Crain's Detroit Business

07/14/2025

A family-owned Grosse Pointe restaurant has closed months after its owner vowed to stay open.

Pendy’s Grosse Pointe owner Susan Pendy announced the restaurant’s permanent closure in a July 11 social media post. Pendy co-founded the restaurant with her husband, David, who died in August 2023. The couple previously owned The Hill Seafood & Chop House in Grosse Pointe Farms.

“As you can imagine, I’m quite emotional about closing the restaurant and losing our dream,” Pendy said in the post. “I truly appreciate all the love and support from the community and our guests. We have had many challenges to overcome and, unfortunately, I just can’t do it anymore.”

The closure comes after Pendy’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March. In the filing, Pendy listed liabilities of $100,001 to $500,000 and 27 creditors, including herself, but told Crain’s in April she intended to keep the restaurant open.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/pendys-grosse-pointe-closes?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

07/11/2025

Michigan counties occupy 6 of the top 15 slots in a new listing of counties nationally with the highest share of residents born in-state, highlighting the state's difficulties in luring transplants from elsewhere.

Real estate trade publication ResiClub this week highlighted 2023 U.S. Census data from the American Community Survey, showing the 15 U.S. counties in which the most homeowners were born out-of-state, and the reverse of that, with homeowners having been born in-state.

The data, confined to the 500 most populous counties, show that six Michigan counties, tied with Pennsylvania, are among the top 15 in share of homeowners born in the state.

The six Michigan counties included in the ResiClub analysis are St. Clair, Saginaw, Muskegon, Jackson, Genesee, and Livingston, with upwards of 80% of their homeowner population being born in Michigan. St. Clair County was No. 2 in the nation with 87.4% of homeowners born in Michigan.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/economic-development/michigan-leads-nation-homeowners-born-state-why-thats-problem?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

07/10/2025

A group of companies are testing out a robot that will collect food waste from Detroit eateries to repurpose into coasters and other restaurant goods, with the help of over $200,000 from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

Nonprofit NextEnergy will manage the project and administer the grant, with Orange Sparkle Ball, Bedrock and NoHo Hospitality group being involved in the project, which aims to reduce food waste and carbon emissions.

The robot began work on July 2, transporting food waste down Woodward Avenue from San Morello, an Italian restaurant in the NoHo-operated Shinola hotel, to Urban Tech Xchange, where Ecosphere Organics staff will evaluate and repurpose the waste.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/technology/robot-transports-food-scraps-san-morello-upcycling?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

07/09/2025

For decades, the former Uniroyal Tire Co. site had been envisioned as a high-density development prospect with housing, retail and other splashy commercial uses.

But now, after literal generations of failure to reuse the promising but problematic property on the Detroit River near Belle Isle, the most feasible redevelopment might have emerged in the form of a professional and youth athletic complex.

There are still plenty of unknowns as a stacked consortium of leaders pursue putting a WNBA practice facility and headquarters with a smorgasbord of other recreational uses on the massive 42-acre property.

Two sources close to the matter said more will be known in the next few months about what neds to be done to repurpose the former heavy manufacturing site. But, experts say, the WNBA facility’s precise lack of traditional density might make it the most viable option for the Uniroyal.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/detroit-wnba-practice-facility-could-be-uniroyal-sites-last-best-hope?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

07/08/2025

An out-of-town restaurateur who has found great success in metro Detroit believes one of his biggest projects will become a crown jewel in Oakland County.

Cameron Mitchell will be opening the Big Rock Italian Chophouse on July 15 at 245 S. Eton St. in Birmingham.

Originally slated to open last summer, it's the priciest restaurant Mitchell has opened, outside of the $19 million Ocean Prime Las Vegas he opened in June 2023.

The Birmingham restaurant has faced delays related to city permits, construction, and labor and material issues since it was announced in 2023, Mitchell said.

The restaurant will run out of an 11,000-square-foot space and will feature two concepts: a steakhouse and a cigar club.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/cameron-mitchell-bets-big-rock-italian-chophouse-birmingham?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

07/07/2025

Birmingham’s luxury retail scene is going to get a lot bigger in the coming months.

There is no formal opening date set for the flagship RH (formally Restoration Hardware) store yet, although it’s anticipated to be early this fall, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Think, perhaps, early to mid-October or so, although construction dates are always fickle, especially when, for example, the project is waiting on windows from Greece and the luxury home goods retailer has dramatically pivoted on its initial design since construction started.

Weather, materials and labor delays, among plenty of others, can also impact grand openings, particularly this far out.

