nccanes
05-28-2003, 09:28 AM
Interesting read....
Welcome, Compuware — and make yourself at home
Headquarters site full of history, hardship, hope, its neighbors say
May 28, 2003
BY DAN SHINE
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Dear Mr. Karmanos,
Welcome to the neighborhood!
We'd like to take you and your employees on a short tour to introduce you to your new neighbors. Your arrival is a big deal, you know. As Sherry Washington, a nearby gallery owner, said: "Peter Karmanos has a vision in this city, and this building is an important landmark to this new renaissance."
First, an apology.
Sorry about that giant mural of Steve Yzerman on the Cadillac Tower Building next door.
We know that may bring up bad memories of our Red Wings beating your Carolina Hurricanes for the Stanley Cup last summer. Maybe your office windows face the other direction. If not, just pull the shades.
Well, with that bit of awkwardness aside, Pete -- can we call you Pete? -- we would like to say we're delighted to have you and your 3,000 employees moving downtown.
We know it's a bit of a change from your old digs in Farmington Hills, what with all those trees, grass, low-rise buildings, acres of parking and almost no pedestrians -- or pigeons.
But we're confident you'll grow fond of your new home, with its centuries of history, architecturally rich buildings, stadiums, casinos, nightclubs, entrepreneurial spirit and a neighborly feel, not to mention a preponderance of pavement, panhandlers and pigeons.
We know Detroit has a few rough edges and a few shady characters, but you'll come to believe that's part of the charm of living and working downtown.
Well, OK, that torn Hughes & Hatcher awning across the street from you isn't all that charming. When walking around the neighborhood -- assuming you do-- you'll likely encounter people asking for spare change for bus fare, a phone call or something to eat or drink.
You will also see some people carrying their belongings in plastic grocery bags.
And don't be unnerved by the abandoned Detroit Police mini-station with the shattered storefront window near your place.
You'll see many hopeful signs.
Listen for the sounds of jackhammers. Workers are busy converting former retail space into lofts across Woodward from your building. Some of your employees -- even you -- could live right across the street or behind the office. Sure would cut down on that commute from Oakland County.
It also was probably difficult to leave Farmington Hills because of all the fine dining spots. But at your new HQ, you're within walking distance of four -- count 'em, four -- coney islands (Lafayette, American, Detroit and Woodward). Your presence downtown has prompted a few new restaurants and delis to open.
Before you moved to town, for example, the only cold fish around Detroit was the occasional dead carp floating near the Hart Plaza seawall. But there are plans for a full-scale sushi restaurant near your building.
If you can't wait, Jacoby's Bistro To-Go, just down Woodward from you, has a few sushi offerings. A German restaurant doing sushi. Only in Detroit.
One thing your new neighborhood doesn't have a shortage of is wig shops. We hope you're not tempted. Unlike another hockey team owner in town, we happen to think bald is beautiful.
If you ever want to stray from the blue or black suit, there are a few men's shops nearby where you could buy a suit in every color of the rainbow -- and pink alligator shoes.
You're the new kid on the block in an area that has a long history in Detroit. For so long, Campus Martius was the heart of the city -- and many think your being here will help it be that again.
That said, we'd like to introduce you to some folks who live and work around Campus Martius.
'Lovable'
Businessman Asad Ali doesn't have an office in the Campus Martius area, but he is down there selling every day. Ali owns Qwest Fragrance.
"Our motto is, 'Trying to make the world smell better, one person at a time,' " he said. "Now I'll be trying to make Compuware smell better, one employee at a time."
Ali spreads out his small bottles of pre-mixed fragrances, gold bracelets and other baubles on a small blanket at different spots.
"Downtown, where the rich bums hang," Ali said of the city.
And what's the Compuware neighborhood like?
"Lovable," he said with a smile. "If someone else wants to try and give it any other characterization, then let them do it. To me, it's lovable."
If you happen to be in the market for a little eau de toilette, Mr. K, look for Ali. He could hook you up with some Egyptian musk or a red-hot number called Desire.
"I just need to look at somebody, to meet them before I can make a recommendation," Ali said. "But I'll get him smelling good."
'Depressing'
Dianne Taylor -- who along with her husband, John Taylor, owns Records forYou across Woodward from your building --has a different description of the neighborhood.
"Depressing," she said as the voice of Teddy Pendergrass boomed from speakers sitting outside the store.
The couple said construction closed the bus stops along Woodward, taking away customers who may have otherwise wandered in while waiting for their ride.
The foot traffic is way down, they said, except for the occasional street person who may set up shop in front of their store.
"Most they do out there is dance to the music," Dianne Taylor said. "We tell them to move on, and they move on."
Most likely, Mr. K, if you start cutting a rug outside their store, they're going to ask you to move on as well.
The Taylors' racks of R&B and jazz CDs are covered in dust from sitting outside during Compuware's construction. They feel the company's employees will find everything they need inside their own building and won't leave it until it's time to head home.
