The results of the Survey of Artists’ Space Needs and Preferences and the Survey of Arts Organizations and Interested Businesses indicate demand for arts and cultural spaces in  Dearborn!  Spaces of all types are needed, including:

• Residences for artists and their families, specially designed to provide both live and work space;
• Studio and work spaces for artists to rent on an ongoing or occasional basis;
• Permanent spaces for arts and cultural organizations and arts-friendly businesses;
• Performance/production, exhibit, conference, and educational spaces for organizations to rent on a short-term or occasional basis.

Artists:

Overall it is exciting that there is a lot of diversity in the types of creative activities these interested artists are involved. The strong interest in a business center may indicate that many of these artists are actively pursuing their craft as a serious profession or small business. The need for gallery and retail space demonstrates that artists are looking for ways to market and sell their work. Often it is challenging for emerging artists to find outlets to showcase their work.

We always hope to see an ethnically diverse artist pool, as this leads to a diverse community in the completed project. Overall, we are pleased with the diversity of the responding, interested artists. One of the exciting things about artist live/work projects is that every one is different. They are shaped by the unique qualities of the neighborhoods and cities in which they exist.

Arts Organizations:

Representatives of organizations or businesses completed the Survey of Arts Organizations and Interested Businesses, indicating an “interest in utilizing some type of space in a new multi-use arts facility in Dearborn.” This creates a great opportunity for a vibrant facility that could catalyze further economic development in the area, and spark new partnerships and programs for the benefit of the local community. It is exciting to see the terrific mix between for and nonprofit entities as well as between arts related organizations/businesses and arts/cultural organizations.

There is clearly an opportunity to support emerging organizations and micro-businesses with this project. Being a part of a multi-use facility may provide the leg-up these smaller enterprises need. Having affordable space, shared services and programs, and greater visibility will help to increase their chances of success. A number of organizations stated needs for specialized artist workspaces, gallery space, rehearsal space, and individual artist studio space.

The generalized data provided in the report is sufficient to lend credibility to the potential for a mixed-use arts project, serving arts/cultural organizations and businesses. There are clearly many vibrant emerging and established enterprises with specialized space needs, which if met, will help them fulfill their missions and business intents.

So what’s next? We’ll be working with the City and other stakeholders to establish a preliminary project scope and a space development program for evaluating building and site capacity. Candidate building/sites will be analyzed with respect to cost, availability, and other factors impacting their ability to address development program goals. Existing information will be reviewed about potential site(s) to identify key legal, environmental, physical, and financial issues affecting their suitability. We’ll also negotiate with property owners with the goal of obtaining a site control agreement and work toward a purchase agreement or other means of site control.

It’s been a busy spring and summer again in East Downtown Dearborn. We have new businesses opening, people investing in their properties and new opportunities to show off the best of the district! 

There are many new businesses calling East Downtown home this year, from a wide array of industries. Dearborn Fresh Supermarket, housed in the former Kroger building at 13661 Colson, offers more than groceries but also a bakery, the Oasis Cafe for meals on the spot, a flower shop, and a pharmacy.

Several new restaurants are now serving up in the neighborhood. 360 Lounge, located at 13901 Michigan Ave, is an eclectic lounge serving up hookahs, tasty smoothies, a mix of Mediterranean and American foods and free Wi-Fi all set in a cozy, gorgeous atmosphere. Palace Café, located at 14430 Michigan Avenue, is a beautifully appointed Middle-Eastern restaurant that also offers stunning live entertainment. And last but not least, La Shish located at 12918 Michigan Avenue, has reopened with new owners, however the concept, food, and feel are still the same!

Of course our most noticeable new neighbor is the Dearborn Town Center at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Schaefer. It houses Oakwood-Midwest Medical Center, which offers 24/7 urgent care, as well as comprehensive, high-quality medical care to meet the wellness, prevention and treatment needs of the Dearborn community and southeast Michigan. Also located there is King’s Pharmacy, the Dearborn Star Grille and Kresge Eye Institute.

