On today’s Daily Detroit, we’re doing a listener “office hours” — answering your questions about life in the city, from fireworks and politics to the World Cup and where to get a proper Detroit style pie.

The Rundown:

00:38 Where Norris has been: Tigris
03:56 Why are no parks open along the riverfront when for the Ford Fireworks?
08:03 Norris and Jer's most surprising personal political takes
14:19 Where to watch the World Cup matches around town
16:48 Top three Detroit style pizza picks, each from Jer and Norris

As always, follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

On Griswold near Capitol Park, we spotted a big red neon sign in the window reading "Unc's" — and it's for a Detroit-style pizza concept opening in one of the neighborhood's more extensive building renovations.

It's in the former United Savings Bank which had received a gnarly 70s makeover that removed most of the windows — but is now undergoing a glow-up with an art-deco inspired facade (and two stories) added on.

They've launched an Instagram (@uncspizza) but haven't posted anything or announced an opening date yet.

If you know more, let us know!

Hey friends, Jer here. Hope your Monday is treating you well.

This morning I checked out The Belle — 42 newly renovated apartments by Bedrock, along with ground-floor retail space.

The building has a fascinating history. It was originally built in 1926 as the Broadway Exchange Building, commissioned by Clara Scherer, a pioneering businesswoman, and designed by George D. Mason — the same architect behind the Detroit Masonic Temple, the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, among many others. He also had a hand in the Belle Isle Aquarium, along with Albert Kahn.

Bedrock marked the grand opening today with a ribbon cutting alongside city and state officials, including District 5 Detroit City Council Member Renata Miller. It had been mostly empty since the 1990s.

The project was restored by Kraemer Design Group with interiors by Pophouse.

On the exterior, original Rosso Levanto marble was re-installed on the first and second floors, and terra cotta details — think cornucopias, field flowers, and farmer baskets — were refurbished.

Inside the lobby, workers uncovered an original plaster ceiling that was then hand-painted in the building's 1920s color palette of yellows, greens, and reds.

Original terrazzo floors remain throughout the ground floor.

The apartments range from studios to two bedrooms, with finishes like dark quartz countertops, emerald green cabinetry, and pendant lighting — modern, but with a nod to the building's Beaux-Arts roots.

Amenities include a community lounge (Clara's Repose), bike storage, and private focus rooms.

Pricing for what's listed on their website runs from $1,370 for a studio to $2,140 for two-bed, two-bath, and move-ins start July 1.

There's also a 7,500-square-foot two-level retail/food and beverage space available facing Broadway.

👀 What's going on at this Woodward storefront? We saw some window work happening today on Woodward at W. Willis in the spot of a former liquor store.

In case you didn't know, a couple doors down the building was also home to the long-loved Union Street restaurant (RIP Dragon Eggs, IYKYK!)

When asked, nobody shared details. We'll update you when we know more.

If you know what's up, let us know!

🛍️ Coming this fall to the Park Shelton, next to the DIA, is the Peacock Room Antiques Studio. It'll be a hybrid space that blends vintage retail with events, education, and a bit of collector culture.

According to press materials, expect a rotating mix of antiques, Detroit artifacts, vintage fashion, jewelry, and design pieces, with price points aimed at both casual browsers and serious collectors.

Proprietor Rachel Lutz is building this around experiences, such as salon-style gatherings, tastings, music, and “show-and-tell” sessions with guest collectors.

Early partners include Henry the Hatter, the Dabls MBAD African Bead Museum, and Hagopian Rugs.

The idea is a nod to Detroit philanthropist and art collector Charles Lang Freer’s philosophy that collecting is personal, layered, and built over time.

The Peacock Room Antiques Studio will be open by appointment or during events and is slated to open by fall of this year.

🏀 Bar IX is crowdfunding startup costs for what it says will be Detroit’s first dedicated social space for women’s sports. [Givebutter]

The campaign launched June 8 with a $125,000 goal, and organizers say they’re in the process of closing on a permanent home, with the location still under wraps.

The project has already drawn in more than $25,000 as of this writing.

Supporters can get perks ranging from stickers and tees to VIP opening access and a private drink preview.