"Unless they want something out of the norm," John Taylor said.
The Taylors think the arrival of Compuware means the end of their 15-year-old business. They think a deep-pocketed company soon will want their location.
"In three to five years, we probably won't be here," Dianne Taylor said.
'Funky'
Henry the Hatter has been in business in Detroit for 110 years, and at the location around the corner from Compuware since 1953.
"I've seen a lot of change," owner Paul Wasserman, 55, said.
He said Compuware's move downtown is "the biggest improvement for Detroit north of the riverfront in my lifetime."
The mix of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues gives the area "a very funky feel."
As for the camaraderie of those who live and work around your new headquarters, Wasserman said it is a "New York-type of feel. People have been here a long time. Everybody knows everybody else."
If you happen to wander in to Henry's looking for a new chapeau, Wasserman has something in mind.
"Something distinguished," he said. "Something that would flatter his face. Something with a broader brim and a lower crown.
"His persona exudes a person in a high position," Wasserman said. "He doesn't seem standoffish, but a person who's accessible. We'd want to give him a hat that reflects that image."
'Exciting'
Another new kid on the block, just like you, Mr. K, is Cafe de Troit. Lee Padgett opened the coffee shop April 15. She liked the building on Library Street and the fact that it is near your headquarters.
"They'll be coming," she said of Compuware employees. "At least I hope so."
She thinks she should name a coffee drink after you, Mr. K, or your company.
"Maybe the 'Megabyte' or some computer-esque name," Padgett said.
If you stop in for a cup of Joe, Pete, she has a recommendation.
"The Americano. It's espresso and hot water," Padgett said. "It's the smoothest cup of coffee you've ever had."
Her next-door neighbor, the Sherry Washington Gallery, has been on Library Street since 1989. And what was the neighborhood like when she moved in?
"Dilapidated," Sherry Washington said.
But instead of putting her gallery in the suburbs, she settled in this corner of Detroit.
"I always thought this building was beautiful, and I loved the buildings in the area," she said. "I thought it would be a good place to do business one day."
She feels that day is now, Mr. K., because of you.
She said to stop by if you're looking to fill your building with some great art.
And 14 years later, she has a few words to describe the neighborhood.
"It's exciting, new and fresh," Washington said. "It's great to see the foot traffic and to see a diverse community."
So, we say welcome, Mr. K.
Stop on by if you need to borrow a cup of sugar.
Contact DAN SHINE at 313-223-4554 or dshine@freepress.com.
Welcome, Compuware — and make yourself at home
Headquarters site full of history, hardship, hope, its neighbors say
May 28, 2003
BY DAN SHINE
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Dear Mr. Karmanos,
Welcome to the neighborhood!
We'd like to take you and your employees on a short tour to introduce you to your new neighbors. Your arrival is a big deal, you know. As Sherry Washington, a nearby gallery owner, said: "Peter Karmanos has a vision in this city, and this building is an important landmark to this new renaissance."
First, an apology.
Sorry about that giant mural of Steve Yzerman on the Cadillac Tower Building next door.
We know that may bring up bad memories of our Red Wings beating your Carolina Hurricanes for the Stanley Cup last summer. Maybe your office windows face the other direction. If not, just pull the shades.
Well, with that bit of awkwardness aside, Pete -- can we call you Pete? -- we would like to say we're delighted to have you and your 3,000 employees moving downtown.
We know it's a bit of a change from your old digs in Farmington Hills, what with all those trees, grass, low-rise buildings, acres of parking and almost no pedestrians -- or pigeons.
But we're confident you'll grow fond of your new home, with its centuries of history, architecturally rich buildings, stadiums, casinos, nightclubs, entrepreneurial spirit and a neighborly feel, not to mention a preponderance of pavement, panhandlers and pigeons.
We know Detroit has a few rough edges and a few shady characters, but you'll come to believe that's part of the charm of living and working downtown.
Well, OK, that torn Hughes & Hatcher awning across the street from you isn't all that charming. When walking around the neighborhood -- assuming you do-- you'll likely encounter people asking for spare change for bus fare, a phone call or something to eat or drink.
You will also see some people carrying their belongings in plastic grocery bags.
And don't be unnerved by the abandoned Detroit Police mini-station with the shattered storefront window near your place.
You'll see many hopeful signs.
Listen for the sounds of jackhammers. Workers are busy converting former retail space into lofts across Woodward from your building. Some of your employees -- even you -- could live right across the street or behind the office. Sure would cut down on that commute from Oakland County.
It also was probably difficult to leave Farmington Hills because of all the fine dining spots. But at your new HQ, you're within walking distance of four -- count 'em, four -- coney islands (Lafayette, American, Detroit and Woodward). Your presence downtown has prompted a few new restaurants and delis to open.
Before you moved to town, for example, the only cold fish around Detroit was the occasional dead carp floating near the Hart Plaza seawall. But there are plans for a full-scale sushi restaurant near your building.
