This week, I also visited The Social Club Grooming Company, a barbershop that donates hair clippings to help plant trees in Palmer Park. In addition, it serves as a collaborative space where entrepreneurs come together and learn from one another. The organization hosts a monthly "shop talk" where Detroit-based business owners discuss their ventures with community members. I was amazed at the camaraderie and excitement that filled the space. I could tell these entrepreneurs were not only motivated to expand their businesses, but to help Detroit grow into the manufacturing powerhouse it once was.
History is a powerful thing that inspires and touches people in a profound way. Just like in Durham, the people of Detroit are incredibly motivated by their history, and willing to work hard to restore the city. I am certain the future is bright for Detroit, and I am incredibly excited to experience its restoration and help launch the city into a new era of happiness and prosperity.
History is a powerful thing that inspires and touches people in a profound way. Just like in Durham, the people of Detroit are incredibly motivated by their history, and willing to work hard to restore the city. I am certain the future is bright for Detroit, and I am incredibly excited to experience its restoration and help launch the city into a new era of happiness and prosperity.
One of the first things I noticed about Detroit this first week is its similarity to Durham, a city I have come to known and love throughout my first two years at Duke. Detroit and Durham are fossils of once-thriving industries integral to the history of both cities. A walk into downtown Durham showcases remnants of its tobacco roots, such as the iconic Lucky Strike smokestack and American Tobacco's repurposed factory. In Detroit, similar landmarks remind city-goers of its extensive ties to manufacturing.
On my daily lunches at TechTown, I walk past the 80-year-old Fisher Building, built by the Fisher brothers of "Body by Fisher", the company responsible for building the closed-body chassis for Cadillac in 1910. It reminds me of a time when Detroit was bustling with well-dressed businessmen and manufacturing laborers.
Today a more modernized version of this image exists. No longer bustling with the same intensity as its glory days, the city is somewhat quiet. Yet among the relics of an industrial city, there are many entrepreneurs attempting to capitalize on Detroit's growing business opportunities and revitalize the city through innovation and entrepreneurship. TechTown, the nonprofit business incubator and accelerator I am working at this summer, provides services for aspiring entrepreneurs in the Detroit metro area. In addition to a collaborative co-working space, TechTown offers workshops, mentoring, and real estate for Detroit-based startups. This summer, I hope to successfully improve a summer program they hold for students attempting to start a business venture.
Henry Ford Museum
Shop Talk at The Social Club
Fisher Building
TechTown's co-working space, Junction 440
The team's trip to Henry Ford's museum and rouge factory provided more insight into the history of Detroit's manufacturing industry. The city's innovative environment led to one of the most profound revolutions in American history- the invention of the automobile. The Rouge Factory provided manufacturing jobs for many Detroiters and completely transformed the city.
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