The Detroit Shoppe @ The Somerset Collection

[Designerguy24]

Visited the store today and have to say it's pretty awesome. It's a museum and a shop all in one. Learning about Detroit's past was pretty cool. You can also get some cool souvenirs there as well. It's a must visit for anyone that loves Detroit!

[Melocoton]

Visited the store today and have to say it's pretty awesome. It's a museum and a shop all in one. Learning about Detroit's past was pretty cool. You can also get some cool souvenirs there as well. It's a must visit for anyone that loves Detroit!

What is it and why is it in Troy?

[windsor_shane]

i learn about detroit by spending time IN detroit

[DetroitPole]

This is the ultimate irony.

A tony mall in an affluent, sprawling suburb hosting a "shoppe" carrying products from a deeply impoverished city about ten miles away that the patrons of the "shoppe" are likely too squeamish to visit.

Why shop at the authentic retail establishments in a dirty, real city when you can be safely insulated in a mall? Too chickenshit to go to Detroit? We bring Detroit to you - in trendy boutique form. Crime, poverty, decay? Not here. In fact, you probably won't see an actual Detroiter in the entire mall, except maybe working at the food court! Rest easy, Troy.

Ethnic diaspora communities set up stores that carry the products of their homeland. In Metro Detroit, things are similar - suburbanites who long fled their former place of residence have created a store that carries its goods - even though that city is only a few miles away.

Want to learn about the history of Detroit? Well, there is a Detroit Historical Museum. Want to buy Pewabic Pottery? It is at Jefferson and Cadillac. Come on people, there is a whole fucking world outside that G-d-forsaken mall.

[Gistok]

On TV they had Mayor Bing at the ribbon cutting ceremony.... and oh... they also mentioned that it would only be open until the end of the Auto Show.

.... waiting until the Bing rhetoric hits the proverbial fan....

But isn't it a not-so-bad way for non-Detroiters to buy Detroit goods??

[fryar]

It is highly ironic, to be sure, but it's a positive.

[jt1]

Visited the store today and have to say it's pretty awesome. It's a museum and a shop all in one. Learning about Detroit's past was pretty cool. You can also get some cool souvenirs there as well. It's a must visit for anyone that loves Detroit!

If presented with the option of going there or getting my ass kicked I would have to choose the latter.

[dtowncitylover]

Ok...do some people here need the reality check that Cadillac Mall was never built? Sorry, there is not a shopping district downtown in which one can place this "Detroit Shoppe". Somerset Collection on the other hand is probably one of the most visited malls in the area due us, Canucks, Ohioans, outstaters, and other visitors. I'm pretty sure there are a couple of Pure Detroit stores located in downtown which serve the downtown core for visitors there. However, this store has been placed where the people are. The people en masse are not downtown shopping, they are at the malls.

I do understand the irony, though. And, one would think that Somerset is more haute than to have a temporary store, which is why I'm suspicious about that.

[Gistok]

... anyone remember the Channel 56 Store at Somerset many years before they bolted for Wixom?

At the time I was thinking the same thing some of you are now felling about this in Troy.

[gnome]

G, That Channel 56 store was actually a national chain of retail stores who sold high-end kitchy krapola and simply licensed the name of a local PBS station. Kind of an interesting concept, but how many blow-up dinos, or crystal chess sets, does a guy need?

Dpole's impassioned screed of,

Why shop at the authentic retail establishments in a dirty, real city when you can be safely insulated in a mall? Too chickenshit to go to Detroit? We bring Detroit to you - in trendy boutique form. Crime, poverty, decay? Not here.

while dripping with venom, he answers his own question. People do like safe and clean shopping choices; which might help explain why many Detroiters spend their dollars in suburbia: less likey to get their spinners boosted.

