Dezey and the World of Tomorrow

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Disparity

This is "Dezey." He's not fond of giving people with cameras and notepads his first and last name. I think I understand why. More on that later.


I had the pleasure of meeting Dezey at the The Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park(1). The Center sits inside a nondescript concrete box on a nondescript concrete block within throwing distance of a nondescript former factory where Henry Ford built a machine that changed the world.

Why Midtown is Better Than Royal Oak: A Tale of Two Starbucks

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*Encounters at two Starbucks - one in Detroit, one in Royal Oak -  provoked an epiphany about gathering places, demographics and how the interplay between these factors influence how people behave toward each other. 

But before we get into that, if you're on a Mac,  for the love of god, please change your monitor's color space to sRBG. Trust me. Its the right thing to do.  If you're not sure how to do it, go here

Part One: A Distinguished Gentleman

Researchers at MIT recently proved that not even time can escape the gravitational pull of a Xbox 360. So, when I need to pull free from the productivity-killing siren song of Grand Theft Auto IV, I bike to a nearby Starbucks in Midtown Detroit.

What I like most about this Starbucks is the way it serves as a nexus for people from all walks of life: med school students; other photographers meeting with perspective clients; city council members; and the occasional disheveled, quaintly aromatic stranded traveler who just needs 37 cents to ride the Night Train home.

Mystery Solved

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In the Mysteries and Enigmas post, I introduced you to a young woman I happened across in John K King Used and Rare Books. The place is an amazing repository for books - and for repressed childhood emotional trauma (Confused? Read the original post).

Motor City Brewers

Canon EOS 7D | Canon 35mm f/1.4 | Available Light

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I've always maintained that I am my own worst cockblocker. 

From time to time, a woman will find me attractive. I will think the same of her. Then I will start talking...

Savvy Chic(k)

Canon EOS 7D | Canon 35mm f/1.4 | Available Light

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Karen Brown is the owner of Savvy Chic - a antique furniture and vintage clothing boutique in Detroit's Eastern Market district.

I was in one of the farmers' market's newly and beautifully remodeled sheds when I happened to run into her this past Saturday.

Now, Miss Brown's store is phenomenal. She has some utterly singular antique furniture pieces, vintage clothing steeped in history, and evocatively fragrant scented candles from Voluspa

But perhaps one of the most impressive things about the store - and about Miss Brown - lies right beneath your feet. Though the floor is concrete, Miss Brown painted it to appear as if it is weathered wood.

The effect is completely convincing. So much so that I didn't notice it until she pointed it out to me one day.

Savvy Chic is one of those stores that I would not have been naturally inclined to check out. I think I only wandered in their at the bequest of a female friend.

And in fairness, I don't think I am the store's target market.

Karen confided that most men who visit the store mispronounce "chic" ( a thing that embodies sophisticated style) as "chick" (slang for a girl or woman).

Well, one look at her stock of unique items and the masterful faux-wood treatment on the concrete floor, and you may be convinced that the people who say "Savvy Chick" are onto something...

[Contact Karen  at 313-833-8769 or at karen.brown22@yahoo.com]

[View the weekdaily blog and meet more of: The People of Detroit ]