Bar IX is also hosting a launch celebration at Detroit Shipping Co. on June 30. [Partiful]

🍝 Angelo’s Fine Italian will take over the former City Kitchen space in "The Village" commercial district in Grosse Pointe. [What Now] [Website]

The longtime steak-and-seafood spot will become pasta-forward, built around Owner Cory Barberio's Italian repertoire. Opening is targeted for sometime after Labor Day.

🧱 ICYMI: Over the weekend I posted a video of Greektown's new streetscape over on Instagram. The $20m project that makes the district more walkable and multi-purpose is nearing completion, with sections of it now open. So far, a big fan of what they did. [Daily Detroit]

🎼 Until yesterday, I didn't know that Jack White had done music for a Coca-Cola commercial. I like this one because it's all physical effects, and in this AI-saturated world it's a welcome break. Japanese art director Nagi Noda was a master.

It aired in full only once in the UK in 2006, and a cut-down version broadcast in Australia. Thanks to listener Ryan who pointed it out.

"Love is the Truth" is the track in case you're interested. [Apple Music]

🫶 If you want to keep this thing happening, become a member on Patreon. It means so much when local media, locally made, has local support.

That's it for today. Thanks so much for reading, and until next time — I'll see you around Detroit.

-Jer

Today I’m joined by Khalilah Burt Gaston of the Song Foundation to talk about who actually builds a tech economy — and why it’s often the “geeks, freaks, and weirdos” who drive the biggest change.

We get into the recent Tech for Tomorrow report, what it would take to add 20,000 tech and innovation jobs for Detroiters and $6.3 billion in wages, and how cities like Indianapolis and Columbus are pulling ahead of Detroit, Metro Detroit, and Michigan. 

We also connect the dots between tax policy, education, nonprofits, and how Detroit can really seize this moment.

You'll find a full transcript below.

As always, follow Daily Detroit on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get shows.

Feedback as always - dailydetroit@gmail.com or 313-789-3211, leave a voicemail.

Podcast Transcript

This is lightly edited for clarity. Please refer to the original audio when quoting.

Jer:
It’s good to see you. Before we get into all this, because you’ve got a new report out and there’s a lot we can follow up on from last year’s conversation, for those who are new here: What is the Song Foundation?

Khalilah:
The Song Foundation is one of the region’s and the state’s newest family foundations. We were founded in 2019 by Doug and Linh Song to expand opportunity, prosperity, and joy in Detroit, Dearborn, Flint, and Washtenaw County, where they live.

Many people know Doug because he was the founder of Duo Security and led what was really Michigan’s first unicorn – the first multi-billion-dollar exit. The Songs founded the foundation right before the pandemic, and then I came on to help launch it publicly about four years ago.

Because Doug is a tech entrepreneur, one of our strategic areas of investment is tech: how we expand opportunities in tech and innovation for Detroiters and Metro Detroiters.

Jer:
What drew you to the Song Foundation? I’m sure there are a lot of things you could do. What pulled you specifically to this work?

Khalilah:
By training, I’m an urban planner. I started my career in community development with a focus on real estate, but I’ve always been interested in how communities grow over time. I’m a Midwestern girl. I grew up in a city in Indiana very similar to Flint – a wonderful place to raise children and families in the 1980s and 1990s – and I watched my community really shift: job loss, increased crime, and a lot of change.

I became interested in how cities change over time and discovered urban planning as a field. I’ve always been on the periphery of anything related to cities and city development. I started in real estate and then was recruited into philanthropy.

I’d always been curious about tech, and this was a great opportunity to build a foundation from the ground up. Because Doug and Linh aren’t traditional philanthropists, they said, “We hear a lot about what foundations shouldn’t do. If you had an opportunity to build something from scratch, how would you do it differently?” It was a chance to be innovative and a little disruptive in the field.

Jer:
The last time we were together, we talked about how, as a city, region, and state, we need to “make more pie” – create more opportunities. Some of the work you’re able to fund as a family foundation is about looking under the hood and doing deep thinking that for-profits often don’t have the time or space to do. I’ve worked in the for-profit space; the bandwidth just isn’t always there.

Recently, you released the Tech for Tomorrow report about how to leverage tech and entrepreneurship to diversify this economy. Diversifying the economy is something I’ve heard every year I’ve been at this conference for more than 10 years: “We’ve got to get serious about it. We’ve got to do it.”

