A few weeks ago I posted that Trent Design had toured some vacant retail spaces over in the West Village. It was during an open house being held by the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation for potential applicants to its new REVOLVE program. Trent Design was hired to create the name, logo, branding strategy and website for this dynamic new program. The tour event proved to be an interesting one and we all agreed that the spaces we saw were filled with potential. Now, less than a month and half later, they’re filled with customers.
REVOLVE and its partnerships are the biggest reason behind these new developments. It’s the DEGC’s new retail stimulus program and was launched recently in Detroit’s West Village. REVOLVE focuses on working with community organizations and building owners in the target area in order to help them find the right retail fit for their neighborhood. REVOLVE also assists in streamlining the application process for interested entrepreneurs so that once their application is approved they can move into as quickly as possible. REVOLVE and its partners showed off its potential by getting things rolling in the West Village and we are seeing the results in just a few short months.
Coffee and Donuts and PRAMU have taken up temporary residence on the ground floor of the Park Shelton building and are already offering their distinctive wares to delighted shoppers in the West Village. PRAMU (The Pataphysical Research and Metachanic Union Local 313) sells Detroit themed apparel, antique furniture and pretty much anything that happens to strike their fancy. Coffee and Donuts is bit more straightforward but no less unique. They’ve taken a relatively simple concept (offering coffee and donuts) and turned it into a celebration of the city. The menu features several things produced in the city, including coffee roasted right here in Detroit. The store’s artisan donuts are baked by the owner, classically trained pastry chef and proud Detroiter Angela Foster.
REVOLVE and its partners are far from done in the West Village: Four new full-time tenants have been secured for the remaining retail spots in the area and will be announced in grand fashion this weekend at the annual The Villages Fall Festival.
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Before and After photos of the old Harlequin Café













