Motor City Gear Gala shows off Michigan makers (and Jason Stollsteimer's greatest hits)

What started as a simple need for Jason Stollsteimer to unload some of the storage units full of gear he's accumulated after years of playing in bands the Von Bondies, the Hounds Below, and Ponyshow has grown into a networking event that will showcase local vendors, music gear manufacturers, and more.

Stollsteimer says he didn't want to just list everything online, or have to deal with people coming over to his house to look at it. "Someone recommended, 'Why don’t you throw a show. A gear gala?'" he says. 

So he partnered with Dustin Mclaughlin of Lovepedal Custom Effects, a local boutique guitar pedal manufacturer, and Rustbelt Market owner Chris Best, and they started rounding up other vendors. The event is turning out to be much more than just a rock 'n' roll garage sale.

"I think I’m the only one with used gear," Stollsteimer says. "These are all Michigan-based people. A lot of them don’t know each other but …maybe they can collaborate on things. We have a community that sells their equipment internationally, yet don’t know each other locally." 

Other vendors include White Lake-based Lovepedal Custom Effects, the Detroit Institute of Music Education, and an "ambient, modular synth demonstration" from Juggable Offense — among many others. (There still might some vendor tables left to rent. The rate is $35 per table — email [email protected] to inquire.)

The Motor City Gear Gala runs from 11 am. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 28 at the Rust Belt Market; 22801 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; check out the Facebook event page for more information. Admission is free.