The Song family’s story and how they found success can add real weight to that conversation. Who did you work with on this report, and what are some of the top-line findings?

Khalilah:
We commissioned the report with the Fowler Foundation and the Kapor Foundation, which is based in the Bay Area and was founded by Mitch and Freada Kapor. Mitch Kapor is considered one of the godfathers of tech. He was named one of the 100 top innovators in American history by Time Magazine.

He and his wife created the Kapor Foundation years ago. They’ve been in the Bay early on and have expanded their work from the Bay to Atlanta and Detroit. We came together and decided to commission Detroit Future City to do the report.

I know people say, “Oh God, another report.” But sometimes you need to lay the foundation: Where are you now? Where are you trying to go? How do you get there? That’s important from a goal-setting standpoint.

Detroit Future City pulled together an advisory committee and we looked at what our goal should be as a city to grow comparably to other cities and to our region in the tech and innovation space. We also asked them to look into pathways for our future workforce: What would it take to prepare today’s youth? How do you upskill and reposition current residents to participate?

The report has been well received. I think people are surprised that we are actually one of the fastest-growing tech ecosystems in the country. We’re a little ahead of where people think we are, but we obviously still have a way to go.

Jer:
All of this is in the backdrop of so many metrics the chamber has been sharing with us about competitiveness for the state of Michigan and where we’re sitting. What are the ways that technology and diversification can start to turn those numbers around in a bigger way?

Khalilah:
There are a couple of misnomers about what it means to be a tech entrepreneur. Most of the time, people picture engineers or your typical STEM kid. But a lot of successful tech entrepreneurs, as Doug would say, are your geeks, your freaks, and your weirdos.

They’re sometimes the people who are ostracized, the ones who will challenge you at the table, the ones who have a different way of thinking about a solution. How do we make room not just for more jobs but for a culture shift that harnesses innovation and disruption for the benefit of our communities?

That’s part of what I talk about. It’s not always the student who’s valedictorian or has a 4.0 and is going to Michigan who becomes the next entrepreneur. It might be someone who is overlooked or forgotten but who knows how to think differently about a problem we all face.

Jer:
How do you think we encourage that culture shift?

Khalilah:
Honestly – and I know everybody won’t want to hear this – we need to be younger. We need to make more room for the younger generation to be at the table, and we need to listen more.

We need common-sense approaches regardless of political affiliation and the ability to work on solutions collectively. We also have to move past thinking about what my organization needs or what I need personally and instead ask: What do we need for the good of everyone?

We took a trip of about 60 people to Indianapolis to look at their innovation ecosystem. Something that stays with me is they said they were only able to create that level of collaboration because they asked themselves not what they could do more of, but what they could do less of to be more successful.

A lot of us come to the table thinking, “My org can do more of that,” or “I want to do more of that.” We end up with duplication and repeating a lot of the same mistakes, even if it’s a different administration or the intentions are good. That duplication still creates wasted effort.

I think about this in my own entrepreneurial journey. Often, there are only a couple of levers: you either have the resources to do more, or you need to do less to be more effective. “Less” can be more. If you hustle too hard, you can end up going nowhere – just going in circles. You have to focus on what brings the most value to people.

You also have to stay in it for the long haul. Sometimes we lack patience. We give ourselves three years or five years. It has taken us 20 years to get where we are. We have to think long-term: What does this look like over the next 10 years? The next 20 years?

The report highlights that if we continue along a concerted trajectory, we can add 20,000 jobs for Detroiters and generate about $6.3 billion in wages. That will take commitment, discipline, and all of us working along the same path, doing things that are complementary but not duplicative.

Jer:
Everybody brings their best to the table. I think about that even with the product we create. We try to do what we do best and let others do the rest, because otherwise you’re going to end up trying to do way too much.

You’ve been in this role for a few years now. I like to ask this when someone’s been in a role for a while: What’s something you thought when you started that you’ve now learned differently? How have you grown in this work?

Khalilah:
When I first took this job, I thought, “I’m going to work with a small foundation and this really cool couple, and I won’t be called on to lead externally.” I was very wrong.

