Lost Detroit Treasures: Gone but Not Forgotten

Circa 2014.

With all of the changes going on in Detroit, many of its very best, most magical places keep closing.  Is it the rent being raised?  In some cases, the people who were running them were ready to retire and a fairly good buyout offer came their way.  Others were forced out.

One beloved spot is now a tattoo parlor.  All the rest of these are sitting vacant and unused.  This may be the case for a long time to come.  I miss all of them and I tried to frequent them and support them.

Showcase Collectibles was a very special place.  Sometimes it even seemed to be a bit enchanted or mysterious.  It was also one of the last holdouts of the old spirit of the Cass Corridor of bygone days.  There were often dogs there and maybe a few cats.  The owners had previously run the local Birdtown Pet Shop.  Sometimes you’d go in and they’d be having a party and might even offer you a beer.  You never knew what you’d find there.  I found some great vinyl LPs there, in good shape.  There were old photos  and postcards.  It’s a big loss.

At Showcase Collectibles

The VALUE WORLD store on Woodward in the New Center was also really great.  I’d find excellent books there, hats and clothes, toy instruments for the Spaceband, puppets and much more.  It was also blessed with a unique atmosphere.  Now there are about ten of their stores are in the suburbs but none in Detroit.

The BIG BOOK STORE was another special favorite.  I’d go there all the time. I’d always find good books there.  Sometimes I’d find movie stills, old magazines and other odd stuff.  How many used book stores are there in Detroit now?  There’s John Kong downtown of course.  I know of one on Mack, on the East Side.  Is there anything else?

The proprietor, William Foulkes was an old friend.  I first met him some 40 years ago.  It was near my bus stop so I’d go in their to get out of the freezing cold or just to shoot the bull.  I’ve lost touch with Bill.  If anyone’s in contact with him, ask him to get in ahold of   me.

I miss the Marwil Book Store too, another most excellent  Detroit place.  It was there for a long time.  They always had some surprising books.

The Detroit Hardware store on Woodward was another favorite spot.  They were the best and I’m sorry that they had to shut down.

The Circa 1890 Saloon was a unique spot. The decor was a unique collection of Western and rural themed America artifacts, including a jackalope or two.  For a long time they’d have a “welcome to Spring” celebration, burying old man Winter.  They’d bring out a coffin and have a sort of funeral march, New Orleans style.  Local bands, poets and other performers would play there.  I was part of a gig there, on the same bill with the late Detroit jazz great Faruq Z, Bey.  This was one of his final performances.  He passed away  a few days later.

I’d stop by there, now and then.  Once, they gave me my hat that I’d left there on a previous visit.  There were two rooms, with a bar in the middle.

The Zenith, 2015.

For about a year and a half, the strange and wonderful Zenith Restaurant held court on the first floor of the Fisher Building.  It was sort of like dining in an eccentric museum, mixing pop culture with a little true fine art.   The space has been sitting empty for over three years.

I enjoyed going to Goodwell’s Natural Foods Market.  It was on Willis, down the street from the Avalon Bakery.  They’ve been closed for a few years.  I’ll probably think of some other beloved Cass Corridor area digs that I miss.  I’ll add them here as they come to mind.

The Circa 1890 Saloon:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/circa-1890-saloon-detroit-2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope

The Zenith Restaurant:

https://detroit.eater.com/2014/4/11/6243145/behold-the-zeniths-wild-and-wonderful-interior

Goodwell’s Natural Foods Market, 2015.

The Detroit Hardware Company:

The Detroit Hardware Company 1924-2018

The Detroit Hardware Company, the key section.

2004, Detroit Chinatown:

https://detroitchinatown.blogspot.com/2006/05/welcome-chinatown.html

http://motorcitymuckraker.com/2014/04/04/whats-in-store-for-detroits-long-idle-chinatown-in-detroit/

Older, Chin Tiki, closed in 1980:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chin_Tiki

A related blog post that I did in 2016:

Lost Cultural Venues of Detroit: Naming Names

Gone but not forgotten: the Gold Dollar, Charlotte Lounge, the Chin Tiki, Alvin’s, the Catacombs Coffee House, the Women’s City Club, Zoot’s Coffee House, the Bittersweet Coffee House, the Art Center Music School, 404 West Willis, the Hoe Hoe Inn aka the Grinning Duck Club, the Freezer Theatre, the Cass Corridor Food Co-op, the Campus Treasure Shop and many more.  These are mostly places that I frequented or at least I got to them a few times.  Some of them, I’ve even performed there, with one of the musical groups I’ve been with or doing a solo puppet show or reading poetry.