In the "Detroit 2.0" special edition of Crain's Detroit Business, I write about what optimism -- both practical and intuitive -- looks like in the face of Chapter 9 bankruptcy. Here's my favorite part:
Devita Davison recently returned to her hometown after living in New
York City for the past 20 years. Hurricane Sandy wiped out her Long
Island home and her specialty food business, prompting her to rethink
her future.
"I'll be honest," she said, "I thought I'd go back
to Detroit, regroup, let my mom and dad be mom and dad. And then, of
course, I'd go back to New York, because that's what you do."
But Davison picked up on the Detroit optimism -- both intuitive and practical -- when she connected with The Green Garage and FoodLab Detroit.
So
she opted to be among the native Detroiters who are "rolling up their
sleeves and getting involved." She is now restarting her business, The Southern Pantry, and is the community-kitchen manager for Eastern Market Corp.
"I heard and felt from this ecosystem of entrepreneurs that Detroit is going to come back," she said. "They are defiant it will come back. When the story of Detroit is written, they want to be part of that narrative."
See also the sidebar featuring stories from Detroiters -- both newcomers and those who returned to their hometown.
Elsewhere in the issue are stories on the 24+ businesses that opened in Midtown last year, Brooklyn entrepreneurs staking out Detroit, and a fascinating map on who owns downtown.
On somewhat related lines, I spoke in a panel discussion last week on "The Craig Fahle Show" on WDET, Detroit Public Radio, about how national media are telling the story of Detroit. What are they doing well? What are the commonly obnoxious mistakes? When is it fair coverage, and when is the city's plight being exploited for someone's pet issues? One of the more interesting guests joining in this coversation: Bill Nowling, spokesperson for Detroit's emergency manager, Kevyn Orr.
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