Whenever RH’s precise grand opening happens this year, it’ll be a red-letter day for the retailer, whose efforts to build a new marquee store in what is perhaps Southeast Michigan’s swankiest downtown have survived setback after setback dating back to at least 2019.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/rh-birmingham-opening-date?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

07/06/2025

When Jim Blasius looked for a home in which to raise his five children, nothing on the market seemed to be quite right.

Homes had “big, goofy floor plans” that used space inefficiently and didn’t feel comfortable for a family to live in, he said. So Blasius decided to build a home instead.

Twenty-five years after moving into that home, he’s selling it. Blasius' needs are different now that his kids are grown, and he’s looking to travel more.

“It just seemed like a waste not to have a family being able to enjoy this in the way that we did,” Blasius said.

The 14,833-square-foot French country-style estate in Northville is on the market for $8.25 million, boasting six bedrooms, nine full bathrooms and three half-baths on 5.47 acres.

The property features a glut of amenities, including French gardens, two hot tubs and a year-round heated outdoor pool. Inside there is an elevator, a home theater with a starry ceiling, a built-in aquarium and a whiskey-tasting room with seating for four.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/northville-mansion-made-entertaining-sale-825m?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

07/05/2025

A dome-shaped house for sale near Kalamazoo has been likened to a cluster of igloos, a batch of cinnamon rolls, a bunch of onions or a UFO since it went viral last month.

But for the engineer behind the home’s creation, the structure served as an attempt to solve a puzzle.

Broker Fred Taber, of Portage-based Jaqua Realtors, listed what he described as a “monolithic dome home” in Kalamazoo County’s Oshtemo Township on June 4 for $1.9 million.

Built for and largely designed by Dr. Luther Bruce in 1977, the unusually shaped home went viral in mid-June on real estate websites Zillow Gone Wild, Realtor.com and Pricey Pads and was picked up by CBS News and the New York Post.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/viral-dome-home-lists-19m-west-michigan?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

07/03/2025

Publicly-traded TerrAscend Corp., owner of Gage Cannabis, plans to exit the Michigan market by September, acknowledging the financial bloodletting of operating in Michigan’s low-margin ma*****na industry.

The company made the announcement late Monday, stating it would close all 20 of its dispensaries in the state along with its four cultivation and processing facilities, resulting in the termination of roughly 252 employees.

“Michigan is an extremely difficult market, and we have come to the realization that our resources can be better utilized in our other markets,” said Jason Wild, TerrAscend’s executive chairman, in a press release.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/cannabis/terrascend-exit-michigan-market?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

07/02/2025

The excitement over Detroit getting a new WNBA team extends beyond the hardwood court on which the still-to-be-named team will play inside Little Caesars Arena.

The new women’s professional basketball team, announced Monday, will tip off in 2029 in a move that stands to benefit restaurants, bars and other businesses in and around The District Detroit, which includes LCA.

The WNBA regular season will fill in when the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons, both of which also call Little Caesars Arena home, are in their off-seasons. The WNBA plays mid-May to early September, stretching into October for playoffs. LCA will be busy, adding at least 22 games for the new WNBA team each season, while the NHL and NBA teams play 41 home games from October to April.

The addition of a WNBA team means Detroit could host a future WNBA All-Star Game, which brought more than $1 million in economic impact to Phoenix when it was held there last year.

The WNBA’s growth has hit retailers, too: Merchandise sales were up 601% in the league’s official store last year and 233% at Dick’s Sporting Goods, the WNBA’s retail partner. Fanatics is already selling a Detroit-themed WNBA shirt.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/sports-recreation/detroit-wnba-team-economic-impact?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

More events during a slower period of the year is welcome news for restaurants, bars and retailers.

07/02/2025

From boardrooms to manufacturing floors to C-suites, a remarkable group of women is redefining what leadership looks like in Detroit.

This inaugural class of Women of Influence is composed of 10 leaders who don't just occupy seats at the table — they're building new tables entirely.

They're steering billion-dollar transformations, pioneering breakthrough technologies and creating new paths for the next generation of leaders.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/awards/women-influence-2025?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

07/01/2025

A new student-oriented high-rise apartment building is planned in Ann Arbor’s South University District, a block away from the University of Michigan campus.

Chicago-based co-developers CRG and Shapack Partners plan to break ground on Chapter Ann Arbor, a 19-story, 183-unit complex at 1201-1213 S. University Ave., in August, with apartments opening to renters in time for the 2027-28 school year.

The complex will include a mix of studio, two-, four- and five-bedroom units, totaling 625 beds. Units will be fully furnished and include a smart TV and in-unit washer and dryer, according to the release. Amenities will include a fitness center, study lounges and a rooftop patio.

Read more here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/chapter-ann-arbor-high-rise-students-set-near-um-campus?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

The apartment complex plans to open in time for the 2027-28 school year.