East Downtown has seen a handful of successful events lately. The annual Memorial Day Parade brought thousands to see the spectacle, each one a potential customer for local businesses. Our third summer of free Jazz On The Ave concerts in beautiful Dearborn City Hall park drew record crowds and plenty media attention. We held our second annual Taste of Dearborn East in September and tripled attendance of participants who relished the unique and cultural flavors East Dearborn has to offer. Local establishments like Green Brain Comics and the Arab American National Museum regularly host onsite events, keeping the neighborhood flush with activities.

The EDDDA is happy to help district businesses market and promote their own special events, sales, grand openings and such. Get involved! We’re always open to hearing what you would like to see to improve the district for everyone. Contact our office at 313-943-3141 to learn more.

Case in point: Under The Radar (UTR), a program that explores the best of Michigan and airs on PBS outlets all across Michigan, in Northern Ohio and Eastern Wisconsin and …2.5 Million homes in Canada.  Think modern, hip, high tech, fast paced, travel channel… concentrating on only Michigan.

Each week UTR host Tom Daldin explores everything from Michigan restaurants and museums, to cool businesses and neighborhoods. The object is to discover the people, places and things that are unique about Michigan.

Michigan needs a modern, exciting and fast-paced program showcases the extraordinarily talented people we have here; from artists and teachers, to inventors and entrepreneurs. UTR is the program that features every part of the Michigan experience.

UTR: Under the Radar Michigan has filled a need to remind viewers that there is so much that Michigan has to offer and to appreciate a television program that comes from its people and that gives a personal perspective in the voice of the people who live here, who vacation here and who work in Michigan.

So without further adieu, see the Arab American National Museum’s cultural flavor here;

Green Brain Comic’s comical view here and,

M&M Cafe’s dish of homemade neighborhood love here.

Within the establishment, there is so much more than your average line of groceries. Dearborn Fresh also has its own bulk foods section. They also carry many organic, halal, and other specialty items. Still not impressed? There’s also a bakery, the Oasis Cafe for meals on the spot, a flower shop, and a pharmacy. With all this going on in one market, it seems that owners Dr. Fouad and Kamal Turfah aim to bring the concept of “one-stop-shopping” to another level!

…but you don’t have to take our word for it! Visit the market yourself and see what all the talk is about. Dearborn Fresh is open 7 days a week from 7am to 11pm.

Despite the threatening weather a crowd of 900 gathered to enjoy the sights and sounds of magical music.

We graciously thank V98.7 Smooth Jazz HD and WWJ Newsradio as our partners presenting Jazz On The Ave at Dearborn City Hall Park.

 The concerts were Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, free of charge and open to the public and will continue into summer 2012.

 Special thanks to V98.7 Smooth Jazz HD and WWJ Newsradio, along with series co-sponsors including Oakwood Healthcare, the Dearborn Community Fund, the Times Herald, Press & Guide and Metro Times newspapers. 

Stay tuned to our website and be sure to sign up for our newsletter for more events here in East Downtown Dearborn and for next year’s Jazz On The Ave!

Don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook, just search East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority.

Join the Georgetown Commons residents as they invigorate the vacant lot located on 14268 Lithgow which is on the northeast corner of Lithgow and Schlaff/Williamson. They’re looking for volunteers and help to get this project off to a great start!

For more information contact Erik Brown at (734) 787-9540 or email ErikUMD@hotmail.com

Free Comic Book Day kicks off at 10am on Saturday, May 7th and keeps rocking until 8pm. Door prizes will be announced hourly. Remember, things get a little wild that day, so children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult.
Green Brain Comics is located at 13210 Michigan Avenue in East Downtown Dearborn. For more information check the website at http://www.greenbrain.biz or call 313-582-9444

We reached out to individual artists and artist’s families, entrepreneurs and arts organizations who would be interested in locating to Dearborn into an Artspace live/work, multi-use or other arts facility development. We were certainly enthused with the overwhelming response of support for a project such as this.

