You: An elderly African American gentleman in cream colored windbreaker and a read Marine Corps baseball cap, nearly hit in the head by my infant son’s sippy cup. Me: A doughy, over-apologetic, middle-aged white guy in faded black jeans and a t-shirt with a drawing of myself as Snow White… We chatted briefly about our […]
Tag Archives: Grand Rapids
Missed Connection
Having won the title of World’s Best Comic Book Store, Ann Arbor’s Vault of Midnight plots global domination
After years of shopping at Ann Arbor’s much-beloved comic book shop Vault of Midnight, I finally had the occasion a few weeks ago, at an event hosted by Concentrate Media, to meet the store’s founder Curtis Sullivan. What started as a friendly conversation on the current state of Ann Arbor retail quickly escalated into an […]
Grand Rapids shows us how economic development is done right… home-grown food entrepreneurship over dollar stores
A few months ago, when I was in Grand Rapids, attending the annual BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) conference, I had the occasion to hear a speech given by the city’s Mayor, George Heartwell. I can’t find my notes at the moment, but I seem to recall that, buried somewhere in the long […]
Ben Cohen on Occupy, independent business networks, and defacing currency to save our Democracy
I had the opportunity yesterday, at the BALLE conference, to hear ice cream magnate Ben Cohen, of Ben and Jerry’s fame, talking about the point of intersection where the local business movement, Occupy Wall Street and the campaign to “get the money out of politics” converge. Here’s video of his presentation, during which he unveils […]