The way we show up differently in philanthropy has caused people to want to learn from us. We are wildly popular with nonprofits because we really try to lower their administrative burden. Last year we received close to 800 grant applications, and we’re a staff of three. The interest in partnering with us has far exceeded our capacity.

I also assumed more of our peer foundations had a depth of knowledge in the tech and innovation space. Over the past four years, what we’ve heard is, “We need to learn more in this space.”

Jer:
I find that too. I take it for granted because I’ve done a lot of reporting trips in different cities. I really appreciate the work the Song Foundation has done. I haven’t been on any of the trips, but I have friends who have. They come back and say, “Wow, I see now what you’re saying about that city or about that reporting trip you did,” because they can see it for themselves.

It’s so important to get that outside experience – not to copy exactly what another city does, but to realize we’re not a unique snowflake. There are things we can take, adapt, and do better. That’s a healthier perspective than a negative one that says, “We’re just different, nothing applies here.”

We hear a lot about the Bay, Austin, Miami, New York – the big coastal tech stories. I think we sometimes feel like, “We’re a Midwestern city; tech isn’t for Midwesterners.” The point of the innovation road trip was to take people to Indianapolis. I’m from Indiana – a Hoosier – you can’t get more middle-of-America than that. We also went to Columbus. Both of those cities have outpaced us in job growth for tech and innovation-driven jobs, and they’ve started to replace their manufacturing job loss at higher rates.

Here we are in Michigan saying, “We can’t really do it,” while two of our competitor cities in the region have done it and are doing it better than we are.

And the weather isn’t all that much better in Columbus, let me tell you. I look at the Midwest ecosystem and see the opportunities here, but I also think we need to act quickly. We need long-term thinking, but we also need concrete actions now.

The last time I did a reporting trip down there, three or four years ago, I realized they got the people Detroit lost. Literally. In population numbers, they’re where I remember Detroit being when I was younger, close to a million people. They did it through a mix of approaches.

Here, it’s often “cut all the property taxes” or “raise all the taxes.” There’s rarely a nuanced conversation. Down there, you have Republican state leadership and Democratic local leadership. One thing I found interesting is that all the communities have an income tax and share the revenue. The conversation isn’t just “yes taxes, no taxes.” The way we talk about it here is oversimplified and often about the wrong things.

We need to keep our eyes on the right things. I was talking to a business leader at a fundraiser a few weeks ago. He said business leaders are really concerned about education. Doug told him he needed to talk with me, so we scheduled time to chat. I said, “The challenging part is taxes.” He said, “Oh no, we’re not concerned about taxes.”

Our per-pupil spending has gone down over the years because we cut tax policy and cut taxes, thinking that in the long term, that pro-business stance would produce all the other outcomes we need for quality of life – the quality that is actually attractive to families and to corporations.

Jer:
Can I tell you a little secret? I used to work in corporate. We made a lot of money in New York. We made a lot of money in Texas. We made a lot of money in California. We made a lot of money in the South. It did not matter either way; we made money.

As long as there is an equal playing field in that area, businesses figure it out. Whatever you end up going with, as long as there’s some consistency. That’s one thing I’ve found Michigan lacks in policy. We go back and forth a lot, especially with education, which ties into the tech issues you’re talking about.

Khalilah:
We’re a purple state, and to your point, we criticize the other side, and then the pendulum swings too far one way or too far the other. You have to stay in a safe harbor when it comes to things like education.

Look at Tennessee, Boston, Mississippi. People say, “We’re so much better than Mississippi, we’re so much better than the South.” That’s not what the educational indicators say.

The good thing about being in Michigan is that we have national and transnational foundations that have done work in all these “blue ribbon” cities we look at. If we really want to implement best practices, we’ll listen more, take the key points, and actually implement them.

A lot of times we go on these trips, grab the headline idea, and then come back home but miss the fine print – what they actually did to make it work. We end up “bastardizing” the best practice, and then we say, “It’s not working for us like it worked for them.”

Yes, you have to adapt to the local context, but there are technical aspects we don’t always pull forward because they don’t fit our specific agenda.

Jer:
When I think about common ground, that’s actually the most important part of this conference theme: common ground rooted in practicality.

