Carhartt to bring rugged brand to trendy Midtown

[Dbest]

Wow, I remember when I saw a picture of their Sydney Australia shop and wondered why this area business couldn't have a store in Downtown Detroit? Well, welcome aboard...

http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/columnists/tom-walsh/2015/01/27/carhartt-detroit-store/22440265/


This "Detroit thing" is really building momentum, got to like this quote from the article:

"We have long had a desire and need to open a store in our company's birthplace and what many of us at Carhartt consider our own hometown," said CEO and Chairman Mark Valade, the fourth-generation head of the family owned company founded by Hamilton Carhartt in 1889.





Heres a quick view of their Sydney, Australia Store I referred to:

http://www.colonybmx.com.au/news/200...-store-sydney/




That quote from the CEO makes me wonder if Carhartt would consider relocating its headquarters to Detroit?

[stasu1213]

At last a retail store that cater to the average casual dressing consumer such as I and others., I hope that the prices of their jeans are reasonable. I had purchased a brand new Carhartt Artic Coat at a Grosse Pointe yard sale on a hot July day back in 2006. I still have that coat and it still does the job of keeping me warm. A very rugged coat it is.

[mikeg19]

Very cool news, especially given its location is not on Woodward.

[Honky Tonk]

It can be rough work riding that elevator down and trudging across the lobby to the Blight Rail. A man needs proper clothes.

[bailey]

That quote from the CEO makes me wonder if Carhartt would consider relocating its headquarters to Detroit?

Instead of the HQ...how about relocating all their production to Detroit from Mexico, China and the rest of its other off shore locations?

[Jimaz]

Carhartt.com

[Honky Tonk]

Instead of the HQ...how about relocating all their production to Detroit from Mexico, China and the rest of its other off shore locations?

You win this morning's Honky Tonk Bingo award.

[stasu1213]

Instead of the HQ...how about relocating all their production to Detroit from Mexico, China and the rest of its other off shore locations?

detroit is a union town that's why

[bailey]

You win this morning's Honky Tonk Bingo award.

ooh. what do I win?

[rjlj]

Awesome news.

Here are the other store locations around the world.

http://www.carhartt-wip.com/stores

[Wheels]

You do realize their headquarters is here in Dearborn right?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carhartt

[dtowncitylover]

detroit is a union town that's why

Ironic considering it caters to the "union" man.

[buckster1986]

While living in Manchester, England it was surprise to find Carhartt in a store next to Ralph Lauren. They have a line called "Work In Progress" that is much different than their work wear.

http://shop.carhartt-wip.com/view/us/home

[bailey]

Ironic considering it caters to the "union" man.

That is a testament to the power of marketing.

[nain rouge]

detroit is a union town that's why.

The unions have basically been busted. Once the old-timers are retired, those days are completely over. A nonunion Carhartt factory paying as little as $11-12/hour would be constantly inundated with applications. At that wage, worker retention wouldn't be ideal, but there'd be no shortage of workers. Besides, from what I've read, retention in China is pretty low, so that wouldn't be anything new. No one wants to work at those factories longer than they have to when wages are low.

I know some people think the protests against fast food wages are a sign that unions are still strong in America, but the truth is that if you're willing to pay over $10/hour, union talk goes out the window. In the '60s, that's about where minimum wage was when adjusted for inflation. You need that base level of pay if you want to limit labor unrest.

[hybridy]

i would be interested to see them bring over some of their euro fashion lines to cater to the new detroit hipster homesteader. wrangler has a huge euro business that looks nothing like the carpenter work pant for sale at your local wal mart. we can't all wear red tab levis

[ABetterDetroit]

Not only good news for midtown having a new casual clothes store, but good for me because I like their stuff. When I go in to see what they have there will be little chance I don't buy something. You really can't have to much good warm clothing around here.

[Bucket]

The mural on the building would be highly visible to passing motorists along I-94. Speaking of, wouldn't 5800 Cass fall to the wrecking ball as part of the I-94 widening project?

[p69rrh51]

The new retail outlet for Carhartt in Detroit. Designed by Charles N. Agree. Marmon Motor Car Company Sales and Service Building 5800 Cass Avenue built in 1928 Wayne State University Detroit, MI. Includes the Front elevation of the building from the Burton Historical Collection circa 1928.


