On Sunday (5/7/17), Travis and I attended the All Things Detroit Pre-Mother’s Day Edition. The Detroit-famous shopping extravaganza was held at Eastern Market. It was our second time attending an All Things Detroit event, the first being in March. I was excited to attend this event because I was looking forward to trying some more yummy food (pregnancy cravings, ya know) and viewing the local small business owners’ unique products.
What is All Things Detroit?
All Things Detroit is a Detroit-based trade show which features hundreds of local small businesses and a large variety of food trucks for patrons to enjoy. In March, All Things Detroit “drew more than 10,000 visitors – from nearby and as far as Traverse City, Mich. and Chicago.” The Pre-Mother’s Day Edition was created for visitors to find special gifts for their loved ones. The next All Things Detroit event will be held in November 2017 as part of a holiday shopping experience.
What We Loved About the All Things Detroit Pre-Mother’s Day Edition:
- The Pre-Mother’s Day event featured more than 230 businesses. The plethora of businesses featured at All Things Detroit gave us many options to choose from for our shopping experience. Business owners were on hand for demonstrations of their products and provided personal service to customers. It was an enriching, one-on-one shopping experience which is hard to find at a major retailer.
- I also have this thing with food trucks. There were 20 food trucks at All Things Detroit on Sunday. Food heaven! My husband doesn’t get my
obsessionlove for food trucks. He thinks it’s comical that I get excited whenever I see a food truck. But I can’t help it. Who doesn’t love food trucks?! Food trucks feature some of the best food you cannot find at a chain restaurant. The prices are generally reasonable and the food is freshly made to order. And let’s not forget food trucks make very delicious food!
- Travis loved the concept of housing hundreds of Michigan-based small businesses in one location. He said it reminded him of a bazaar. He loves walking around and viewing the different products small businesses are selling. He also enjoys chatting with the business owners. (He’s such a talker, that one.)
- We both really love shopping local! We feel you can find better quality products and unique finds that you won’t be able to find in a major retail store.
- All of the All Things Detroit events are very family-friendly! This is a BIG plus for us because we have four children and we like to bring our children along with us when we attend city events. It is stroller-friendly, as well. Other good traits which make All Things Detroit a family-friendly event are bathrooms conveniently located throughout Eastern Market, kid-friendly vendors such as a face painter (my daughter loved this), delicious sweet treats (cotton candy, ice cream, Italian ice, etc.), and a safe environment for children to walk with their parents. Oh, and parking is FREE at Eastern Market and easy to find!
- The overall atmosphere at All Things Detroit Pre-Mother’s Day Edition was very welcoming. As we passed each table, business owners smiled brightly at us and other customers. When I asked an owner questions about his/her product(s), they were very eager to talk to me and share information about the merchandise.
Meet Jennyfer Crawford, Founder of All Things Detroit
I also had the wonderful opportunity to meet Jennyfer Crawford, the founder of All Things Detroit. Jennyfer is a business consultant and owner of Ask Jennyfer. She created All Things Detroit in 2012 “to give small businesses a platform to build brand awareness and sell their products.” Jennyfer believes All Things Detroit benefits the community because patrons are shopping locally. “A lot of the businesses are right here in the community,” Jennyfer told me. “I think it’s important that we’re bringing all of [the] customers and people to the city of Detroit.”
GLD: What is your favorite part about All Things Detroit?
Jennyfer: “All of the positivity and all the vendors coming together…the atmosphere…I love it! I love being able to work with a wide range of different people, different backgrounds– everything!”
Jennyfer went on to say she loves how the businesses come together and work together. “There’s a lot of networking and that’s what I love about it.” She said All Things Detroit has a “friendly environment” and the “customers are eager to come and shop with the businesses.”
How Does All Things Detroit Contribute to Detroit’s Rebirth?
I asked Jennyfer if she feels Detroit is experiencing a rebirth and how is All Things Detroit contributing to Detroit’s rebirth. Jennyfer agrees Detroit is experiencing a rebirth. “People are looking at Detroit in a different way. A lot of different people are moving here that we didn’t see before and I think that it’s really good.”
And Travis and I are part of the rebirth movement of Detroit. We moved to the greater Detroit area in April 2015 and since moving here, we have come to fall in love with Detroit. Attending an event like All Things Detroit gives us the opportunity to meet local businesses and learn more about the city’s culture.
“When you call something (an event) “All Things Detroit”, people are like, ‘ooh! I really want to check it out and see what’s so different and what’s the change,” Jennyfer told me.
I definitely agree with Jennyfer. When I first heard about All Things Detroit, the name alone caught my attention. My immediate reaction was, “What is All Things Detroit?!” I visualized an event which captured the essence of the city of Detroit. All Things Detroit did just that. Still being fairly new to Detroit and Michigan, attending All Things Detroit introduced us to Detroit- and Michigan-based businesses we didn’t know about. We also learned a little bit more about Detroit culture.
Jennyfer Crawford successfully accomplished creating an event which brings the community together and gives small business owners the opportunity to share their business with visitors. We will definitely attend the next All Things Detroit Event (November 2017)!
Do you enjoy attending shopping festivals in your community?
Thank you to Jennyfer Crawford and Prologue for inviting Good Life Detroit to the All Things Detroit Pre-Mother’s Day Edition event! For more information about All Things Detroit, visit the official website here.
Want the latest updates on All Things Detroit? You can download the app “All Things Detroit” at the App Store for iPhone and Google Play Store for Android.
[…] I go out to festivals and markets, like All Things Detroit and the Tuesday Market at Eastern Market, one thing I always notice is that there are many vendors […]
The event seemed a lot of fun for the whole family. The Cookie Monster cake looks really interesting.
I love anything that supports small business. This is a fantastic venture for community persons as well as the small businesses
This is beautiful! I love going to places where they feature local businesses. There’s nothing better than supporting the local stores in your area! There’s also so much to see here.
Am always into this kind of event because it supports small scale business and all made locally. You have the community and also have a close interaction to each other.
I will take one of everything, please ;)! The great products, scrumptious food, and the henna, too—I’ll take it all… Especially that cookie cake… YUM!
Right?! 🙂 That cake was everything!
I love to attend functions like these. I wish they would do this in my area.
Oh why do I have to be on a diet when there are so many delicious foods.
I always like to know small business people develop their business. They have amazing ideas. People in Detroit are so lucky to have such an event where you can meet all about the city in one place! Good luck!
Can I get a Fancy My Sweets in my local neighborhood? I’d be there at least once a week (or every day)! This sounds like a fun event and a great way to meet local businesses. It’s amazing the fun and goodness that local businesses have to offer and sometimes we don’t even know they exist. But support the people in the community and the community will thrive, no matter where you are.
Right?! I would LOVE to eat cakes from Fancy My Sweets all the time! I had the strawberry shortcake and it was SO good! I love events like this, too. Great way to find unique products. Thanks for commenting!
That cake itself is worth visiting for. I’ve never been to Detroit, and it looks like it’s a perfect place for a foodie like me!
Yes! The food in Detroit is delicious!!
Love and support all events that promote local businesses. We absolutely need to balance the shift to the Internet, as nothing can ever replace face-to-face interaction … and we’ve got to show our kids this first hand.
I agree with you! Face-to-face interaction is an experience that the internet cannot replace. Good points!
Im from Detroit so it makes me happy to see it thriving and growing. Great post Jennifer.. thanks for sharing
I’ve been here for two years now and I’m seeing a lot of positive growth! 🙂
I have always wanted to go to Detroit. It seems like such a cool city!
You should definitely visit some time!