Shopping · One day

Shop Local Detroit: From Market Sheds to a Vinyl Pressing Plant

Cheese and hats at Eastern Market, a book factory, jewelry cut from graffiti, a charity Detroit shop, a free Fisher tour, Carhartt, City Bird and Third Man.

stops: 10
length: One day
areas: 6

A Detroit souvenir isn't a plastic fridge magnet: this city makes the stuff you take home, from hats and workwear to jewelry cut from graffiti and vinyl. Start Saturday at the market in two family shops that are well over a century old, then work your way through a used bookstore, a charity Detroit shop, an Art Deco skyscraper, an old car showroom and two West Canfield favorites.

Saturday

08:30
Eastern Market
Eastern Market
Saturday at Eastern Market is the city at its liveliest: historic sheds, growers, food businesses, shops and murals. Bring a tote bag; your local haul starts here.

A few minutes' walk between the sheds to Market Street.
09:15
DeVries & Co.
Eastern Market
Same family since 1887: Rudolph Hirt Jr. started out selling Detroit butter, eggs and cheese, and the 1904 Otis freight elevator in his two-part building still runs, one of the oldest working ones in Wayne County. Cheeses from 14 countries, Michigan-made treats, coffee, oils and vinegars.

A few minutes' walk to Riopelle Street.
10:00
Henry the Hatter – Eastern Market
Eastern Market
Detroit's hatter since 1893: Henry Komrofsky opened on Gratiot Avenue, President Eisenhower wore one of its homburgs to his inauguration, and since 2017 the shop has been in Eastern Market. Stetson, Borsalino, Kangol, and if you don't know your size, they'll measure you.

Short drive southwest to Lafayette Boulevard.
11:00
John K. King Used & Rare Books
Downtown
A whole multilevel former factory packed with used and rare books. You don't need a title in mind; getting lost between the shelves is the whole point.

Short drive, or a good downtown walk, to Farmer Street and Parker's Alley.
12:30
Rebel Nell
Downtown
Rings and necklaces cut from layers of fallen Detroit graffiti, made by women rebuilding their lives: since 2013 Rebel Nell has hired women facing barriers to employment. At the Parker's Alley shop you can design your own piece in half an hour.

A few minutes' walk to John R Street.
13:15
The Detroit Shoppe
Downtown
A Detroit-pride gift shop in the Metropolitan Building where 100% of proceeds go to charity, more than 400 local organizations so far. Shelves mix team gear, local brands and collaborations with the Motown Museum, the DIA, Pewabic and The Henry Ford.

Walk a few minutes to Grand Circus Park, ride the QLINE to the Grand Boulevard stop, then walk a few minutes to the Fisher Building.
15:00
Pure Detroit
New Center
Pure Detroit's shop is inside the Fisher Building, and it's where the free, hour-long interior tour of Albert Kahn's 1928 showpiece starts; people call the building the world's largest art object, all marble, mosaics and gilt. Shop after the tour.

Short drive south on Cass Avenue.
16:15
Carhartt Detroit Flagship Store
Detroit – Midtown
Detroit-born Carhartt's flagship store fills a 1928 Art Deco car showroom where a young Preston Tucker sold Dodges in the 1930s. Carhartt opened here in August 2015, and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Short drive or walk south to West Canfield Street.
17:00
City Bird
Midtown
Seventh-generation Detroiters Andy and Emily Linn started City Bird in 2005, and it's now the oldest store on West Canfield. Expect its own Detroit- and Michigan-themed line, work by more than 200 Great Lakes makers and a wall of 500-plus cards; sister shop Nest next door does home goods.

Just across the street.
17:40
Third Man Records Cass Corridor
Midtown (Cass Corridor / W Canfield)
Jack White's Third Man Records opened here in 2015 in a former car dealership: records, novelties, a small stage and the Third Man Pressing vinyl plant visible through the windows. It's open until 6 p.m. on Saturdays, so don't be late.

QLINE or a short ride back downtown from here.

Good to know

Do it on a Saturday: DeVries & Co. opens at 7 a.m., Henry the Hatter at 10, and Saturday is when the free Fisher Building tours run (11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., reservation required).
At Rebel Nell you can book a 30-minute design-your-own-jewelry session online; each slot fits up to three people.
John K. King's floors are easy to get lost in: ask staff to point you to a section, and arrange rare-book access separately.
Got a spare morning? Pewabic Pottery's shop on Jefferson Avenue is a must: it's the pottery behind the tile in the Guardian Building's lobby.