CITY BIRD

Giveaway winners!

2011-08-24T20:26:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone who entered last Friday's Detroit Map Tote Giveaway! We had an overwhelming response here and on facebook, so we decided to give away TWO totes, one to a blog commenter and one to a facebook commenter, both selected anonymously through a random number generator.

The winners are (drumroll, please....):

-Katherine Maurer (from Facebook)
-Kat (from this blog)

Congrats to you both! Please visit City Bird before September 9th to claim your prize.

AND, as a bonus, we're offering 20% off of one Map Tote to everyone else who entered! Please give your name at the time of purchase to redeem the discount. Limit one discounted tote per person who entered, please. Offer must be redeemed by September 9th.

Look out for more giveaways soon!

Detroit Map Tote Giveaway!

2011-08-19T13:09:00.001-04:00

Detroit Map Totes are back! We get a ton of requests for our original Detroit map totes and are so excited to be able to offer them again!

The vintage Detroit map is silkscreened on a sturdy American Apparel cotton tote bag and they're now available with printed backgrounds in turquoise, gray, red, yellow, or natural.

Regular retail is $22 each, but leave a comment on this post by tomorrow (Saturday, August 20) at 5pm for a chance to win one in the color of your choice!

A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow evening from the comments here and on our facebook page and the winner must be able to pick up the bag in person at our shop.

Good luck!

Canfield Street Market July 30!

2011-07-02T10:02:00.000-04:00

We and Bureau are hosting another Canfield Street Market later this month. Check out the poster below for all the details. They're always a blast - see you there!

Marche du Nain Rouge!

2011-02-25T13:00:00.002-05:00

Our favorite new Cass Corridor tradition is the Marche du Nain Rouge! This year's Marche will be held on March 20th - check out the facebook event for more information and plan to attend. The photo below of Andy and Emily is by David Lewinski from his photobooth at last year's event.

We'll post more information closer to the event, but mark it on your calendar and prepare for extreme shenanigans!

Valentine's Day Party!

2011-02-01T12:14:00.001-05:00

Third Thursdays at City Bird!

2010-11-15T10:50:00.001-05:00

This Thursday from 5-9pm, visit Canfield and Willis for Third Thursdays! Third Thursdays is a monthly event in which almost 20 Midtown shops, galleries and eateries offer extended hours, special sales, exhibit openings, book signings, live music, artisanal food and more.

Stop by City Bird to enjoy refreshments while you shop. 20% of our sales during the event will benefit the DIA through its Founders Junior Council.

Opening Reception for New Work by David Lewinski

2010-09-25T21:52:00.001-04:00

In conjunction with Art Detroit Now's Detroit Gallery Week and the Midtown Gallery Crawl, come to City Bird to check out David Lewinski's new photographs of Detroit architecture printed on aluminum.

"Lost Detroit" Book Release at City Bird

2010-09-13T12:00:00.001-04:00

Please join us Thursday, 9/16, to celebrate the release of "Lost Detroit: Stories Behind the Motor City's Majestic Ruins," the new book from the team behind http://www.buildingsofdetroit.com/. This event is in conjunction with Third Thursdays - a new monthly celebration of local art, food, design, fashion, health and more in Midtown’s North Cass neighborhood! Learn about what else is going in the neighborhood that evening by checking out http://www.shop-midtown.com/. It will be an exciting night - we hope to see you then!

Dally in the Alley

2010-09-10T12:00:00.002-04:00

We're excited about Dally in the Alley tomorrow! The annual street fair is always a highlight of Fall in the Cass Corridor.

Featured Vendors at Canfield Street Market Mini Craft Market

2010-08-17T21:07:00.001-04:00

We're getting really excited about Friday's Street Market! See the previous post for info on all the participating vendors and activities, but check out the links below for a sneak peek at the featured vendors in our mini craft market!

Canfield Street Market on August 20th!

2010-08-16T17:40:00.003-04:00

We had such a blast at the first Canfield Street Market, that we decided to make it a more regular event - please join us for the second Canfield Street Market on Friday, August 20th from 5-9 pm! This Street Market promises to be bigger and better, with more vendors and activities! Additionally, our friends on West Willis are adding to the fun by hosting a fun simultaneous event right around the corner.

