With the openings of SLOWS Bar BQ along with The Fillmore 13 Brewery which opened this year and the risk takers such as The Alleycat Cafe and Exferimentation Brewery,, more food businesses are looking at Pontiac as their opportunity. Retailers have also begun to look at Pontiac to help jumpstart and re-invent entrepreneurial ventures, such as Kelly Sykes who is bringing her Chi-Chi and the Greek fashion into a brand in Pontiac.

Perhaps Ashleigh Altemann of Plain & Fancy Foods shared the Pontiac story best by saying, “Pontiac isn’t part of the sprawl of Detroit suburbs, it has a history and character of its own. There’s a supportive, can-do spirit here,” when interviewed by Metromode writer, MJ Galbraith.

This coming Tuesday, May 9 from 6:00 to 8:00 Pontiac welcomes the incredible Open City forum built for Metro Detroit’s aspiring and established small business owners to learn, network, and exchange information in a fun and lively atmosphere.

Born out of Open City Detroit, Open City Pontiac is serving as a catalyst activity to promote new entrepreneurship in the city by creating both networking and conversation.

Join in on the conversations and networking as Open City takes their monthly event on the road up to Pontiac. A select panel of speakers will discuss the entrepreneurial birth of the food and retail industries in Pontiac, followed by casual networking. The event is free and open to all.

Pontiac’s executive office under Mayor Deirdre Waterman will be on site to share about how Pontiac is growing, while Main Street Pontiac’s Downtown Executive Director, Glen Konopaskie will highlight how Downtown has managed to turn-around through its’ grassroots efforts. April Forbes will be speaking about her magical pop-up kitchen called The Menagerie which has helped transform eating experiences in Pontiac for almost three years.
Danny Martinez, wearing two chef hats as the Chef Trainer at Dorsey Culinary School and known in the community as the operator of The Alleycat Cafe, will share how he is partaking in the transformation that is coming over Pontiac. Kelly Sykes, who relocated from Waterford, is growing her brand formerly known as Chi-Chi and the Greek to bring vintage fashion along with each pieces’ story in history will be sharing her story as well.

To register for the Open City; Building Pontiac Together event on May 9, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm please visit https://opencitypontiac.eventbrite.com.

If you’re curious to participate in the social entrepreneurship ecosystem growing in Pontiac also be sure to check out the upcoming Pontiac SOUP event on Saturday, May 20 from 6:00-8:00 pm. Visit www.PontiacSoup.com for further details.