This couldn't be happening to a nicer group of people.
[Saturday, June 20, 2009
Block party honors success
Detroit's West Willis Village celebrates neighborhood's revival
Jaclyn Trop / The Detroit News
In a city besieged by bankruptcy and balance sheets in the red, one street is celebrating.
Detroit's West Willis Village, the name given to the stretch of Willis Street between Second and Cass avenues and surrounding small businesses, is a microcosm of business gone right -- and shop owners will celebrate that success today with their 12th annual block party.
"We're all learning on the job together," said Jackie Victor, co-owner of the bellwether local business, Avalon International Breads. "I don't think there's an MBA on the block."
Victor and her partner Ann Perrault are widely credited with breathing life into the neighborhood after opening their bakery in 1997. The grand opening celebration, which drew more than 800 people, was so successful the co-owners made it an annual event. Other businesses, including Flo Boutique and the Spiral Collective, chose to launch on Avalon's subsequent "birthdays" to capitalize on the crowd.
"There's kind of a history of us celebrating our birthdays together," Perrault said. "It's a way for all of us to give back."
The village, which has grown to include such ventures as Goodwells Natural Foods Market and Curl Up and Dye hair salon, has succeeded because its walkable size brings spillover traffic, and lower rents mean it's "a little easier to start a small business and stay in business," Perrault said.
A shared emphasis on social responsibility and the environment unites the shop owners and helps attract a common clientele, Victor said.
The district has been so successful that there is no more commercial space available, according to Sue Mosey, president of the University Cultural Center Association. There are plans for additional retail development on adjacent streets.
"It's about a lot of dedicated people with good taste," said Mosey, who has been involved with the area since Avalon opened 12 years ago. "For a very small strip, it's a huge amount of energy."
That's exactly why Simone Desousa chose Willis Street as the site of her Re:View Contemporary Gallery, which opened in October and is among the street's newcomers.
"People are starting to realize more and more that Detroit can be a cultural center," she said. The gallery's four exhibit openings have routinely drawn a couple hundred people, for whom Avalon provides food. "They give us a good discount."
jtrop@detnews.com (313) 222-2300
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