Canfield Street Market
The Canfield Lofts, 460 West Canfield Street, between Cass & Second, Detroit
Hosted by Bureau of Urban Living and City Bird. Featuring handmade & vintage goods by guest artists and vendors, including:

Detroit photography by Marvin Shaouni of Model D at City Bird
Vintage clothing & accessories from Rachel’s Place in North Corktown
Custom t-shirts from Midtown’s newest shop, Goods (opening Fall 2010 in the Park Shelton)
LOVELAND inch sale
Photobooth by David Lewinski
Rickshaw rides by Breezecab
Local brews from Traffic Jam & Snug and Motor City Brewing Works
Treats from The Pink FlaminGo! Mobile Restaurant
Organic popcorn by Popcorn Joe
Music by DJ Big Time America
Barbeque at Traffic Jam and Snug
Debut of Elixir fermented wine at Motor City Brewing Works

West Willis Village
West Willis Street, between Cass & Second, Detroit
Hosted by Avalon International Breads, Flo Boutique, Tulani Rose, Source Booksellers and Planned Parenthood. Featuring art, books, food, fashion and gifts, including:

Sidewalk summer sale and homegrown artists at Flo Boutique
Book cart at Source Booksellers with summer sale prices starting at $7
“Detroit Lover” Artisan Bar-b-que at Avalon International Breads. Featuring all natural meats from Corridor Sausage Co. with gourmet fixings on Avalon “313” buns. Sumptuous sausage varieties include: Vietnamese Chicken, Juniper & Garlic Brats and Sage & Apple Sausage. Plus: Michigan Fruit Cobbler and a summer blow-out sale on Avalon’s “Detroit Lover” t-shirts & tanks!
Music by DJ Andre Royster of Sound Circle

April in the Orange at City Bird!

2010-07-24T19:16:00.000-04:00

Stop by City Bird next Saturday to see an acoustic performance by April in the Orange in City Bird's patio garden! April in the Orange is duo Samantha Linn and Andrew Barrett and they will be performing at 5pm on July 31st. The 31st is a busy night in Detroit, so swing by to hear them play before heading to Belle Isle to catch the championship game of COPA Detroit and Cinema BBQ III at the Burton!

City Bird at Maker Faire!

2010-07-12T15:52:00.001-04:00

We're super excited to be participating in Handmade Detroit's Craft Faire within Maker Faire at The Henry Ford July 31st and August 1! Don't miss it - it's going to be amazing!

This Friday: Canfield Street Market!

2010-06-22T18:40:00.010-04:00

Come to West Canfield this Friday for the first ever Canfield Street Market! It's hosted by City Bird and our friends at Bureau of Urban Living. In conjunction with the Market, City Bird will be hosting the opening reception for "Land Patterns - New Work by Sarah Burger. See the image below for more information about the event. We hope to see you there!

Summer Internships at City Bird!

2010-05-14T12:03:00.002-04:00

City Bird is hiring up to two summer interns to learn about and work in all aspects of our small company, studio, store and gallery. In addition to day-to-day studio production and shop work, each intern will work in one or more of the following areas based on his or her experience and career interest: merchandising, marketing, curating, production, writing, product design, or web design. Additionally, each intern will be asked to complete a special summer-long project in an area that fits the intern's interest, experience, and career goals.

Ideal candidates should be current students or recent graduates, preferably with a background in art, design (graphic or web), marketing, or writing.

Minimum qualifications: proficient with Macintosh platform, available to work a minimum of one day per week for 10 weeks, strong verbal and written communication.

Ideal qualifications: proficient with Adobe Creative Suite, knowledge of Detroit and interest in Detroit development and growth, experience in a broad range of art disciplines.

Duration: Internship will last for 10 weeks between June and August and interns will be expected to work at least one day per week.

Compensation: Each intern will receive a stipend of $600.

To apply: Please submit your resume and cover letter to Emily Linn at emily@ilovecitybird.com by May 28, 2010. In your cover letter, please describe why you think you would be a good fit at City Bird, what you hope to get from the experience and what you think you could contribute. Please also outline what art coursework you have completed. If applicable, please include a link to your website or up to three images of your art or craft work.

Restaurant Week!

