Located along Kercheval in the East Village of Detroit, this building is a classic store front building with apartments above though in the neighborhood’s current state, there is not enough traffic to warrant store front retail. The concept here was to make flexible attractive units that could attract a variety of tenants and uses. All ground floor retail spaces were designed to be live/work and 10 efficient loft apartments were planned for the 2nd floor.
The ground floor retail bays were all outfitted with kitchens and full bathrooms that could easily be removed or adapted for a true retail use. In the kitchens portable dishwashers were used to reduce plumbing connections. If needed the entire kitchen could be removed in less than an hour. In the bathrooms, standup showers were installed which can double as a mop station. This flexibility allows for the units to serve as either residential units or retail units maximizing their exposure to the market.
Furthermore, the corner bays, with the most exterior expose were cut in half from approximate 1200sf to 600sf. This creates a divesified product with a diversified price range. In a location that does not draw a significant amount of retail traffic, creating smaller, lower cost retail spaces allows for start-ups and new comers to enter the market and, with a little luck, create some energy around the building and neighborhood.
Along the brick demising walls, the 2nd floor was converted to 10 unique apartments ranging from efficient studios to spacious 1 bedrooms. The units were laid out to maximize natural light. Ceiling heights were maximized and brick was exposed wherever possible.
