DETROIT — Nathan Forbes, managing partner of The Forbes Company, owner and manager of Somerset Collection in Troy, announced the seasonal, one-weekend-a–month Somerset Collection CityLoft, which debuted last summer in downtown Detroit, is returning June 28 – 30, July 26 – 28, and August 16 – 18.
CityLoft’s opening, in a new location at 1261 Woodward Avenue between Grand River and State, will be the centerpiece of a revived Downtown Detroit Days.
Detroit’s leading merchants – among them Hudson’s, B. Siegel, Himelhoch’s, Winkelman’s, and Hughes & Hatcher – conceived Downtown Detroit Days in the mid-1950s to promote the city’s retail district. The twice-yearly event, which ran through the mid-1980s, featured storewide sales, entertainment, art displays, and secret shoppers.
“Downtown Detroit Days drew tens of thousands of residents from throughout Detroit and the suburbs,” Forbes said. “Even for those who hadn’t shopped downtown in years … the pull of DDDays was hard to ignore. They absolutely had to be there. This new iteration of the event will have that same appeal.”
In addition to the three dozen Somerset Collection merchants participating at CityLoft, up to 40 retailers and artisans from throughout metro Detroit will operate mini-versions of their stores at the Downtown Detroit Days Marketplace atop the Premier Parking Garage on Woodward Avenue across from CityLoft.
Further, during each CityLoft/Downtown Detroit Days event, works by Detroit-area artists as well as Detroit retail memorabilia will be on display in Woodward Avenue storefront windows, live entertainment and modeling will be held at CityLoft and the Downtown Detroit Days Marketplace, and “secret shoppers” will pass out gift certificates to Detroit restaurants.
Opening the summer’s final CityLoft/Downtown Detroit Days will be a pre-Woodward Dream Cruise celebration and classic car parade on Thursday, August 16. The parade will travel from Cobo Center to the 1200 block of Woodward, culminating in a sock hop complete with live entertainment and dance contests.
Somerset Collection CityLoft and the Downtown Detroit Days Marketplace are sponsored by Quicken Loans and Rock Ventures.
Dan Gilbert, chairman of Detroit-based Quicken Loans and Rock Ventures LLC, said Somerset Collection CityLoft and the addition of Downtown Detroit Days complements a resurgent downtown Detroit.
“Our vision for a thriving urban neighborhood continues to take shape thanks to the efforts of The Forbes Company, Somerset Collection, and countless companies and individuals investing in office, commercial, and residential projects,” he said.
Forbes added, “All of us, from city, to suburb, and throughout Michigan, benefit from a flourishing, engaging downtown Detroit with local, regional, and national appeal.”
During the CityLoft/Downtown Detroit Days, complimentary parking will be available in Premier Parking Garage. Complimentary shuttles will operate between CityLoft and Somerset Collection each day from 11 a.m. to 7p.m. A vintage trolley will offer rides free of charge from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. between CityLoft, downtown offices and hotels, and destinations in midtown.