2010-04-23T12:48:00.001-04:00

There's a lot to love about Restaurant Week! It's so great to have an opportunity to enjoy some of the city's finer dining options without breaking the bank (all participating restaurants have a $27 prix fixe menu) AND it's great to be reminded of the plethora of fine dining Detroit has to offer. During the first Restaurant Week last fall we feasted at the Whitney, and last night we visited 24Grille in the new(ish)ly renovated Westin Book Cadillac. Both were delectable! We chose the 24Grille this time because it offered one of the the tastier-sounding vegetarian options (Himalayan Cabbage Rolls - mmmmm!), although every restaurant participating in this edition of Restaurant Week included at least one vegetarian option, which we greatly appreciated. Anyway there are still three nights left, so if you haven't already, check out the menus and make your reservation!

Also, we loved reading about all your favorite things to do in Eastern Market! Thank you to everyone who commented to be entered to win one of our Detroit Map Totes. The winner (chosen at random) of this giveaway was Megan who says that "Because cheese and wine are my weaknesses, Cost Plus and R. Hirt serve my needs well!" We agree on both of those counts! Megan, please email Emily (emily@ilovecitybird.com) to find out how to claim your prize. Look for more giveaways soon!

Wednesday Giveaway!

2010-04-14T08:00:00.007-04:00

We love shopping at Eastern Market all year long (especially to get cheese from R. Hirt Jr., soup at Russell Street Deli, and McClure's Pickles - yum!) but at this time of year we start getting super excited for leisurely Saturdays riding our bikes there, eating breakfast, buying produce and flowers, and running into everyone we know!

Tell us your favorite thing about the market - leave it in a comment below to be entered in our giveaway to win one of our Detroit Map Totes (perfect for toting home your market haul!). We'll select a winner at random on 4/21.

Kathy Leisen's Paintings and Music

2010-03-25T15:34:00.006-04:00

Working in the shop has been an extra pleasure in the last couple weeks because Kathy Leisen's amazing paintings are hanging and her records are in heavy rotation on our turntable. It was great to have such a lovely turnout and see so many of you at the opening. If you weren't able to make it, stop in any time by May 8 to check out work from this talented Detroit artist!

Open City tonight

2010-03-16T15:18:00.004-04:00

If you're an aspiring Detroit business owner, have already started a business, or are just interested in small business in Detroit, come to this month's Open City meeting, tonight at Cliff Bell's. We'll be there and Emily will be a part of the panel of new(ish) business owners sharing their experiences, moderated by Liz Blondy of Canine to Five. Here's the scoop:

Tuesday, March 16, 2010
"Detroit Business Owners Talk Shop"
- Melinda Anderson, MeMe Design & Events
- Emily Linn, City Bird
- James Morris, DSE At Grand
- Jen Willemsen, Curl Up & Dye

MONTHLY MEETINGS
Third Tuesdays - 6:30-8:30 PM
Cliff Bell's
2030 Park Avenue, Detroit 48226
www.cliffbells.com

Hope to see you there!

Also, congratulations to Natalie Zebula of Zebula Design who won our giveaway last week! Check out the great purses in her Etsy shop.

Thanks so much for everyone for entering our gift certificate giveaway and for your great comments about Spring in Detroit. Stay tuned - we'll be having regular giveways on the blog soon.

10% off if you ride your bicycle!

2010-03-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

Ride your bike to City Bird and Bureau of Urban Living in March and receive 10% off your order!

City Bird Giveaway!

2010-03-06T14:45:00.001-05:00

Walks in Woodbridge, biking to Eastern Market, driving around Belle Isle - we love Spring in Detroit and want to hear about your favorite things to do as the weather warms up! Comment below with your favorite Springtime activity in Detroit by 3/12 and we'll select one winner at random on Saturday 3/13 to receive a $10 gift certificate to City Bird.

Marche du Nain Rouge!

2010-03-05T17:13:00.006-05:00

We are SO EXCITED for this neighborhood event! If you aren't familiar with the legend of le Nain Rouge, he's a mischevious little red dwarf who has been spotted rabble rousing throughout Detroit's history ever since Antoine de la mothe Cadillac attacked him in 1701. From the Battle of Bloody Run in 1763 and the great fire of 1805, to the surrender of the city in the War of 1812 and 1967 riots, legend has it the Nain has played a part in brewing trouble in our fair city for a long, long time.

Come down to the Cass Corridor on March 21st to help banish the Nain and to participate in this new tradition of purging the bad and celebrating Spring!