Is the common ground rooted in what’s happening nationally? You can’t really call for common ground within our state or within Detroit and not call for common ground at the federal level. If these federal policies are instituted, there won’t be any ground for us to stand on.

I’ve had this conversation with a number of people. Folks talk about affordable housing and a range of issues. So many times the money isn’t actually generated by the city; it’s pass-through dollars with local control. That detail is super important.

We’ve seen this in the massive cuts of the last couple of years. I’ve talked to a number of people at this table who have seen those cuts. The money is all tied together. When people say, “The city needs to come up with more money for affordable housing,” most of the time it’s the city leveraging federal dollars. It’s not coming directly out of city coffers.

Khalilah:
That’s right – leveraging federal dollars, getting a match. I was on a panel last night with Kelley Kuhn from MNA. When you think about those economic indicators, there are nonprofits partnering with school districts, and nonprofits partnering with government to help small businesses succeed.

If we don’t have a social safety net in Michigan, not only will we lose jobs, but one in 10 jobs here are derived from the nonprofit sector. If nonprofits can’t keep their doors open, we lose the additional support for schools, after-school programming, small business development – all these things that, in most communities, are championed not by government but by nonprofit and social impact leaders.

Jer:
I did not know that one-in-10 number.

Khalilah:
Yes, one in 10. If you wipe out nonprofits, you increase job loss. Kelley shared last night that if proposed changes in federal policy related to Medicare go through, 250,000 families in Michigan will lose any sort of healthcare.

Think about families without healthcare who are also food insecure and may have their jobs wiped out. Children can’t learn if they’re hungry. Children can’t learn if they can’t get to school. Parents can’t focus if they don’t have jobs.

I don’t think we’re drawing the linkages between what’s happening at the federal level, how that will impact Michigan, and how it will impede our progress toward the goals everyone is talking about here this week.

Jer:
If people want to get involved, learn more, and support what you’re doing, what can they do? A lot of people know the Song name and are interested in your work, but they’re not sure how to plug in.

Khalilah:
You can find us on social media at Song Foundation. We’re on Instagram and LinkedIn. We also have a website at song.foundation. We have a tech founder, so it’s not .edu or .org – it’s simply song.foundation.

We launched our newsletter this year, so you can go to our website, subscribe, and you’ll hear about what we’re doing and how you can get involved. We’re also hosting a coffee day at Chroma on June 4th for people to come and cowork with us, so stop by and join us there.

Jer:
Awesome. Khalilah Burt Gaston from the Song Foundation, thank you so much for your time on Daily Detroit. I look forward to catching up with you in the future.

Khalilah:
Yes, we definitely have to make that happen.

On today’s Daily Detroit, Devon O’Reilly is back at the table after a family vacation in South Haven, so we start with some “Pure Michigan” talk about why that beach town has become a go‑to spot.

Back in Detroit, I share a new Campus Martius retail experiment: a 20‑foot shipping container turned into a niche merch shop with Michigannia‑themed designs, custom Pewabic tile, and all the Camp Martius‑centric gear you could want.

We also get into the lunchtime crowds, food trucks in Cadillac Square, and why it really feels like “IRL is back” in the city.

Then we open the mailbag for smart note from a listener on exactly why Michigan’s cannabis business is under serious stress.

We wrap with a grab bag of very Detroit stories: Devon remembers swimming in the Detroit River off Belle Isle, I share the tale of Sheba the elephant buried near the island’s giant slide (thanks Historic Detroit dot org!), and we kick around what a new Detroit City FC stadium needs to host beyond soccer.

There’s also a shout to a summer solstice member event at Henry and Clara Ford’s Fairlane Estate, where Jens Jensen literally designed the great meadow to frame the solstice sunset.

Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or wherever shows are found.

Feedback as always - 313-789-3211 or dailydetroit@gmail.com is where you can shoot us a note.

The Downtown Detroit Partnership opened the concept today in a fancied-up shipping container right in the park, stocked with Detroit-made goods, apparel, and some genuinely solid local collabs.

The idea is to sell interesting, locally rooted stuff and funnel the proceeds back into keeping downtown parks active and programmed.

A few quick impressions after stopping by: the setup is clean, the Detroit Sign Painters touches give it character, and the new Campus Martius branding looks sharp in person.

