Long before recycling was ever chic in Detroit, Arts & Scraps made it fashionable to reuse discarded materials into something better.

Now, having grown from a church basement to a commercial space on Harper Avenue, the nonprofit celebrates their 30th anniversary this March.

‘Tis the season for cheery capitalism! As November slides into the frantic flurry of holiday shoppers racing against the Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah clock, consider stepping away from big-name corporations and instead purchasing from small businesses.

On Monday The Neighborhoods team split up and travelled to Detroit’s east, west, and southwest sides to visit some small local businesses. Here’s a few places I saw on the east side:

Maison’s Fine Foods Diner

In this episode of “Storytellers”, Detroit actor Gregory Dockery, tells a story best described as "when keeping it real goes wrong". While trying out for the basketball team at Winans Academy back in 2005, then freshman Greg and his friends decide to visit the local gas station across the street. Watch along as Greg hilariously recounts a time that his youth got the best of him. 

At least two decades have passed since hard times hit Barham Street in Detroit’s Morningside neighborhood. 

From her corner house a block off East Warren Avenue, Michelle Allen says she has helplessly watched the decline as her neighbors abandoned their houses, squatters moved in, and properties were torched or torn down in the past 16 years.

At The Neighborhoods, we’re interested in hearing from everybody in Detroit about what matters most to you.

Do you have a story to tell about what your community group is doing in the neighborhood? Tell us.

Do you have a story to tell about a home that needs to come down in your neighborhood? Tell us.