Here are a few of the stories we've been following in Detroit:
An Apple Store downtown?
It's long been rumored that Bedrock has been trying to get an Apple Store downtown - now it looks like it's true. If it's coming, it would go in three storefronts on the Shinola Hotel block that were occupied until February 2022. The store would certainly bring a lot of shoppers to downtown. And it would have a nice location a block away from the Hudson's site. There are Apple Stores in metro Detroit, but mainly in outlying malls. Stay tuned. Crain's Detroit Business
Census Bureau = Clown Show according to the mayor
In 2022, the city filed a lawsuit claiming the Census Bureau undercounted Detroit's population. Now the census has new numbers and they're even lower, meaning Detroit is actively losing population (around 8,000 residents between 2021 and 2022). Mayor Duggan's Twitter account called the Census Bureau a "national clown show" on Thursday, citing stats from the housing market and the postal service. Federal funding is tied to population count, so Detroit is losing out on needed cash. Detroit Free Press
Related: Michigan continues to lose population. Michigan's largest cities have lost people, while college towns are seeing a boost due to students coming back to campus, after being at home. Bridge Detroit
Northern Lights is back
Good news for fans of Northern Lights Lounge in New Center. The popular bar and restaurant has been closed for over three years, but will open next week ahead of the Movement festival. The owner had considered opening over the past few years, but wanted to wait until the venue could be fully staffed and Covid was fairly under control. The lounge sits a few blocks away from the Fisher Building, near the Taubman Center and Pistons Practice Facility. Eater Detroit
East Riverfront building still dormant
In 2017, an announcement was made to great fan fair that the Stone Soap building in the Riverfront Warehouse District would be redeveloped. Banyan Investments would lead the project. The vacant brick building is still sitting there, unbothered, years later. The development would bring new construction on top of the building with apartments, condos, and retail. There are no updates to report on this development, according to the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. Axios Detroit
