Alger Sidewalk Sale : Huge Success

On Saturday August 15th the Friends of the Alger Theater in coordination with the EEV Garage Sale hosted their very own Alger Theater Sidewalk & Pop-Up sale! The event brought 250-300 people to the Alger Theater to visit our vendors and check out our newly renovated storefront which was used for the Alger Pop-Up Shop.

The Alger Pop-Up Shop sold t-shirts, aprons, and tote bags with the 1950s photo of our beloved Alger Theater, (printing donated by Christian of C2 Custom Printing on Mack Ave), as well as sleek water bottles with our new logo, flowers and herbs from the garden of our board president, Helen Broughton. We welcomed Barista Jimmy from Ferndale who hosted a delicious coffee bar and made a rockin' iced coffee which people loved on the gorgeous summer day. To accompany coffee and tea, baked goods made by board member, Mike Terry, were out-of-this-world. The allure of the Alger Theater and the cafe/pop-up shop window (dressed by merchandiser, Kim Fracassa) drew a crowd all day. We were pleased to sign up 8-10 new members of Friends of The Alger Theater, several with their kids and some as volunteers!

With the Success of the Pop-UP shop and Sidewalk sale we wanted to give a shout out to all of our vendors who participated in the event!

Bike Tech from where East Warren meets Mack Ave - Among the most popular bike shops in the state of Michigan, it was no surprise they prepared for the market just right. They set up a nice tent right at the corner by The Alger ticket booth and displayed beautiful bikes and accessories. They enjoyed questions from shoppers all day, as well as "cat calls" from cars stopped at the Outer Drive and Warren Ave traffic light. People would lean out their windows and excitedly ask, "How much for the red bike?!" or "How old is that antique bike?" Brian, the owner, loves to restore antique bikes! They sold over a dozen colored lights for bike wheels and a few cup holders, plus other fun bike accessories.

Tribalfare from Eastern Market - they have exquisite taste and were one of the most colorful and popular vendors. Spread across two tables and clothing racks, they sold a variety of clothing, scarves, and jewelry imported from India. Skirts and scarves with wood block prints were especially popular, as were 4" cuff bracelets and barefoot sandals.

Coach Mims - "Muscles in Motion Systems," sports recruiter and trainer. David Mims, as a personal fitness trainer, life coach, and marketer, goes the distance to help people find their passions and guides them to live a healthy, joyful life. Many acronyms for MIMS are possible; how's that for a unique opener? Coach greeted the community with extraordinary energy and discussed his work with communities between Southern California and Detroit. After all, one of his feelings is an acronym: "Michigan is my state."

Billy Jones, Board member, brought his business partner AJ - As general contractors, they sold solar lights, antiques, tools, and advertised their commitment to help Detroit with their renovation skills.

Debra Johnson - Jewelry designer from Eastpointe. Each and every single piece of Debra's gorgeous hand-made necklaces, bracelets, earrings, is one of a kind. She sold a lot, including a charm bracelet to a police officer.

Jennifer McMurray - hair stylist. With the motto, "Dress it, Own it, Rock it," she advertised the launch of her Simply Beautiful Hair Studio on the west side, 7329 Puritan Street.

Sandra Martinez - sculptor from Mexicantown. Using scrap metal, her imagination and welding skills, Sandra's creativity has no limits. She makes lawn art that ranges in size from 1' to 10' tall. A few large caricatures that looked like a family were sold to one customer, and other sculptures resembled little robots, a crocodile, and a train. She sold 3/4 of her pieces, which looked so good displayed along the walls of the Alger Theater. The interesting weights and lines in various authentic metals attracted many admirers.

Gina's Soul Food was set up and served by chef, Barbara, and Gina herself was on site to talk to people about the restaurant approximately 1 mile from the Alger. A full meal of chicken, string beans, and mac and cheese were available for $8. Lots of people walked around with cups of Mac and cheese, which was unforgettable.

Our Community Tag Sale tables inside the theater were run by board members, Karlene Trump and Brenda Redding, who also fielded myriad questions and provided shoppers with great details about the historic Alger. They also discussed how one can purchase customized messages on the theater marquee, through our updated web site!

We hope to see you all next year at the next Alger Theater Sidewalk Sale!