Who are Detroit's Positive Deviants?

[michimoby]

Thank you, canuck.


I do master planning for a living, so I have some faith in big plans and visions. However, the plans we produce are always co-created with the people who will implement them, so they're really bottom-up.

My question was mostly about learning from the mavericks who find a way to get unstuck, break down traditional suburban/urban barriers or step out of line - against all odds.


For example, although we don't yet know if Diallo Smith's concept for Drive Table Tennis Social Club will be a long-term success, it seems to be off to a good start. If this works, it will bring people together to do something active and non-intimidating. What can thousands of others learn from his non-conformist story? Smith is a returning Detroit resident, so how can more people be lured back to the city? He started by testing his idea using pop-up events, so are there other business ideas that lend themselves to trial installations? He got lots of national and international publicity via the micro funder Kickstarter campaign, so how can others use their Horatio Alger story to attract interest beyond Detroit?


When such practices spread across the city they can have a multiplier effect that no amount of naysaying will defeat.

Just wondering who else is doing new things worth replicating on a large scale.

It's not until the new ideas that emerge compete against one another on a world-class level that the barriers will be broken.

While I applaud Drive's opening, the horribly kept secret is that SPiN out of NYC will be also entering the market in Detroit soon. When that happens, I don't think Drive will be able to compete against the capital and the powerhouse names behind that franchise.

We're too eager to accept mediocrity simply because it seems like goodwill for the city. Distancing ourselves from that mentality is paramount.

[Sharnelle]

It's not until the new ideas that emerge compete against one another on a world-class level that the barriers will be broken.

While I applaud Drive's opening, the horribly kept secret is that SPiN out of NYC will be also entering the market in Detroit soon. When that happens, I don't think Drive will be able to compete against the capital and the powerhouse names behind that franchise.

We're too eager to accept mediocrity simply because it seems like goodwill for the city. Distancing ourselves from that mentality is paramount.

Should we be expecting only one of each kind of new business to survive? In another era, that would have meant only one bowling alley operator for the whole city. Competing businesses prevent monopoly practices, create new markets and find ways to differentiate themselves.

[michimoby]

Should we be expecting only one of each kind of new business to survive? In another era, that would have meant only one bowling alley operator for the whole city. Competing businesses prevent monopoly practices, create new markets and find ways to differentiate themselves.

In a world where demand outpaces supply, and assuming that we're going Keynesian here, you're absolutely right. Right now, that's absolutely not the case in Detroit, especially for a niche venue like ping-pong.

It explains why, on New Years' Day, BW3s had a wait time of 45 minutes for a table to watch college football and restaurants in Greektown had trouble getting people in the doors.