Keep your dollars in Detroit

Whether you're decorating your living room, stocking your pantry, refreshing your wardrobe, or picking something up for that special someone, there's a way to do it and keep all your dollars in metro Detroit. Now is a better time than ever to shop local with myriad new companies popping up seemingly every day. Here's just a short list of some of our favorite local stores, markets, online retailers, and brands.

HOME GOODS

Looking for contemporary furniture to keep your home looking fresh and modern? Hit Royal Oak's Bright Ideas. The furniture store has been a family business for over four decades, winning numerous awards for their great selection of living, working, and dining furniture. They don't make the pieces themselves, but they do make sure most of their products come from the U.S., Canada, or Europe.

Folks that shop at Gardella have more traditional tastes. Sure, the store has updated its stock countless times since it opened in 1939, but you'll still find a classic sense of style and design prevails in their showroom. Expect grandiose, Victorian-inspired bedroom sets, tufted leather chairs, and dramatic dining sets inside this Detroit-owned furniture store.

Dave Hudson makes all the furniture he sells under his brand Hudson Industrials himself. He scavenges all the materials and molds the pieces together in his Ferndale shop. He's particularly fond of doing custom pieces and says he enjoys involving his clients on the project from start to finish. His maker sensibilities come from the years he spent as an underwater welder in the Navy and later making sculptures he sold at the Dirty Show and other local art shows.

Yes, sometimes it seems like the barrage of reclaimed wood furniture will never end, but we can't deny that every now and then a company takes what was once garbage and turns it into timeless, long-lasting furniture. Workshop, found inside the Fisher Building, is one of those companies. They use pine that been salvaged from Detroit homes and other materials that would have otherwise been thrown out.

Cleaning products, air fresheners, even dryer sheets can be toxic, harmful to breathe in, and bad for the environment. The Old White House makes all-natural lavender-based products like laundry soap, linen spray, kitchen and bath cleanser, and carpet freshener, and they do it all in metro Detroit. You can usually catch them at Eastern Market on Saturdays during the summer, but during the colder months you can always shop online.

This local company makes super graphic prints that are also customizable. Newer to their collection is a line of bright, bold, hand-tufted rugs. You can check out their goods at Great Wall Custom Coverings in Livonia.

Sister and next-door neighbor to City Bird, Nest focuses on home goods, succulents, and all things kitschy. Think: "Rest in Grease" spoon rests, Paddywax candles, vintage posters, and even some retro toys.

Pillow designs inspired by vintage maps, star charts, and natural history prints? Yes, please! Oven mitts printed with a map of Michigan? We'll take two! Detroit-based Saltlabs makes decorative throw pillows, tea towels, and plenty of other interesting and eye-popping decor. Check City Bird, Nora, Rail and Anchor, and Detroit Mercantile for their wares or hit their website to get custom work done.

EAT

Oh, the flowers! The beer! The olive bar! Westborn Market has long been one of our favorite places to shop for anything from creamer to a great bottle of wine to a cool new vase. And we can't forget about that whole section they devote to Michigan-made products. If you're looking to make sure your money stays in Michigan, this is the place to do it.

This locally owned market has a tip-top beer, liquor, and wine selection. Plus, they've got a bakery, which means delicious, doughy bread, bagels, buns, and more. Oh, and don't forget about their great coffee selection! You can grind a fresh bag on the spot or bring the beans home for an extra fresh cup of Joe.

If there is a more beloved outdoor market in Michigan, we've never heard of it. On a summer Saturday, Eastern Market bustles with local farmers and eager shoppers picking up everything from fresh fruit to flowers to pickles to jam, cheese, herbs, cacti, succulents, and more. Surrounded by a meat market, a spice shop, some great restaurants, some local boutiques, and even a dispensary, to say this is a hot spot is an understatement.

This little market on the east side of Detroit does its best to stock all things local. Pick up some Risky Biscuits, Friends Potato Chips, Mary Ann's soda syrups, Dilla's Delights, Michigan beers, and plenty more.

Owned and operated by a little lady named Lisa Ludwinski, Sister Pie doesn't just make, well, pie. The little company, about to open their own bakery across from Parker Street Market, also makes cookies, muffins, and savory handpies.