I'm a tad surprised anyone is surprised. People like the idea of Detroit. Its brand. What they don't like is being asked for bus fare so some guy can go visit his dying sister or mother or son. They like a clean Detroit. A graffiti free Detroit. Mr. Gasam and others of his ilk scare off the gentile set. Does that make them intolerant of poor people? Of black people? Not really. If it did the out-migration of Detroiters would not be happening at an unhappy rate.

It makes them intollerant of criminals, bullies and those to think it is just fine for to expect less and pay more. Check out the tax comparison site provided by the Michigan.gov

https://treas-secure.state.mi.us/pte...TEstimator.asp

a home in Detroit with an SEV of 100K pays about $6,600 a yr in local and county taxes for a combined millage rate of 65.79 mills. In Grosse Pointe Park? $4,400 a yr or 44.87 mills.

In Canton the mills rate is around 32; in Wyandote it is 49 ... the illustration is clear. Check it yourself. Only Inkster and River Rouge have higher mills than Detroit.

So is it any surprise that someone would want to spend less money to live in a cleaner enviroment with lower taxes, better services, well-stocked stores and no one asking for bus fare? Loving Detroit and being blind to its horrid issues is very much like Coleman Young in that ABC 'hit' piece circa 1990.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbsgLcV4o1k

In it you will see CY blame the people who left for leaving, blame criminals for crime, but not Detroit for Detroiters.

Instead of being all outraged that folks from outside Detroit are buying books from Arcadia Press, ersatz Vernor signs and real sugar faygo at a shoppe in Troy; you might want to consider saving up that outrage for something important.

---

That tax estimator works for all Michigan counties. It is a good thing to bookmark.

[Designerguy24]

All the profits from the store will be going to charity!

[REL]

WTF are people angry about this? Listen, I *do* appreciate the irony, as DetroitPole eloquently said.

But it's an opportunity to show Detroit, Detroiters and Detroit goods in a positive way, to folks who don't typically go there, while filling a vacant space. Geez! I say, THANK YOU, Somerset, for showing some local pride. Especially to the many tourists that prance about there.

Not to mention, brilliant PR move for the Forbes.

[lincoln8740]

So is it any surprise that someone would want to spend less money to live in a cleaner enviroment with lower taxes, better services, well-stocked stores and no one asking for bus fare? Loving Detroit and being blind to its horrid issues is very much like Coleman Young in that ABC 'hit' piece circa 1990.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbsgLcV4o1k

In it you will see CY blame the people who left for leaving, blame criminals for crime, but not Detroit for Detroiters.


---

.

thanks for the link--that was awesome!!

[BrushStart]

What exactly are they selling? I mean, what exactly is the "Detroit brand" that people are so obsessed with owning? Why are people so fascinated with this city, when only a handful actually care about it? Why do people who have no connection to Detroit feel the need to buy a bunch of merchandise to show others that they have a connection to Detroit? For me, the allure of Detroit is its grittiness, its hard-spun history, and the enduring characteristics of its people and places. There is a feeling of endurance, pride, and community that comes from being a Detroiter, but you can't experience any of that by buying a bunch of Detroit souvenirs.

Look, I'm not judging anyone who visits this shoppe and buys a bunch of stuff to proudly display on book shelves and coffee tables far away, but I don't understand that person. Perhaps if you're a tourist, it makes sense [[I have a NYC shirt I bought years ago, and a Las Vegas oven mitt), but if you are from the region, you can't possibly be honest about taking pride in a place that you don't give a crap about 365 days/year. You can't sterilize Detroit, immunize yourself from it, remove it from your daily identity, and then represent that you are connected to it. I have ancestors from Poland and I bear a hard to spell name that lets everyone know where my family came from, but I don't go around claiming the Polish Eagle as my crest and have Hamtramck merchandise in my apartment. If I did, I would be what is known as a poser.

[Gistok]

BrushStart, aren't you being a little presumptuous is assuming that folks who would frequent that store don't give a rats ass about Detroit?