If you can't wait, Jacoby's Bistro To-Go, just down Woodward from you, has a few sushi offerings. A German restaurant doing sushi. Only in Detroit.
One thing your new neighborhood doesn't have a shortage of is wig shops. We hope you're not tempted. Unlike another hockey team owner in town, we happen to think bald is beautiful.
If you ever want to stray from the blue or black suit, there are a few men's shops nearby where you could buy a suit in every color of the rainbow -- and pink alligator shoes.
You're the new kid on the block in an area that has a long history in Detroit. For so long, Campus Martius was the heart of the city -- and many think your being here will help it be that again.
That said, we'd like to introduce you to some folks who live and work around Campus Martius.
'Lovable'
Businessman Asad Ali doesn't have an office in the Campus Martius area, but he is down there selling every day. Ali owns Qwest Fragrance.
"Our motto is, 'Trying to make the world smell better, one person at a time,' " he said. "Now I'll be trying to make Compuware smell better, one employee at a time."
Ali spreads out his small bottles of pre-mixed fragrances, gold bracelets and other baubles on a small blanket at different spots.
"Downtown, where the rich bums hang," Ali said of the city.
And what's the Compuware neighborhood like?
"Lovable," he said with a smile. "If someone else wants to try and give it any other characterization, then let them do it. To me, it's lovable."
If you happen to be in the market for a little eau de toilette, Mr. K, look for Ali. He could hook you up with some Egyptian musk or a red-hot number called Desire.
"I just need to look at somebody, to meet them before I can make a recommendation," Ali said. "But I'll get him smelling good."
'Depressing'
Dianne Taylor -- who along with her husband, John Taylor, owns Records forYou across Woodward from your building --has a different description of the neighborhood.
"Depressing," she said as the voice of Teddy Pendergrass boomed from speakers sitting outside the store.
The couple said construction closed the bus stops along Woodward, taking away customers who may have otherwise wandered in while waiting for their ride.
The foot traffic is way down, they said, except for the occasional street person who may set up shop in front of their store.
"Most they do out there is dance to the music," Dianne Taylor said. "We tell them to move on, and they move on."
Most likely, Mr. K, if you start cutting a rug outside their store, they're going to ask you to move on as well.
The Taylors' racks of R&B and jazz CDs are covered in dust from sitting outside during Compuware's construction. They feel the company's employees will find everything they need inside their own building and won't leave it until it's time to head home.
"Unless they want something out of the norm," John Taylor said.
The Taylors think the arrival of Compuware means the end of their 15-year-old business. They think a deep-pocketed company soon will want their location.
"In three to five years, we probably won't be here," Dianne Taylor said.
'Funky'
Henry the Hatter has been in business in Detroit for 110 years, and at the location around the corner from Compuware since 1953.
"I've seen a lot of change," owner Paul Wasserman, 55, said.
He said Compuware's move downtown is "the biggest improvement for Detroit north of the riverfront in my lifetime."
The mix of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues gives the area "a very funky feel."
As for the camaraderie of those who live and work around your new headquarters, Wasserman said it is a "New York-type of feel. People have been here a long time. Everybody knows everybody else."
If you happen to wander in to Henry's looking for a new chapeau, Wasserman has something in mind.
"Something distinguished," he said. "Something that would flatter his face. Something with a broader brim and a lower crown.
"His persona exudes a person in a high position," Wasserman said. "He doesn't seem standoffish, but a person who's accessible. We'd want to give him a hat that reflects that image."
'Exciting'
Another new kid on the block, just like you, Mr. K, is Cafe de Troit. Lee Padgett opened the coffee shop April 15. She liked the building on Library Street and the fact that it is near your headquarters.
"They'll be coming," she said of Compuware employees. "At least I hope so."
She thinks she should name a coffee drink after you, Mr. K, or your company.
"Maybe the 'Megabyte' or some computer-esque name," Padgett said.
If you stop in for a cup of Joe, Pete, she has a recommendation.
"The Americano. It's espresso and hot water," Padgett said. "It's the smoothest cup of coffee you've ever had."
Her next-door neighbor, the Sherry Washington Gallery, has been on Library Street since 1989. And what was the neighborhood like when she moved in?
"Dilapidated," Sherry Washington said.
But instead of putting her gallery in the suburbs, she settled in this corner of Detroit.
"I always thought this building was beautiful, and I loved the buildings in the area," she said. "I thought it would be a good place to do business one day."
She feels that day is now, Mr. K., because of you.
She said to stop by if you're looking to fill your building with some great art.
And 14 years later, she has a few words to describe the neighborhood.
"It's exciting, new and fresh," Washington said. "It's great to see the foot traffic and to see a diverse community."
So, we say welcome, Mr. K.
Stop on by if you need to borrow a cup of sugar.
Contact DAN SHINE at 313-223-4554 or dshine@freepress.com.