Featured Stories
Metromode Staff
Thursday, May 24, 2012
"Those things which are precious are saved only by sacrifice." -David Kenyon Webster. Metromode will be taking next week off to spend time with friends and family, enjoy the start of summer, and pay our respects to those who sacrificed for our country. We'll be back June 7th!
Constance Crump
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has been a popular way for folks to buy produce from local farms. But what if that same strategy were applied to local artists and art collectors? Funny you should ask.
Nicole Rupersburg
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Metro Detroit's chefs may not be dominating episodes of Chopped and Top Chef but that doesn't mean they don't shine where it counts. So what about our next generation of kitchen masters? Metromode's Nicole Rupersburg introduces you to a quartet of local culinary up-and-comers.
Tom Murray
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Allen Ibara of Northville's Soulbrain thinks the future of battery technology businesses is bright. For his company, $10 million in the next year bright. But as a CEO dedicated to building a Michigan firm that employs Michigan natives, Ibara is concerned that we're not producing enough first-rate electrical and chemical engineers to take advantage of this highly charged industry.
Doug Trattner
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Blame it on the recession or chalk it up to a growing subculture of people who prefer vinyl records to MP3s, but the trend toward creative entrepreneurship is real and rising. With a growing appreciation for authenticity, usually in the form of a handmade object with pedigree or a good story, folks have traded in their "day jobs" to pursue their passion for making things by hand.
Kim North Shine
Thursday, May 10, 2012
In 19 years the Achatz Pie Co. has gone from family kitchen to farmer's market to over 100 grocery stores, including Whole Foods. But co-founder and co-owner Wendy Achatz is more than just an all-natural sweet treat peddler, she's an enthusiastic cheerleader for Michigan-made products.
J. Bennett Rylah
Thursday, May 03, 2012
From ArtPrize to the seed accelerator Momentum to the web business incubator Pomegranate Studios, Grand Rapids-based Rick Devos has created an impressive farm team of entrepreneurial enterprises focused on strengthening Michigan's economic ecosystem. His latest creation, StartGarden, gets both professionals and the public behind projects with the potential to blossom into successful businesses.
Natalie Burg
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Vectorform is Metro Detroit's stealth company, a Royal Oak-based tech firm that does its work on the down low. That work includes phones apps, games, and technological innovations that have a global reach. It has satellite offices in New York, Seattle, Germany and India. But shhhh, that's just between you and us, okay?
Nicole Rupersburg
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Chocolate Salted Caramel cupcakes. French toast and bacon cupcakes. Are you salivating like Homer Simpson yet? Royal Oak's Taste Love Cupcakes (TLC) was just another Metro Detroit cupcakery ...until it proved it wasn't. Now it's a "Cupcake Wars" champion. And the hungry masses are coming.
Tom Clynes
Thursday, April 26, 2012
David Berdish has been called the sustainability guru of the Ford Motor Company and, no, that's not an oxymoronic title. The car company's green advocate discusses why better public transportation leadership is needed in Metro Detroit and how a member of the Big Three can promote sustainable practices, champion mass transit, and still hold true to its business mission.
Kim North Shine
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Diane Kubik could be a poster child for urban advocates. Six years ago she moved from the sprawl of the suburbs to open Max And Ollie's in downtown Mt Clemens, just six blocks from her new home. Since then, much happiness has ensued. Not only has her shop found success, she's become an enthusiastic booster in her community - part of the reason the 'Clem is making a name for itself.
Natalie Burg
Thursday, April 19, 2012
When most people think about the fashion industry they think New York, Milan, Paris and, inevitably, women. Montee Holland is changing that mindset with his successful men's fashion line and a company that calls Metro Detroit home.
Tom Murray
Thursday, April 19, 2012
With its low barrier to entry and seemingly endless demand for new product, the phone app market is inspiring a tsunami of start-ups. That wave has struck downtown Pontiac, with Future Help Designs not only making the city its home but establishing an incubator for like-minded efforts.
MSHDA
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Our state is blessed with Pure Michigan "placemaking" success stories -- from beautiful Campus Martius Square in Detroit to the chic cafes and boutiques in Grand Rapids to the Upper Peninsula splendor of Presque Isle Park in Marquette.
MSHDA
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) are getting the message out that placemaking matters.