I bet that many of these same folks who would frequent this store come to Detroit for an evening event... such as a sports function or one of the entertainment palaces. More often than not a Pure Detroit or other such stores are closed by then... and sometimes it's just a matter of convenience.

Your reading way too much into this being a place that people who hate Detroit would frequent. Hell if they really did hate Detroit... then they would likely not even go to that store during a Somerset Mall visit.

[BrushStart]

BrushStart, aren't you being a little presumptuous is assuming that folks who would frequent that store don't give a rats ass about Detroit?

I bet that many of these same folks who would frequent this store come to Detroit for an evening event... such as a sports function or one of the entertainment palaces. More often than not a Pure Detroit or other such stores are closed by then... and sometimes it's just a matter of convenience.

Your reading way too much into this being a place that people who hate Detroit would frequent. Hell if they really did hate Detroit... then they would likely not even go to that store during a Somerset Mall visit.

My angle on it has more to do with the people than this new store in Somerset. I really have no problem with Detroit merchandise being sold, it's great PR, and the proceeds are going to charity. I just don't get the mass public obsession with Detroit. I mean, I'm pretty obsessed with Detroit, but I live in Detroit and I'm actively engaged with the community here. A lot of people have this same obsession, but don't really care to be connected to Detroit in any real way. Think about it, where else is it the case that millions of people with no genuine connection to a city seem so proud to align themselves with it? It just seems crazy. That's what I don't understand! What is this "Detroit brand" that everyone craves? Is it the grittiness or the rugged endurance? The struggle of our industrial heritage? Or, maybe a combination of all those things that people want to associate with? Whatever it may be, I don't understand the obsession. How is it that there is even demand for a store in a mall like Somerset that sells just Detroit-related merchandise? To me, if you are that interested in establishing a connection to Detroit, then actually establish a connection to Detroit by moving here. Become a Detroiter, then you don't need a bunch of gimmicks to fill your Detroit-craving void.

[Gistok]

BrushStart... about a dozen years ago I was in York England sightseeing... and I looked in a clothing store window to see "DETROIT JEANS".... They were not produced here, but sold there as a sort of chic jeans available to Brits. Americans thumb their collective noses at Detroit... but in Europe Detroit is COOL....

For folks in SE Michigan [[and expatriots elsewhere) it's nothing more that folks wanting Souvenirs or a remider of their past... something that driving thru their old neighborhood definitely does NOT convey.

[Hermod]

My angle on it has more to do with the people than this new store in Somerset. I really have no problem with Detroit merchandise being sold, it's great PR, and the proceeds are going to charity. I just don't get the mass public obsession with Detroit. I'm mean, I'm pretty obsessed with Detroit, but I live in Detroit and I'm actively engaged with the community here. A lot of people have this same obsession, but don't really care to be connected to Detroit in any real way. Think about it, where else is it the case that millions of people with no genuine connection to a city seem so proud to align themselves with it? It just seems crazy. That's what I don't understand! What is this "Detroit brand" that everyone craves? Is it the grittiness or the rugged endurance? The struggle of our industrial heritage? Or, maybe a combination of all those things that people want to associate with? Whatever it may be, I don't understand the obsession. How is it that there is even demand for a store in a mall like Somerset that sells just Detroit-related merchandise? To me, if you are that interested in establishing a connection to Detroit, then actually establish a connection to Detroit by moving here. Become a Detroiter, then you don't need a bunch of gimmicks to fill your Detroit-craving void.

You have to think of them as you think of the Cubans in south Florida or the Vietnamese in their Little Saigons.

The suburbanites are a "diaspora" driven from their homes by forces beyond their control. Most of them don't hate Detroit. They love the Detroit "that was" and hate what Detroit has become.

[Downriviera]

With all the hipsters moving from the suburbs to Detroit, someone needs to open a suburban shop downtown.

[ScienceFair]

The first thing that came to mind seeing this store on the news was Pure Detroit. Isn't that basically what this is?

[bailey]

The first thing that came to mind seeing this store on the news was Pure Detroit. Isn't that basically what this is?