Stay-tuned for fun events before the parade at City Bird, Bureau and other local businesses...

Let's Save Michigan Poster Contest

2010-03-04T14:13:00.005-05:00

If you haven't already, check out this poster contest co-sponsored by Let's Save Michigan and the Detroit Institue of Arts. The contest was inspired in part by this great exhibition at the DIA (through March 21st) of around 100 WPA prints from the 1930s. There are a lot of great finalists in the contest and you can vote for your favorites (everyday!) through March 15th. Below is Nikki Desautelle's awesome design. Nikki works with us on Wednesdays, so vote for her poster and then come say hello next week!

The Small Object

2010-02-16T18:10:00.002-05:00

We love The Small Object and are so excited to have some of Sarah Neuburger's lovely goods in the shop! Stop by to check 'em out!

New at City Bird!

2010-02-12T17:16:00.003-05:00

We've gotten lots of lovely new things in the shop in the last couple days. Here's a sampling:

Regina Pruss of Chain Chain Chain dropped off a big batch of new jewelry yesterday, including two of these awesome necklaces featuring vintage round lockets ($30) and a pair of these sweet iris and chain earrings ($18).

We also got in an exciting box of goods from Sarah Lapinski of Wound, including these neat ties ($40) and cool limited edition shirts designed by Vaughan Taormina ($30).

Nikki DeSautelle is a talented artist/designer/illustrator who leads workshops at the DIA and also has been masterfully running the store on Wednesdays. This Wednesday she brought in some of her magical stuffed giraffes! ($30)

Our wonderful mail carrier, Kevin, just delivered a package of cozy knit scarves and pins from Jennifer Winchell of Prairie Dog Inc. We've sold out of her sweet Beardie Pins quickly in the past and many people have been asking about them since they last ran out, so get one while they last! ($9)

Ok, that's enough of a sneak peek. Stop by to say hello and see the other great new things in the store!

(And our Valentine cards are quickly disappearing, but we still have a lot of super designs!)

Sweet Valentines at City Bird

2010-02-10T22:14:00.004-05:00

We're really excited about the Valentine's Day cards we have in the shop! Stop by this week (T-Sa 11-7 with extended hours on Friday until 8) to pick up one for your sweetheart or pal. Here's a sneak peek at some of the cards we have:

This card from Cracked Designs in Milwaukee features a cutout photo of an ax and the inside reads: "I'm falling for you."

This bacon card is another pun-filled Cracked Designs card and the inside reads "I'm achin' for your bacon!"

And here is one of Kate Funk's popular cat greeting cards - this time featuring the kitty as cupid!
We have lots of other super cards and great new gifts - come by and check 'em out!

Detroit Declaration!

2010-01-21T11:38:00.003-05:00

I'm excited about the new Detroit Declaration drafted by a group of inspiring Detroiters. Check out the website and their facebook page, sign the declaration, watch the video below, and join this movement for change in our city!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-12T01:33:00.006-05:00

Thank you to everyone who has stopped in our new store in our first eight weeks - we have appreciated your incredible support! Our inaugural holiday season was so wonderful and busy and it was great to meet so many new people. Now that the holidays have passed we are enjoying the chance to get caught up, restocked and work on some exciting new projects! We're also excited to get back to blogging, so look for more updates, soon. In the meantime, check out this blog post which includes us: Twelve Young Versions of Twenty-Ten.

Store Photos

2009-12-15T02:22:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple photos of the shop from our first week:

Stop in for holiday shopping! Through December we're open on Sundays, too (11-7).

GRAND OPENING!

2009-11-11T10:21:00.000-05:00

We're thrilled to announce that we're opening this Friday! Join us to celebrate from 6-11pm at the store for our grand opening gala! The store is located at 460 W. Canfield St (between Cass and Second). Beginning Saturday 11/14, we'll be open every Tuesday-Saturday 11-7.

Store Progress!

2009-11-07T02:08:00.004-05:00

We hung these letters in the window last night:

Our dad installed these shallow shelves to display prints:

Andy and Matt were working on the ceiling in this one and you can see our new lights, too:

Things are coming together!

boughtindetroit.com

2009-10-27T14:33:00.003-04:00

I love this new website promoting shopping in Detroit. What an awesome idea - check it out and add your latest local purchase!