I've always been a huge fan of the Michigania statue on the top of the Soldiers and Sailors monument, and I love how she's represented here.

If you didn't know, Michigania is the personification of the State of Michigan and of powerful victory — strong and brave. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument has stood here since 1872.

There’s also a limited SMPLFD drop inspired by the tulip bloom, plus the usual mix of shirts, hats, and small gifts.

Plus, there's a Pewabic tile featuring Campus Martius, part of their “Postcards from Detroit” series and only available here.

Open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 8 p.m., and is expected to run through October.

A few days ago I saw a corner retail spot across from the Hudson’s development get a bright orange window treatment with the SANA logo.

Now there’s a job posting for full-time retail associates on their site, which usually means an opening isn’t far off. [Sana Detroit]

Founded in 2021 by Michael Sana, SANA Detroit is a streetwear and lifestyle brand that builds hypey, sports-centric drops around the city’s culture, athletes, and teams. They’ve done well-attended pop-up events and collabs, and fans tend to line up early.

The corner of State and Woodward was most recently a Born in Detroit location before that brand moved up the street, and a Moosejaw before that.

It’s on the same block as Nike and Timberland and across the street from the recently opened Alo and Tecovas, putting SANA in the middle of a growing cluster of national and local apparel brands.

Looking through my previous coverage notes, the space is about 4,000 square feet.

No word yet on when they’re opening, but if they’re staffing up, we’re getting close — and I’d bet those opening-day lines will be long.

On this episode of Daily Detroit, I sit down with returning guest Dr. Paul Thomas, CEO and founder of Plum Health Direct Primary Care, to talk about The Real Cost of Healthcare for Michigan Families (And How We Might Fix It).

We get into why having health insurance so often feels like what. Dr. Thomas calls "financial anxiety wrapped in an insurance card," especially when families are facing huge deductibles before they see any real benefit.

We talk about how little of our overall spending goes to primary care in the United States, what that means for people in metro Detroit, and how shifting more investment into frontline care could keep people healthier while lowering long term costs.

Dr. Thomas also explains how direct primary care works in real life and how some Michigan employers and a local school district are already saving serious money by changing how they pay for care.

We wrap up with the policy picture, from Lansing to the national Medicare for All debate, and preview his upcoming "Ripe for Change" event for employers, brokers, and clinicians who want to rethink healthcare in Michigan.

More on the Ripe for Change event here.

Nox Metals, a seven-month-old company operating in Southwest Detroit, has closed a $11.5 million seed round.

The round was led by NYC-based Hyperion, with participation from notable firms including Y Combinator, Palmer Luckey, RoboStrategy, Alumni Ventures, Operator Collective, and DTX Ventures. [Source]

Nox Metals specializes in custom aluminum blocks for CNC machining. By utilizing AI automation, the company claims it can cut lead times from "days to seconds."

In a post, the founder and CEO Zane Hengsperger says:

Our metal has gone to space. It has protected our troops. It is in your car and in the machine that scanned your chest. It is all around us. And we can't stop supplying at warp speeds.

We will be revitalizing a WW2-era, 30,000 square foot factory in Detroit this summer where we will have our techno-industrialists working hard to further pursue our mission. We will be tripling down on technology, which has allowed us to move this fast for America thus far.

Seed funding is used to help a company fund product development, conduct market research, and make key hires.

On today’s Daily Detroit, we start with big news for Detroit City FC fans and the future of Corktown.

We recap our visit to the new Detroit City FC welcome center on Vernor and break down fresh details on AlumiFi Field, the club’s planned new stadium next to Michigan Central.

The opening date has officially slid to the 2028 season, and we get into why that’s actually a smarter move given the complexity of the build, site cleanup, and surrounding development.

We go over the latest renderings, from 14 traditional suites, 10 container suites, and pitch‑side boxes, to supporter sections staying at midfield and design touches that lean into DCFC’s identity and Detroit’s skyline.

Then, it’s a look at a shifting nightlife landscape.

The closure of UFO Bar’s current concept in Corktown, the announced end of Spot Lite on the east side, and the original Fowling Warehouse in Hamtramck all spark a conversation about drinking habits, the economics of bars and clubs, and whether Detroit needs to “rewrite the contract” for going out.

