Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Space
[Click on the photo to enlarge it]
In Detroit, not far from downtown, you need to start by finding the Eastern Market. It's old and gritty and rough-hewn, a place where all different kinds of people go to buy garlic and Christmas trees and beef.
Then, go to the store where women stand behind an old wood counter, ready to cleave off a hunk of cheese to your specifications. Go to the back of the store, past the ancient elevator to the worn wooden stairs covered with sawdust and climb to the second floor.
Don't stop, though. Push through the things stored up there to another set of stairs and climb up to the third floor. It's full of puzzles and gizmos and spatulas, but head straight to the back. There is a set of double doors marked "do not enter" and "authorized persons only." If you are authorized, go on through those doors and into a full-on recording studio; the guy sitting at the piano won a Grammy and an Oscar, and also chose this space and hung it with tiny white lights. Push on through to a door at the back of his studio and walk into the space pictured above.
In the corner is a small pile of paintings, my Dad's. And there, too, you might find him. It's the right place for him to work.
Comments:
<< Home
I love that store and building. Went there this past summer when I was in the market. Isn't it the Hirt building (Estb 1897)?
This is a wonderful post. 40ish years ago, I was in that part of Detroit, at the farmer's market if it is still where it was. Then it was not a place to be after dark, but a great place to get fresh stuff.
# posted by 
: 4:15 PM
: 4:15 PM
Eastern market is an oasis for those with hope in Detroit. It is a constant. Every culture is represented on any Saturday. It is emblematic of the city's ability to retain some good things even in the worst of times.
As is true of too much of Detroit, most of the week it is unused and unappreciated. And that is a shame.
Post a Comment
As is true of too much of Detroit, most of the week it is unused and unappreciated. And that is a shame.
<< Home
