Urban marketplace with more than 60 local vendors opens in West Downtown Dearborn

Stacey Grant and Amanda Lawson want to celebrate all things local, so they opened the Made Metro Collective, and just in time for the holidays. The self-described local urban marketplace features products from more than 60 vendors, including coffee from Common Grace Coffee Co., albums from Stormy Records, and jewelry from Rebel Nell.

Even Dearborn's museums are well-represented at Made Metro, with The Henry Ford, Dearborn Historical Museum, and Arab American National Museum each maintaining a presence at the market.

Grant and Lawson are so focused on local commerce, in fact, that Grant emphasizes that their arrival in West Downtown Dearborn is meant to complement the city's retail community, and not draw customers away from spots that already exist. She wants people to know that places like Dearborn Novelty Art in the Monroe-Carlyle corridor and the shops in East Downtown Dearborn deserve their patronage, too.

What Grant does want, however, is to support and grow the local economy. Which she believes, in turn, will support local people.

"I don't make anything. I'm just making the space for other people who make things," says Grant. "This is more about community development through retail."

Grant and Lawson found a 3,400 sq. ft. space in downtown Dearborn, in a storefront next to Bar Louie. It all came together pretty quickly, maybe five weeks, says Grant. Originally contemplating a pop-up location in someone else's venue, Grant and Lawson decided that their own space on Michigan Avenue would be the best way to ensure success.

Made Metro Collective opened its doors at the beginning of December and will remain open until the end of January. It hasn't been decided yet if they'll stay open past then.

"The outcome of us staying open past January isn't up to us. It will be determined by the community response," says Grant. "If not, we can be happy this happened in the first place."

Made Metro Collective is located at 22275 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn.

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