on Sunday and check them out again. Still beautiful. If you haven’t been, I think they not only have some of the best native plant displays — but also some great benches. You’ll find it between the bandshell and the conservatory (currently under renovation).
» Did you know there is regular bus between Detroit and Ann Arbor? 🚌 D2A2 runs seven days a week. It has hourly service from 6am-midnight during the week. They have a new program that lets you prepay 50 trips for $100, or just $2 per ride. [D2A2]
» Film production incentives are back on the table in Michigan. 🎬 A bi-partisan bill introduced today would aim to make Michigan rejoin 40 states and cities in offering them. [Rep. Roth]
The hard truth is major film work doesn’t often come to states without incentives. Film crews can shoot almost anywhere
The question really is if the juice is worth the squeeze — do we think it’s valuable enough to have some more star power in the state to offer the tax incentives?
This has been under discussion ever since the old incentive plan was eliminated
Here’s an interview from our podcast last year about film incentives with an advocate
Here’s a Twitter thread from today by one of the most vocal opponents (and also previous guest of the show), John Mozena [Tweets]
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🍔 News bites
» Iggy’s Eggies in Detroit’s Capitol Park is adding a second location — in Ann Arbor. [Iggy’s Eggies]
» Lamy’s Diner at The Henry Ford and the Kresge Court at the DIA were named two of the best museum cafes and restaurants in the nation. [American Alliance of Museums]
» O’Flaherty’s in Grosse Pointe Park is closing for about a month starting this week to repair damage from a fire next door. [O’Flaherty’s]
If you ever feel like going to the east side, there’s a bevy of bars and restaurants in Grosse Pointe Park and nearby to check out that are all within a few blocks of each other. Whether it’s Ye Olde Tap Room, The Charlevoix, Excalibur Park, Howlers and Growlers, Sierra Station, Rustic Cabins, The Bricks, Atwater Brewery, Marshall’s, Red Crown, the soon to open Brine Oyster Bar, and more. I should do a new guide as the last one I wrote is eight years old.
» The annual Czech and Slovak Festival in Dearborn Heights is this weekend. With live entertainment all day and ethnic foods prepared by an award-winning chef, this event promises an unforgettable time for families of all ages. Don't miss out on this captivating celebration of Czech and Slovak heritage on July 15-16 at the Sokol Cultural Center. [Press and Guide]
I’m part Slovak, so I’m throwing this in the pile. 😅
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🎧 On the podcast
Ok, so some bonus today! I want to catch you up on these in case you missed it.
🎨 Learn about Detroit’s (not so) hidden gem, the Scarab Club. They’ve been a hub for Detroit’s art community for more than 100 years, and the doors are open to the public. There’s a garden party this weekend, too.
🏒 Sports journalist Fletcher Sharpe and me chat about Alex DeBrincat coming back home; the Tigers no-hitter and a little Detroit City FC. Can we have the red kits back on the field?
🥬 Remember that vertical farm I told you about in a previous edition? I had a chance to sit down with the founder and CEO for more information. It’s a neat story and I got a lot of great feedback on this one.
If you have a minute — we could really use your nominations in the News and Politics category for the Podcast Awards, one of the industry’s oldest contests. We’re in a very competitive category against some shows with national footprints, so your nomination really matters.
How did you like the 10 item format?
And we’re done for today. Thanks as always for your support and attention. Feedback at dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or if you want to leave a voicemail for the podcast, 313-789-3211.
Until next time,
-Jer