Store Progress Update!

2009-10-22T03:46:00.005-04:00

We've been working really hard these past few weeks and have made great progress in the store - we're getting so excited about opening! In addition to finishing up the painting, moving in our studio, and taking care of a bunch of legal/paperwork business, we have been continuing to acquire and build fixtures and have begun receiving work from artists and designers! In the next week we're going to post some photos of some of the amazing things that we have received recently (which will be for sale so soon when we open!). In the meantime, though, we wanted to post a couple progress photos of how things are coming together. In the photo above, our kind pals Jon, Matt and Greg (of Leopold's Books) are putting the finishing touches on some shelving. That white shelving will be on one wall, and the rest of the shop will have mainly vintage fixtures. These steamer trunks are so great - we're trying to decide what to display on and in them:

We're also looking for the perfect spot for this "best sellers" rack and the school chalkboard behind it:

This weekend we'll be working on the lighting and picking up a few more fixtures. We'll post more photos soon!

"The Necessary Friction of the Machine" at 2739 Edwin

2009-10-09T12:49:00.002-04:00

I've been excited to see this installation at 2739 Edwin all month and can't wait for the closing reception tomorrow. It sounds amazing! It's an installation by Chicago-based sculptor Dan Price, with Celso Duque, Tanya Fitzpatrick, Mia Hooper and Peggy Jones. From 2739 Edwin's website: "For the installation The Necessary Friction of the Machine, Price plans to transform the gallery space at 2739 Edwin into a production facility, employing four General Motors assembly line workers to create a paper sculpture based on their drawings. The worker’s stories and impressions – recalled from years on the assembly line – become the iconography for the sculpture, and the structure of the automobile assembly line is borrowed as the model for artistic collaboration."

The Exhibition Closing Reception from 6-10pm on Saturday Oct 10. If you stop by from 9-5 you can see the project in process.

This gallery in Hamtramck (run by artist and curator Steve Panton) has consistently mounted exceptional exhibitions (and hosted great concerts, to boot). Read this great recent article in Metro Times for more information.

New City Bird studio and store opening in Midtown!

2009-09-23T21:37:00.005-04:00

We recently signed a lease on a beautiful space in the Canfield Lofts (the same building which houses the wonderful Bureau of Urban Living) for our new studio and shop/gallery space. Ours is the ground-floor space directly to the right of the tall birch tree in the photo above. The shop will sell our own designs in addition to work by others (we're going to feature local and regional designers and artists but will carry great goods from all over). We're so incredibly excited about it! Here's an interior shot of the front of the space which will be the shop:

We're busy painting and building fixtures - I'll post some progress shots soon. It's going to be awesome! We'll be opening in late October (more details soon) - can't wait!

Hugh Opening

2009-09-23T17:02:00.004-04:00

I'm definitely going to head downtown tomorrow night between 8 and midnight to catch the grand opening Hugh, the latest venture from Joe Posch of Mezzanine. A pop-up men's shop located on the ground floor of the Iodent Lofts Building at 2233 Park Avenue, it will only be around for six months, so you'd better make the most of it! Our pals at Model D say that "Hugh will have bar accessories, smoking accessories, some furniture and lighting, host/hostess gifts and decorative accessories." Check it out!

Fluxus at the DIA

2009-09-22T11:17:00.000-04:00

Seven or eight years ago I had the opportunity to view the Lila and Gilbert Silverman Fluxus collection which was housed in a small commercial building on Grand River. My friend Cary Loren (of Bookbeat fame) arranged for a visit and I got to tag along. Their collection was huge and amazing and I was blown away! Since that visit, I've often wished that there was some way for the collection to be open to the public. Earlier this year I learned that the Silvermans dissolved the collection and donated the bulk of it to the MoMA in New York, but recently I discovered that they also made a sizable gift to the DIA and some of it is now on view! It's worth a visit and while you are there you should check out the video installations in the "Action Reaction" exhibition and "Photography: the First 100 Years."

