Downtown Detroit is Full of Winter Fun this Holiday Season

Photo from Bedrock Detroit Facebook

Downtown Detroit will be transformed into a winter wonderland beginning Friday, November 11th at the Monroe Street Midway and Cadillac Square! The Monroe Street Midway welcomed visitors over the last couple of summers, with roller skating, basketball, food trucks and more all adjacent to Campus Martius. Well, now the Midway is getting a makeover for winter so the fun can continue. Features include a 20 ft. high, 80 ft. long Arctic Slide, Winter Bumper Cars, an arcade, and Puck-Putt (a combination of hockey and mini golf). There will also be tasty food available for purchase and Santa will even be making appearances at the Midway on Thursdays - Saturdays from November 18th to December 22th. Admission to the Monroe Street Midway is free this winter. Puck-Putt and the Arctic Slide are also free. Arcade games range from 50¢ – $3 and the Bumper Cars are $5 per session. Check out the hours that the Midway will be open below. 

Just steps away from the Monroe Street Midway, you will find the Cadillac Square Market and the Cadillac Lodge. What has now become a Detroit holiday staple, the shops at Cadillac Square feature local businesses popping up in one central location for the season. This year, 18 businesses will be selling their wares in the square. Some of this year's participants include 3 Dogs 1 Cat, Flamingo Vintage, Mongers Provisions, Not Sorry Goods, and Well Done Goods. Check out the full list of shops here. 

Photo from Bedrock Detroit Facebook

Also at Cadillac Square, you will find the Cadillac Lodge, a cozy indoor space to warm up with family and friends. There will be food and drinks available in the Lodge from the Iconic Collection, including cocktails, cocoa, cider, popcorn, nachos and hot dogs. There are also couches, comfy chairs, board games, and more. It's like Detroit's big family room that they're welcoming you into. 

Here are the hours for the Cadillac Square Market and the Lodge:

The Monroe Street Midway and Cadillac Square are located in Downtown Detroit just east of Campus Martius. All you have to do to get there is cross the roundabout. So, whether you stop by while visiting the tree or make a separate trip, make sure you don't miss either of these fun attractions this holiday season! Also, if you drive down to the city, parking validation is available from a slew of Downtown Detroit businesses for two free hours of parking at select parking structures in the area. Get more information on that here. Some of your favorite downtown business are also offering discounts this holiday season through Decked Out Detroit (the fine folks behind these pop-ups and the Midway). Check out those deals here and just show them on your phone to receive the discount. Happy Holidays! 

~C

Hip in Detroit's Guide to Last Minute Local Shopping

The Detroit Mercantile Company- "The Detroit Mercantile company carries new & vintage goods from brands including Carhartt, Pendleton, Woolrich, Pewabic Pottery, Motawi, Better Made snack foods, Detroit Denim Co., Corbe Company, Sharklion Design, Smith Shop Detroit, and a broad range of private label items including apparel, prints, glassware, and jewelry."
Holiday Hours: Tues - Fri: 10am - 7pm, Sat: 7am - 7pm and Sun:11am - 5pm

Eldorado General Store- This neat sop is located in Corktown. It carries a variety of curated new and used items that reflect the owner's free spirit.

Holiday Hours; Monday- Friday 12 pm through 6 pm, Saturday 11 am to 7 pm and Sunday noon until 6 pm.  

City Bird/ Nest- These two little shops are located right next to each other in midtown. Each space features a unique collection of gifts items and Michigan made treasures.

Holiday Hours: Mon-Sat 11-7 Sun 11-6
Please note, they have been announcing special hours on Facebook so make sure you are following them for extra times! City Bird/ Nest 

Third Man Records- Stop by Third Man Records to pick up an album or a cool gift. You can even grab a gift card and let someone go record shopping for themselves!

Holiday Hours: Monday-Friday: 10am-7pm, Saturday: 10am-6pm and Sunday: 11pm-5pm

Blumz by JRDesigns- Blumz by JRDesigns has a lot more than flowers! They also have a huge selection of locally made gifts and holiday decor. Plus they are running a sale on a lot of their holiday items!

Holiday Hours: Click Here

Peacock Room- The Peacock Room is the coolest place to get a holiday dress or beautiful accessories. This place specializes in vintage-inspired clothing and accessories in a variety of styles and they cater to plus size ladies! They have a new second location in the Fischer Building and a new store called Yama located two doors down inside the same building! 

Holiday Hours: 11 am to 7 pm Monday through Thursday, 10 am to 7 pm Friday and Saturday and noon until 5 pm on Sunday. 

UHF Records: Music is the universal language, give the gift of music!

