Revive Downtown Detroit Days...?

In my younger naive days, I had crack-pot ideas about "helping" Detroit that I now look back on with humor and ironic nostalgia. But I might venture into such waters again as I was thinking that it might be interesting to revive one of Detroit's most interesting "festivals" called Downtown Detroit Days.

Twice a year, one week in May and one in October, stores and shops would give away prizes, have sales, and organizers would offer general entertainment. They even elected a Miss and Mr. Downtown Detroit Days. It ran from 1954 to about the early 90s. By the end it seems it had a more rummage sale/flea market feel. Though through most of it was about the stores themselves. But as they begun to close up shop in the 80s there were less and less participants.

My only concern would be the fact that the stores back then were all pretty local. Meaning corporate was local and therefore having sales were easier to coordinate. Bonobos, John Varvatos or Nike may have a difficult time offering sales if they don't have corporate sign-off. However, I think it would boost the profile of downtown by having crowds come down that come for it and not for a sports game, the tree lighting, or a show and happen to pass these stores.

Downtown stores:
Bonobos
John Varvatos
Nike
Under Amour
Vault of Midnight
Detroit is the New Black
City Bark
Bird Bee
Pure Detroit [[Guardian)
Moosejaw
Red Rose Florist
Detroit Bikes
House of Pure Vin
Henry the Hatter
J.L. Stone
Simmons & Clark
Warby Parker
Citizen Yoga
NoJo Kicks
Hot Sams
Emerson's Haberdashery

Thoughts? Or am I being a naive crackpot again? :rolleyes:

Despite writing all of that, as soon as I hit that submit thread button I realized this all was familiar. Indeed, a Google search proved that they tried to revive it about 4-5 years ago. However many of these stores hadn't come down yet. A true revival of the annual event is what I would like to see.

4 or 5 years ago is a long time in the past with the pace of change since. Let's remember, hard to believe, it was only six years ago when Gilbert came on the scene.

I remember the effort. The Hudson site with its protruding I-beams was opened up and booths set up. It seemed feebly attended and not helped by rainfall.

That said, I think it would work really well now.

I found these from my archive from July 2012.

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Originally Posted by Lowell

4 or 5 years ago is a long time in the past with the pace of change since. Let's remember, hard to believe, it was only six years ago when Gilbert came on the scene.

I remember the effort. The Hudson site with its protruding I-beams was opened up and booths set up. It seemed feebly attended and not helped by rainfall.

That said, I think it would work really well now.

I found these from my archive from July 2012.

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Looks like fun!!!

Lowell, you're right we were in a different phase in 2012 and even 2013. As you can see, there were booths and very few stores participating aside from CityWhatever by Somerset. I had nearly forgotten about them...

I've seen from photos, giant DDD banners, I think a parade, DSR/DDOT fare promotions, music acts and much more. Something to give downtown its due and not the riverfront or stadiums. But the thing that is downtown. Restaurants and even the businesses that call downtown home now could participate.

Wow, I somehow missed DDDays at the ex-Hudson's beam farm. That looks really lame, not to mention truly painfully ironic.

It's a pretty good idea, and at the right time of year with the right promotion I think it has the potential to draw people and help businesses. But let's not do that Hudson's thing again, ever.

I'm still convinced this should be a thing again. Got me thinking about it thanks to the Miss DDDays thread...

Part of what made DDD work is that Woodward was a super regional shopping destination. People would come out of their way from all over the metro area, state and even Midwest to patronize anchors such as Hudson's or Crowley's because of the unique shopping experience that couldn't be found at any ol' suburban shopping mall.<br><br>Right now, Woodward just isn't there [[at least not yet).

I loved DDD Days. I bought my wedding gown at J.L. Hudson's bridal salon in 1968 during DDD Days. $67.00!!! Celebrating 50th anniversary on 9/21

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Originally Posted by 313WX

Part of what made DDD work is that Woodward was a super regional shopping destination. People would come out of their way from all over the metro area, state and even Midwest to patronize anchors such as Hudson's or Crowley's because of the unique shopping experience that couldn't be found at any ol' suburban shopping mall.<br><br>Right now, Woodward just isn't there [[at least not yet).

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Yet I would argue that in order to make Woodward a more destination place, we need an event like DDD to bring to light many of the nascent retail options now on Woodward, more than ever since the early 90s when most of the big retailers had left.

That being said, it might work better after the completion of some of the developments happening.

313WX makes a VERY good point. I don't live in the area anymore, but I get the feeling that Downtown is like a shopping center without an anchor tenant, that s to saw a collection of shops without any glue to hold them together.

Without a Hudsons-type store to act as a catalyst for the event, I'm a bit afraid [[from a retailer's perspective) it would end up feeling a bit like a strip mall sidewalk sale. Thee events around it might be nice, but looking at it as a sales generator for retail, I just don't know.

Now, move a Target-type store into the core and it's a whole new ballgame.

The whole shopping "experience" has changed. There are multiple options, especially with the internet, that you have to ask yourself "what's down there that I can't get anywhere else?" Think about it, driving into Detroit, parking, either walking, waiting for the blight rail, catching a cab, Unber or Lyft, to buy what? If there was an area or village of artisans, potters, painters, coupled with some kind of other event, it might work. But to bring back DDD as a shopping experience, I don't think it'll fly.

313WX, douglasm, and Honky Tonk all have valid points on this idea. In the past, you had bigger retailers that folks had no problem driving to for deals. The list in the first post are all small time operations, except JL Stone which is now closed, with exclusive & specialty items that are priced on the high end. They're also all scattered about the downtown area. With the exceptions of Nike & Under Armor, the rest are more so suited for Small Business Saturday. There's not really enough mainstream places all located together for your average Joe to buy everyday items to make the trek downtown.

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Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

The whole shopping "experience" has changed. There are multiple options, especially with the internet, that you have to ask yourself "what's down there that I can't get anywhere else?" Think about it, driving into Detroit, parking, either walking, waiting for the blight rail, catching a cab, Unber or Lyft, to buy what?

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Exactly, I can tell you about my own experience with Nike. Before there were stores downtown & at Great Lakes Crossing [[GLC), I went to the Nike store at Birch Run. Of course, this was as part of a day trip to shop at Birch Run & get a chicken dinner in nearby Frankenmuth. Since it opened, I've gone to the downtown location several times. It's the one I like the most btw. However, it is a hassle to drive there & pay to park nearby, and walk through the streets to shop there. The memory of my last trip there where I paid $10 to park 3 blocks away and walked to it in cold rain with a piercing wind convinced me most recently to shop at the GLC location. While the GLC location wasn't as much to my liking, I didn't have to pay to park, & it was a short walk to my car.

While some may say "Ah that's the lazy suburbanite attitude of wanting to park close by to run in & out of a store", that attitude is prevalent among everyday shoppers. They don't want the hassle of making the effort.

Ehhh, the festivities don't have to necessarily be sales. It can be a push to re-think coming into the city. Even the DSR had promotions to ride it from outside into downtown for DDDays. Perhaps DDOT and SMART's FAST can do the same?

We have RiverDays, yes. But does it integrate with the downtown retail scene? DDDays was also in the fall, do we have any fall fests?

Again, most of our points are things I've thought as well and would mostly agree.

An attempt to revive DDDdays was done in August of 2013. How did that go?