Burton Theatre

2009-09-17T17:00:00.010-04:00

I'm super excited about this new theater in the neighborhood! Housed in the old Burton International Elementary school (which I attended from about '81-'85!) the Burton Theatre has a blockbuster Fall line-up. Kicking the season off in two weeks with the beautiful 1973 The Spirit of the Beehive, which has haunted me ever since I saw it at the DFT a couple years ago, the inaugural season is also featuring classics (Scarface) and new releases (Dead Snow - a Nazi Zombie thriller). The theater will also house the Cass Avenue Film Syndicate which the theater's website says "exists as a resource for independent filmmakers in Detroit with public outdoor displays of art, lectures from professionals and by providing a space and encouragement to inspire local filmmakers to experiment and create." Awesome.

Read about the theater in the Metro Times and support the theater by attending the benefit tomorrow night at the Magic Stick (8pm, $5) - read more about the event in the Detroiter.

Open City

2009-09-15T12:02:00.004-04:00

Tonight is the first Open City meeting of the season! All aspiring Detroit business owners, current Detroit business owners and people interested in Detroit small-business development should attend! It's a great place to meet people and get inspired. Here is some info about this meeting from their website:

"Opportunity in the D"
Co-Sponsored by Model D Media

Join us to kick-off Season 3!
Our first meeting is all about opportunity.
Come learn about exciting new resources to
start or grow your small business in the city.

Speakers:
- Randal Charlton, TechTown
- Olga Stella, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation
- Mary King, Detroit Investment Fund

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
6:30-8:30 PM
Cliff Bell's
2030 Park Avenue
Detroit, Michigan 48201
www.cliffbells.com

Open and free to all. Seating is limited. Cash bar.
Register in advance at www.modeldmedia.com

DIY Street Fair!

2009-09-15T10:29:00.001-04:00

Visit us this weekend at the DIY Street Fair in Ferndale. We'll be there selling our wares all day Saturday and Sunday along with lots of other super vendors. There will be yummy food and great bands, too! We had a blast at last year's fair. Above is a photo of from our friends at Handmade Detroit.

Leopold's Books

2009-09-14T12:01:00.004-04:00

Our friends recently opened Leopold's Books, an amazing new bookstore in Midtown. They're located in the Park Shelton on Woodward at Kirby and have a wonderfully-curated selection of books and magazines - graphic novels, new and classic fiction, interesting nonfiction, art books, comic books, local and independently-published books a great selection of magazines. They're next door to the new location of the always-delicious Good Girls go to Paris Crepes - mmmmmmmm!

The Phone Call

2009-03-25T23:30:00.007-04:00

The Lafayette building has recently found itself the next target in the City of Detroit's non-stop effort to "cleanse the city of its eyesores" and create more parking. This fact became known just recently, as the city's development arm raced to solicit bids to tear down the structure, a 1924 landmark designed by C. Howard Crane, the architecture maestro who gave us the Fox Theater.

I wouldn't be surprised if you're not immediately familiar with the structure, even though it is visible from Campus Martius Park. It's not Detroit's most famous building, but it is spectacular. Sadly, due to a staggering 1920s construction boom, we're a little bit architecturally spoiled in this town, and sometimes even splendid buildings can go under appreciated.

However, this one in particular seems worthy of our admiration. When this V-shaped building was designed, according to Buildings of Detroit, it was envisioned to be “Michigan’s finest office building,” and was "outfitted with marble drinking fountains and bronze and American walnut trimmings," while "its roof line features a gorgeous ridge of terra cotta featuring hundreds of intricate fleur de lis."

With these descriptions just a sample of this building's beauty, we can be thankful that one of Detroit's great preservation organizations, Preservation Wayne, in tandem with Buildings of Detroit, stepped up to the challenge protecting this wonder from the wrecking ball.

Inspired by their efforts, I wrote a brief email and addressed it to some city representatives, including the City Council, the Mayor, and the President of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.

The next morning, before I awoke, I was startled by my phone ringing. I glanced at the number, didn't recognize it, and let the call go to my voice mail.

Later, when I was finally awake, I listened to my voice mail, and was stunned to find this message:

"Hi, this is council member JoAnn Watson. I'm in receipt of your email urging that the Lafayette building not be demolished. I love your comments, as an environmental activist myself, and want to invite you to come to the city council on Thursday at 10 am to speak during public comment... To put your issue out there and see if we cant build some strong support, ok? 10am, 13th floor of the Coleman A Young municipal center... I hope you can make it this Thursday."

