FIRST LOOK: 3 New Shops On Detroit's East Side

Hey friends, Jer here.

Hope you had a good weekend — and good news: when I look at the next 10-day forecast, warmer weather is about to be here to stay.

On Saturday I checked out an opening event for three spots at the new Cadillac Arts Centre at 1533 Cadillac, just off East Jefferson on Detroit's east side.

A little context: Little Village was named by Time Magazine as one of the "greatest places on earth", largely on the strength of The Shepherd — a wildly successful reuse of an old church campus that includes Warda Patisserie, an art space, a boutique B&B, a skatepark, and the bar "Father Forgive Me."

I haven't been to enough continents to weigh in on the plaudit, but I can tell you it's a magical place to sit and drink.

And all of that is just steps away from this new thing in the neighborhood.

The Cadillac Arts Centre is a 25,000 sq. ft. facility that'll house 15 artist studios, retail, the nonprofit InsideOut Literary Arts, Black Art Library, a neighborhood-run ceramics studio, community org Villages CDC, and an urban garden.

Here's a quick tour of the three shops I visited.

In Thicket Books — Used books and records. 

They were still filling shelves during their soft open, but you can see where they're going with it. The shop goes deeper than the photos suggest.

Take Me Home — A retail space and gallery by artists Jim Schatz and Peter Souza Jr. 

They describe it as blurring "the line between gallery and domestic interior," bringing together collectible design, functional ceramics, and one-of-a-kind works rooted in craft and material exploration.

Bowerbird Home — To get there I needed to go upstairs, from husband-and-wife team Erik Johnson and Grace Morency. 

A thoughtfully curated shop with home goods, furniture, and handwoven rugs — think Scandinavian inspiration, clean lines, built to last.

As the trees fill in and temps climb, this indoor/outdoor space is going to be a destination. And I love how it's genuinely a cityscape, with houses and buildings right there.

Keep an eye on my beloved east side. This is one of many ways it's making moves.

Until next time — remember that you are somebody, and we'll see you around Detroit.

-Jer

p.s. — We've had a lot of great podcast episodes lately. I'll write about them more specifically soon, but you can check them out on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.