The automobile is a 1933 Marmon Series 16 4-Door Sedan. Marmons were manufactured in Indianapolis, IN.

[EastsideAl]

I've been torn about Carhartt for awhile. My grandfather, my father, and I always bought Carhartt coats and other products for years, in some small part because they were made right here in Michigan [[in fact, I had a great aunt who sewed for them in the old plant on Michigan across from Tiger Stadium).

But when they moved most of their production out of this area to Mexico and other places in late '90s and early '00s I stopped buying their stuff. That seemed like an incredibly dumb move to me, since as a work clothes manufacturer it was bound to infuriate much of their customer base. And acting against your customers' interests to try to grab a few more bucks by screwing people who are very much like your core customers over really never seems like a smart thing to do. If they have no use for us anymore, I didn't see any reason to have any more use for them.

However, when the Detroit Jazz Festival was in big trouble, it was Carhartt heir and chairwoman Gretchen Valade who stepped forward to save it and used her personal money to assure its financial future. In fact, through ventures like the Dirty Dog Cafe and her contributions to music education and jazz organizations, Gretchen has become one of the major supporters of Detroit's jazz heritage. And she has also become an important figure on the national and international jazz scene through the many major and rising artists recording on her Mack Avenue Records label.

So, I semi-reluctantly started buying Carhatt again [[although not much, since my Made in the USA Carhartt jacket from 1999 is still hanging in there). Recently I found out that for the last couple of years Carhartt has also begun producing a new "made in the USA" line too. I don't know how much they produce in this line, or how much of these clothes are actually made in the USA, or where or under what conditions. but the very fact that they've felt compelled to start producing here again sure seems like a good sign. Now this local store opening sounds even better.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

I have to think that only in Detroit would the article mention that the building used to be a Marmon dealership.

[rjlj]

If you own an automobile made within the past 10 years, you do realize that 50% or more of the parts are made & assembled outside of the United States?

I've been torn about Carhartt for awhile. My grandfather, my father, and I always bought Carhartt coats and other products for years, in some small part because they were made right here in Michigan [[in fact, I had a great aunt who sewed for them in the old plant on Michigan across from Tiger Stadium).

But when they moved most of their production out of this area to Mexico and other places in late '90s and early '00s I stopped buying their stuff. That seemed like an incredibly dumb move to me, since as a work clothes manufacturer it was bound to infuriate much of their customer base. And acting against your customers' interests to try to grab a few more bucks by screwing people who are very much like your core customers over really never seems like a smart thing to do. If they have no use for us anymore, I didn't see any reason to have any more use for them.

However, when the Detroit Jazz Festival was in big trouble, it was Carhartt heir and chairwoman Gretchen Valade who stepped forward to save it and used her personal money to assure its financial future. In fact, through ventures like the Dirty Dog Cafe and her contributions to music education and jazz organizations, Gretchen has become one of the major supporters of Detroit's jazz heritage. And she has also become an important figure on the national and international jazz scene through the many major and rising artists recording on her Mack Avenue Records label.

So, I semi-reluctantly started buying Carhatt again [[although not much, since my Made in the USA Carhartt jacket from 1999 is still hanging in there). Recently I found out that for the last couple of years Carhartt has also begun producing a new "made in the USA" line too. I don't know how much they produce in this line, or how much of these clothes are actually made in the USA, or where or under what conditions. but the very fact that they've felt compelled to start producing here again sure seems like a good sign. Now this local store opening sounds even better.

[Honky Tonk]

If you own an automobile made within the past 10 years, you do realize that 50% or more of the parts are made & assembled outside of the United States?

No, I had no idea. Please, tell me more.

[EastsideAl]

If you own an automobile made within the past 10 years, you do realize that 50% or more of the parts are made & assembled outside of the United States?

Yeah, I think I read that somewhere... So?

I feel about that pretty much the same way I feel about the jackets.

[Hermod]

I hope their attempts to become trendy for the hipsters don't ruin them for their regular business like it did Abercrombie & Fitch or Banana Republic.