Holiday Hours:11 am until 8 pm Monday through Satuifay and 12 until 6 pm on Sundays

Detroit is the New Black- You can shop inside the retail location or online, either way they have some great holiday shopping guides on their website!

Holiday Hours: Mon–Sat: 12pm–7pm, Sundays 12pm–6pm

Rouge Makeup and Nail Studio- Rouge is all organic and all vegan! they offer manis, pedis, facials, skincare, makeup and way more. They also have their very own to die for sauna. This holiday season they are featuring lots of great packages that would make the perfect gift for someone who deserves to be pampered!
Holiday Hours: 10 am till 6 pm Tuesday through Friday and 19 am until 4 pm Saturday ( Follow them on Facebook to keep up to date on the daily hours as they post specials times throughout the
season)

Green Daffodil- This awesome Ferndale shop carries a variety of amazing smelling co-friendly bath & body products. We are personally obsessed with their candles. Everything in the store would make a perfect gift!

The Rust Belt Market- There are only two more weekends to visit the market before Christmas! This is one of our favorite places to shop local. They have a fancy bar where you can grab a drink before you browse through all the vendors that have set up shop in the space! Don't forget to visit Mitten Crate while you are there! 

Holiday Hours: See the graphic to the left.

Saffron- Saffron is one of our favorite local shops. They always have the coolest clothes and accessories for the free spirit on your list!

Holiday Hours: 11:30 to 6 pm Monday and Tuesday, 11:30 to 7 Wednesday through Saturday, and 12 pm until 5 on Sunday

Rail and Anchor- Looking for a cool gift? This the place to go! Plus, they will wrap it for you!

Holiday Hours: Monday through Saturday 11 am until 8 pm and 11 to 6 on Sundays

Found Sound- Give the gift of locally purchased music this holiday season!

Holiday Hours: 11 am until 8 pm Monday through Saturday and Noon until 5 pm on Sunday

Mitten Crate- Give the local gift that keep son giving! Send someone a year of cheer by signing them up for a mitten crate!  Don't forget you can also shop Mitten Crate in person at The Rustbelt Market in Ferndale!

Visit them online at here.

Lost and Found Vintage- Everyone loves finding a vintage treasure and this place is packed with them!
Holiday Hours: 11 am until 7 pm Monday through Thirsday, 11 am until 8 pm Friday and Saturday and noon until 6 pm on Sunday.

ZMC Pharmacy- This place is so much more than a pharmacy! They have amazing gifts for everyone on your list, from vintage inspired home decor to toys.

The Eastern Market Offers Special Shopping Throughout the Holidays

The Eastern Market has provided Metro Detroit with fresh locally grown food since 1841.  The market opens at sunrise every Saturday and about 50,000 people come through to shop every weekend.  The market can become especially busy during the holiday season, including the weekends right before Thanksgiving and Christmas.  In order to keep up with the high holiday traffic and make sure that Detroit has access to great quality food and cool locally made items, the Eastern Market is opening for some special holiday hours to help you with your shopping.

The Market will be opening six extra times throughout the holiday season. This includes this Tuesday the 21st to help prepare you for Turkey day and Dec 19th right before Christmas.  In addition to these two days, they will be open four Sundays throughout the season.  The Sunday markets will focus on Michigan made gifting options including clothing, art, jewelry, and beauty products.  The market opens at 9 am on Tuesdays and 10 am on Sundays. This year they will also be featuring visits with Santa on December 9th and 10th. Please visit them here to find out more details about these events.

We highly encourage you to shop small and local this holiday season, its the best way to guarantee that you get them something special that no one else gets them! 

New Store Alert: Elphie Elora Purveyor of Fine Goods

Holiday shopping is in full swing, I have been running around town from store to store trying to get the perfect gift for everyone on my list. Some people can be extra difficult to shop for, so I always try to think outside the box while keeping it local. Last week, I discovered a new gift shop in Royal Oak called Elphie Elora and knocked out a lot of my last minute gifts.

Elphie Elora is Royal Oak Michigan's newest gift shop. The space features all sorts of different items including Cellar Door soap, buttons, fun socks, air fresheners, candles, books, mugs, gag gifts, and more. They also had a mug with a hippo inside and a really cool clock with pretty ladies in vintage bikinis that I had to take home for myself.

The store is very brightly decorated and the owner promised that she will be getting a lot more merchandise over the next few weeks. The best part about the shop was that everything was reasonably priced. If you are looking for a cool little gift shop to visit this holiday season, stop by Elphie Elora at 206 West Sixth Street in Royal Oak.

Here's a little video that further explains the shop:

Elphie Elora Commercial
Welcome to Elphie Elora...
Posted by Elphie Elora: Purveyor of Fine Goods on Tuesday, December 8, 2015

~S