As I write this blog entry, I am preparing to go with some friends to take up the Councilwoman on her offer. I hope that the council is receptive, and I hope that this time around the preservationists are vindicated - we have enough parking lots.

For information on Preservation Wayne, check out their site. To join the "Save the Lafayette Building" Facebook group, click here.

Photo courtesy of Buildings of Detroit.

Spring Fling

2009-03-20T15:56:00.004-04:00

Visit us at Spring Fling...A Craft Thing at The Loving Touch in Ferndale on Saturday, April 4th. It's free to get in and there will be 20 local craft and design vendors and great djs!

Detroit Map Wall Lamps are back!

2009-03-18T16:26:00.003-04:00

After a brief hiatus, our popular Detroit map wall lamps are back - though only in a limited quantity! These lamps can be hung either on a flat wall or in a corner - adding a refined glow to any Detroit-lover's home. We think that they will be available for a couple of weeks. Check out our site to get more details.

New Cards Are Here

2009-03-11T03:07:00.007-04:00

Today we added two new press-printed greeting cards to our site. One design is based on a vintage Greetings from Detroit card (pictured in our most recent post) and the other is snappy adaptation of a vintage card that says "I'm very busy in Detroit, Mich." Check out the paper goods section of our website to see both of them. Special thanks to Buildings of Detroit for assistance with the images.

New Cards

2009-03-05T22:24:00.005-05:00

We're working hard to expand our card line. We have a bunch of ideas up our sleeves, but the first few we're adding to our line-up this Spring are adaptations of vintage postcards. Our good pal Dan collects cards and runs the Buildings of Detroit website. He was kind enough to let us use a couple of the images he has collected, including this one. Check them out on our website - we'll be adding new designs continually over the next couple weeks.

Open City!

2009-02-16T10:47:00.003-05:00

If you have an interest in starting a small business in Detroit (or even if you just have an interest in small businesses in Detroit!), be sure to check out Open City. The group meets on the third Tuesday of every month at Cliff Bells. This month's meeting is tomorrow at 6:30 and the topic discussed will be finding the right location in Detroit. The atmosphere is very relaxed, the setting is beautiful (I think every time I go to Cliff Bell's it is even more gorgeous - and now they are serving French food!) and the meetings are always inspiring. Hope to see you there!

Trunk Show at Naka

2009-02-12T00:03:00.007-05:00

Last week's trunk show at Naka featured two favorite local designers Bettula and Comfortably Lovely.

Heather Fagan of Bettula creates gorgeous, simple jewelry from birch bark harvested from fallen trees. I picked up a pair of her earrings as a gift for a friend's birthday. Her work is available online and at several stores including Naka in Ferndale.

The State of the City

2009-02-11T01:19:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I attended Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr.'s state of the city address. The speech was well delivered, and included rough outlines of some of the ways he intends to trim the budget, expand the police force, and improve Cobo Hall.

However, for me, the highlight was his outspoken support of public transportation - not only a merger of the suburban (SMART) and urban (DDOT) bus systems, but also his commitment to lightrail for the city of Detroit.

Green House

2009-02-06T11:58:00.012-05:00

After a controversial Detroit News story surfaced last week regarding the discovery of a frozen body in the abandoned Roosevelt Warehouse in Detroit, local and national media outlets have used the building as a reason to create another round of tired one-dimensional generalizations, characterizations, and metaphors. Though there is an obvious gravity to this sad story, and one should feel empathy for the innocent victim, it is sad that the structure has been cast in such a despairing light.

As with nearly everything in the city, the Roosevelt Warehouse is endowed with a complex beauty that is belied by over-simplification and and misunderstanding. In fact, one could argue that the building truly is a metaphor, but not in the way that the original Detroit News story might lead you to believe.

The metaphoric quality that I see is most evident in the indoor third-floor forest that has grown out of the ashes of a fire that was extinguished decades ago.

New Pins!

2009-02-04T17:44:00.005-05:00

available on our website

About City Bird

2009-02-04T14:14:00.011-05:00

City Bird is a company operated by siblings Andy and Emily in Detroit. We design city-themed housewares, accessories, jewelry and paper goods, available on our website, etsy and at retailers in Detroit, Chicago and New York. Our products include map soap, metallic skyline buttons, map plates, and jewelry. This photo of us was taken by our pal Marvin Shaouni for a story about us that ran on Model D last year.