The East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority (EDDDA), in partnership with the City of Dearborn, is exploring a new and creative approach to a potential economic development project with Artspace, the nation’s leading nonprofit real estate developer for the arts. The Artspace mission is to create, foster and preserve affordable space that serves the needs of artists and arts organizations of all disciplines; see artspace.org. These activities contribute to the continued growth of the arts community thus enhancing the cultural and economic vitality of the surrounding community. This results in these nationwide projects being community driven.

Artspace was in Dearborn June 22 and 23, 2010 to begin the process of building community support for the creation of affordable space for artists, arts organizations and nonprofit organizations — creative businesses, if you will. They explored five areas of consideration: project concept, artist market need, site suitability, potential to fund and sustain a project and local leadership. A public meeting was held to determine community support and inform the public of Artspace’s work. The Prefeasibility Visit is the first step in the process that can lead to an Artspace project.

One of the outcomes of their recommendations is to conduct a survey of the space needs of artists in our community and in the surrounding communities.  We sought out a 50-mile radius around Dearborn to collect the names and email addresses of as many artists as possible.  The reason we contacted artists outside of Dearborn was to more fully understand how many artists are interested in space and if they would move to Dearborn if affordable space were accessible here.

The survey will provide us with statistical information including such things as: artist housing needs, affordability ranges, rental vs. ownership preferences, artist studio-only needs, location preferences, design requirements based on household sizes and arts disciplines, and arts organization space needs. This survey will be conducted by Artspace.

Community involvement from all sectors: financial, civic, arts and culture are all part of the mix that leads to a successful project!

We’ve now proven Dearborn has a deep rooted and well established arts and cultural community with many existing cultural resources and with our distinct and vibrant marketplace of people, food and cultures as well as the $70 million mixed use development under construction at Michigan and Schaefer, the EDDDA is well positioned to support an innovative and creative project such as the proposed Artspace.

All of our lives are touched by art; look around and see the greatness it fills our lives. Let’s build and be a part of an environment that will create more art, let’s enrich the community we are in to touch more people through what artists do.

WE EXPECT TO HAVE FINAL RESULTS IN MID-SPRING SO STAY TUNED!!!

Contact the EDDDA office at 313-943-3141 for more info.

Partners include the City of Dearborn, Dearborn Community Fund and the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce.

On June 22 and 23, 2010 the EDDDA hosted Artspace who conducted an intense Prefeasibility Visit to provide preliminary feedback about the feasibility of creating a live/work, multi-use or other arts facility development. They explored five areas of consideration: project concept, artist market need, site suitability, potential to fund and sustain a project and local leadership. A public meeting was held to determine community support and inform the public of Artspace’s work. The Prefeasibility Visit is the first step in the process that can lead to an Artspace project.

In order to develop a project that meets the true needs of artists, it is vitally important that we receive feedback from a large cross section of the artists in the community.  The next step of the Artspace project will be to reach out to as many artists and arts organizations as possible with a survey created specifically for this project. The survey will provide us with statistical information including such things as: artist housing needs, affordability ranges, rental vs. ownership preferences, artist studio-only needs, location preferences, design requirements based on household sizes and arts disciplines, and arts organization space needs.

Visit the Artspace website at www.artspace.org.to learn more about the organization and its success in other communities. The scope of this project requires a comprehensive strategy in order to move forward. Community involvement from all sectors: financial, civic, arts and culture are all part of the mix that leads to a successful project!

Stay tuned to our website for updates!

And holiday shopping is easy with a collection of independent retailers that range from the greatest depth in any comic books in town, an independent record store with hard to find labels, to a locally owned music store with instruments to beat the band.

Talk about ethnic foods, you have the world at your door in East Downtown Dearborn. From homemade Italian sausages to fresh cooked fish to-go, you’ll find it all here.

From Middle Eastern to Polish, fine dining to small diners and sandwich shops, East Downtown Dearborn has the best food around.

Culture? The largest Arab Museum in the country resides here, introducing you to the wonders of the Middle East.

All of your service needs can be met here, from accounting and insurance, beauty salons and a large variety of medical services.

It’s where Michigan Avenue meets Schaefer Road, a place where you can see the world in one mile.

Check out our business directory here.