That leads into a bigger question: Should Detroit have a 24‑hour party district, and if so, where would it go? 

Finally, we get into the CPA Building at Michigan and 14th hitting the market for $2.4 million, and what a smart redevelopment across from Michigan Central could look like.

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or 313-789-3211.

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get shows. 

Detroit is losing two of its most distinctive nightspots at the end of the month, as Spot Lite on Beaufait and UFO Bar in Corktown prepare to close.

In a statement, owner Roula David says she’s “moving away from nightlife” after a five‑year run that turned Spot Lite’s warehouse space into a gallery, record store, and dance floor that doubled as a creative space on the east side. [Facebook]

Spot Lite earned a loyal following for its stacked DJ lineups, deep love of Detroit music, and the way it blurred lines between bar, arts venue, and community living room.

UFO Bar, which David took over last year, kept the UFO Factory spirit alive with indie shows, hot dogs, and late‑night music. According to the statement, it'll be re-concepted into the Detroit Vinyl Bar, a cocktail bar and record store.

The last day of service is Saturday, June 28 at Spot Lite and Monday, June 30 at UFO Bar, with Cairo Coffee operating temporarily at 2905 Beaufait as it looks for a new permanent home. 

Pine Hall is at the top of the Hudson’s building (the lower office block) and features the pseudo-mid century design that most of the entire compound follows.

It’s modern, clean and its patio wraps around the entire western side of the building, with city views to the west and south.

Since it was a busy opening night, I stuck to one cocktail and got the Silk Standard. A riff on an Air Mail, it’s a mix of Doctor Bird rum, lime, lager, and North African spices (specifically Ras el Hanout).

The drink list was more limited than I expected, but with a full suite of food as well, I think it evens out. Don’t expect a Sugar House level menu.

In terms of vibes, it felt distinctly younger and sexier than say Kamper’s or Monarch Club.

It positions itself as the most urbane of our lofted libation lounges. If Kamper’s is for the tourists, Monarch is for the older suburbanites and Godfrey or Cambria for the locals, then Pine Hall feels like the Happy Hour move for the key card warriors.

With hours clearly catering to those that will work and play downtown, they will have their doors open every day at 4 p.m., closing at midnight during the week, 1 a.m. on Saturday and 10 p.m. on Sunday.

In Metro Detroit, it’s not enough to talk about transit plans. There are tons of ideas out there. It's about action.

I sat down with SMART General Manager and CEO Tiffany J. Gunter to dig into what it really takes to run a 2,000‑square‑mile suburban transit system that people can rely on.

We get into the essential stuff: on‑time performance, keeping buses maintained and in service, and why Tiffany started by “going back to basics” while also upgrading shelters, adding Wi‑Fi, and insisting on more dignity for riders.

We also also talk about the culture shift of running transit in a region dominated by the car, the 30% rise in ridership SMART is seeing, and how free student rides and better communication are building a new generation of riders who don’t see the bus as “for someone else.”

You’ll hear how Oakland County’s all‑in vote opened the door for SMART’s first new routes since the 1990s, why microtransit in places like Pontiac and Dearborn is exploding, and what’s at stake as Wayne County voters consider going all‑in this August.

Tiffany also explains why she rides the buses herself, why collaboration with DDOT and the Transit app matters, and where autonomous vehicles actually fit — as a last‑mile tool, not a silver bullet like many may think.

If you care about where Metro Detroit’s economy and talent go next, this one’s worth the ride.

As always, feedback welcome at dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or leave a voicemail at 313-789-3211. 

If this is your first time here, be sure to follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

A full transcript is to come soon. Download the full episode here.

Hey friends, Jer here.

Vernors is intrinsic to Detroit's culinary DNA. Considering it was invented by a pharmacist, it's not surprising that so many parents here told us to fix any stomach issue by drinking some of the gingery stuff.

Heck, I recently saw a Kevin Hart skit where he said his friend fixed his broken knee... by drinking ginger ale.

To be sure, what counted as a "pharmacist" in 1866 is a bit different than today.

This year marks 160 years of the brand, making it America’s oldest continuous ginger ale. To celebrate, there's a massive street party happening in Eastern Market this Sunday, June 14, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

They're shutting down Riopelle Street between Marrow, Detroit City Distillery, and Eastern Market Brewing Co.