Is that store still open in the RenCen?

[DetroitScooter]

Embarrassing.

[iheartthed]

G, That Channel 56 store was actually a national chain of retail stores who sold high-end kitchy krapola and simply licensed the name of a local PBS station. Kind of an interesting concept, but how many blow-up dinos, or crystal chess sets, does a guy need?

Dpole's impassioned screed of,

while dripping with venom, he answers his own question. People do like safe and clean shopping choices; which might help explain why many Detroiters spend their dollars in suburbia: less likey to get their spinners boosted.

I'm a tad surprised anyone is surprised. People like the idea of Detroit. Its brand. What they don't like is being asked for bus fare so some guy can go visit his dying sister or mother or son. They like a clean Detroit. A graffiti free Detroit. Mr. Gasam and others of his ilk scare off the gentile set. Does that make them intolerant of poor people? Of black people? Not really. If it did the out-migration of Detroiters would not be happening at an unhappy rate.

It makes them intollerant of criminals, bullies and those to think it is just fine for to expect less and pay more. Check out the tax comparison site provided by the Michigan.gov

https://treas-secure.state.mi.us/pte...TEstimator.asp

a home in Detroit with an SEV of 100K pays about $6,600 a yr in local and county taxes for a combined millage rate of 65.79 mills. In Grosse Pointe Park? $4,400 a yr or 44.87 mills.

In Canton the mills rate is around 32; in Wyandote it is 49 ... the illustration is clear. Check it yourself. Only Inkster and River Rouge have higher mills than Detroit.

So is it any surprise that someone would want to spend less money to live in a cleaner enviroment with lower taxes, better services, well-stocked stores and no one asking for bus fare? Loving Detroit and being blind to its horrid issues is very much like Coleman Young in that ABC 'hit' piece circa 1990.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbsgLcV4o1k

In it you will see CY blame the people who left for leaving, blame criminals for crime, but not Detroit for Detroiters.

Instead of being all outraged that folks from outside Detroit are buying books from Arcadia Press, ersatz Vernor signs and real sugar faygo at a shoppe in Troy; you might want to consider saving up that outrage for something important.

---

That tax estimator works for all Michigan counties. It is a good thing to bookmark.

Have you ever actually shopped in a city with an urban shopping district? I assure you that most, if not all, are much less sterile than Somerset. And many of the most famous, like Soho NYC, are even less sterile than downtown Detroit.

[canuck]

This is the ultimate irony.

A tony mall in an affluent, sprawling suburb hosting a "shoppe" carrying products from a deeply impoverished city about ten miles away that the patrons of the "shoppe" are likely too squeamish to visit.

Why shop at the authentic retail establishments in a dirty, real city when you can be safely insulated in a mall? Too chickenshit to go to Detroit? We bring Detroit to you - in trendy boutique form. Crime, poverty, decay? Not here. In fact, you probably won't see an actual Detroiter in the entire mall, except maybe working at the food court! Rest easy, Troy.

Ethnic diaspora communities set up stores that carry the products of their homeland. In Metro Detroit, things are similar - suburbanites who long fled their former place of residence have created a store that carries its goods - even though that city is only a few miles away.

Want to learn about the history of Detroit? Well, there is a Detroit Historical Museum. Want to buy Pewabic Pottery? It is at Jefferson and Cadillac. Come on people, there is a whole fucking world outside that G-d-forsaken mall.

Ting Ting Ting, youse just hit the three cherry jackpot! I wonder do they have a diorama set up with old streetcars and buildings and such. Just to show how Detroit was in the good old days...
I am reminded of Vegas and the smaller scaled versions of The Eiffel Tower etc... I hope they can build a new identity out in 16 mile, 23 mile zones. Detroit; Love it or leave it!

[bailey]

Detroit; Love it or leave it!

Yeah, that sentiment has been working well for the last 50 years and 1,000,000 residents lost.