Cadillac Sales Service Parts Unisex Tee: Pure Detroit has always been connected to Detroit and its history, housing its retail stores in such landmarks as the Renaissance Center and the Guardian and Fisher buildings. Underscoring its recognition of Detroit history, the local culture shop has manufactured the Cadillac Sales Service Parts T-shirt. The lightweight, tailored-fit shirt is 100-percent cotton and sports the 1957 Cadillac logo. Navy blue and lemon, the unisex graphic T is an ode to the auto industry. $24, puredetroit.com.
Lexus Cufflinks: Oh, you drive a Lexus? (As if we hadn’t noticed.) Just in case you really want to hammer that point home, say, when you’re not out on the road, a pair of Lexus-branded cuff links should do the trick. What? You don’t drive a Lexus? Well, these stainless-steel cuff links (pictured with Corvette cuff links) had us fooled. $55 at the Claymore Shop, Birmingham; 248-642-7755, claymoreshop.com.
Woodward Avenue All American Road Sign: The Woodward Avenue Action Association (WA3) created the All American Road signs to mount along the stretch of Woodward, serving as a celebration of one of Detroit’s more famous avenues. Shortly after the 48” X 24” signs went up, they disappeared in Royal Oak and Pontiac. In an attempt to curb theft, the WA3 developed a replica sign. The reproductions are smaller and lighter. They range from $100 to $200 each — much cheaper than the $400 it costs to manufacture the originals. woodwardavenue.org.
Detroit Agate: “It’s like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get,” says Robert Jameson, co-owner of the Detroit Mercantile Co. He’s talking about “Fordite” or “Detroit Agate”— not candy — and each piece strung on a sterling-silver chain is a unique chip off the old block of both fashion and motor history. Former auto-factory workers collected the hardened “Fordite,” layered blocks of colorful paints that gathered on the walls as Fords and other vehicles received their shiny coats. Painting techniques have evolved, so clever artists and merchants like Jameson are sourcing and molding these rare remnants of a bygone era into wearable art. No two pieces are alike. Assorted Fordite necklaces, $90-$125, The Detroit Mercantile Co., 313-831-9000. detroitmercantile.com.
Body by Fisher Bracelets: There’s an intimate appeal to the Body by Fisher bracelets at The Peacock Room, according to shop owner Rachel Lutz. “I love things that are a quiet wink to Michigan’s heritage,” she says of the handmade leather bands adorned with replicas of tool inventory tags that used to identify the machinery that built car bodies at the long-gone Fisher plants in Detroit and Flint. Of course, Body by Fisher went on to become a division of General Motors, making these bracelets a smart celebration of local auto history. $45, The Peacock Room in the Park Shelton, Midtown Detroit, 313-559-5500.
|
|
|