I recently caught up with Keith Wunderlich to talk about it on our Daily Detroit podcast. [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify]

If you don't know Keith, he’s the founder of the Vernors Club, author of the definitive book on the history, and has a legendary basement museum packed with vintage memorabilia. And yes, I got to nerd out with all the historic signage.

For him, this milestone is all about tapping into our collective local memory.

"Everyone from the Detroit area has a Vernors story to tell," Keith told me. "It's a part of our culture. Everybody's mother gave them Vernors if they were feeling sick. And we knew it was officially summer when our moms gave us Vernors with vanilla ice cream in it."

That brings us to the food and drink lineup for Sunday, which looks incredible.

For the first time since the 1980s, real Vernors Ice Cream is officially back for the event. You'll be able to grab proper Boston Coolers, Vernors floats, and special cream ales.

Detroit City Distillery just dropped their cocktail menu for the afternoon, and they are leaning hard into their house spirits for some limited-time adult versions of the classics.

They're serving up a Boozy Boston Cooler made with their Butcher’s Cut Bourbon, Vernors, and vanilla ice cream.

If bourbon isn't your thing, they're doing a 313 Mule using Gilded Age Vodka, lime, bitters, and a vanilla honey syrup, plus a gin-based drink called Woody’s Wink with Railroad Gin, ginger, lemon, and mint.

They've even figured out a way to make a Vernors Old Fashioned by creating a custom Vernors reduction syrup to mix with their bourbon. That'll be the first one on my list to try.

If you're planning to eat down there, Marrow in the Market is going all out with a dedicated Vernors brunch menu. They're doing a Vernors Pretzel Smash Burger and a Vernors Chicken & Waffles dish made with Vernors-brined fried chicken and a blackberry Vernors-maple gochujang glaze.

For the history nerds, Keith will set up interactive history stations along Riopelle. You can scan QR codes to watch vintage commercials and see archived footage from the brand's 85th anniversary decades ago.

Keith told me that digging up that specific archival footage was a huge highlight of putting this together.

We actually found a film from the 85th anniversary in 1951, where they had a massive parade down Woodward Avenue with over 100,000 people. Seeing how much the city stopped just to celebrate Vernors back then is exactly the kind of energy we wanted to bring to Riopelle this weekend.

You'll get to meet the Vernors Gnome, check out vintage advertising, and meet James Vernor V — the actual descendant of the pharmacist who started the whole thing back in 1866. They'll also have live music and games running along the block.

It all builds up to a street-wide toast to 160 years of fizz at 3:30 p.m.

"The Vernor's 160th Anniversary celebration gives us all a chance to relive a little bit of our childhood and, hopefully, show the next generation that some of the simple things in life are the best."

The event is free to attend.

Hopefully, I’ll see you on Riopelle this Sunday. I don't have a gnome hat to wear... yet.

ICYMI, you can check out the whole conversation I had with Keith here.

That's it for today's note. I appreciate you sharing your inbox with me.

Thanks to our members on Patreon for keeping this project going. Your support really does make a huge difference.

Until next time — remember that you are somebody, and I'll see you around Detroit.

-Jer

Airbnb is betting on Detroit as a destination — and the numbers back it up. On today's Daily Detroit, I'm at the Grand Hotel talking with Vince Frillici, Airbnb's policy lead for the Great Lakes, about how short-term rentals are reshaping travel in the city and across Michigan.

We dig into the data: about 700 Detroiters hosting on any given day and just under 150,000 guests who stayed in Detroit Airbnbs last year, with nearly half of them staying 11–30 nights.

That points to Detroit quietly becoming a long-stay city for remote workers and people here on temporary assignments.

Vince also lays out how Airbnb is leaning into that demand, from curated Detroit "Experiences" and food tours to bringing independent hotels like Trumbull & Porter and the Siren onto the platform, plus new partnerships for Eastern Market groceries in your fridge and airport curbside pickup.

Then we zoom out to Lansing and talk about Michigan's pre‑internet tourism tax laws, why Airbnb is backing bills to modernize them, and what a fairer system could mean for local communities that host all this new visitor activity.

Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever podcasts are found!

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot -com or 313-789-3211.