East Village & Little Village
East Village is a bustling Detroit neighborhood, home to Little Village, which was the only destination in Michigan to make TIME Magazine's 2025 World's Greatest Places list. Here, a 110-year-old church became a striking art gallery, a James Beard Award-winning baker moved into a converted farmhouse next door, and Tony Hawk co-designed the local skate park. The entire community is being built by people who love this city.
Recognized on the global stage: Little Village, the cultural arts corridor carved out of several blocks in East Village, was named one of the world's greatest destinations by TIME magazine. The publication praised the way founders JJ and Anthony Curis prioritized local artists, community inclusion, and the adaptive reuse of historic buildings while prioritizing local artists and community inclusion.
A public park co-designed by creative legends: The 3.5-acre grounds surrounding The Shepherd church feature a skate park co-designed by Tony Hawk and Detroit artist McArthur Binion, alongside a sculpture park honoring the legacy of legendary Detroit artist Charles McGee. A sprawling lawn called The Nave serves as the neighborhood's public living room, entirely free and open to everyone.
World-class pastries in a converted farmhouse: Warda Bouguettaya, the James Beard Award-winning pastry chef behind Warda Pâtisserie, opened her Little Village location inside BridgeHouse in July 2025. The café serves seasonal French-inspired pastries and breakfast fare in a building that was beautifully transformed by local architects Undecorated.
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culture
Assemble Sound
A full-service music company and recording studio headquartered inside LANTERN at 9301 Kercheval, within the Little Village neighborhood. Founded in 2015, it originally operated out of a vacant historic church in Corktown before expanding and moving to the east side.
shopping
Coup D'Etat
A premium women's boutique clothing and lifestyle shop that relocated to East Village to tap into the corridor's creative energy, contributing to a diverse retail mix that makes Kercheval one of Detroit's most interesting shopping destinations.
culture
I.M. Weiss Gallery
A contemporary art gallery founded by Isabelle Weiss and operated out of a unique residential setting within Little Village. The space represents emerging and mid-career artists, deliberately blurring the line between private residence and public cultural space.
food
Collect Beer Hall
An independent, low-key beer hall that relocated to the Lantern Building in East Village, serving up cold craft brews and providing an inviting community space to meet the people building out the block.
shopping
Signal Return
A nonprofit letterpress studio operating out of a 4,300-square-foot space in the Lantern Building at 9301 Kercheval Avenue. The organization preserves traditional letterpress printing through specialized classes, open studio sessions, a retail shop, and free community printmaking events.
activities
ALEO Detroit
An art-centric bed and breakfast operating within Little Village's former rectory building. It features an eclectic interior décor curated by local artists, offering a unique opportunity to stay fully immersed in the neighborhood's creative energy.
food
Father Forgive Me
A stylized cocktail bar built into the former rectory building of the Good Shepherd Church. Operating as a pedestrian-oriented social hub, it features a welcoming outdoor patio space that animates the neighborhood campus after dark.
food
Warda Pâtisserie at BridgeHouse
Led by James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Warda Bouguettaya, this acclaimed café and patisserie at 1286 McClellan Avenue serves seasonal French-inspired pastries and breakfast fare inside a beautifully converted historic home.
culture
The Shepherd
The cultural and spiritual heart of Little Village. This 1911 Romanesque-style church was transformed into an art gallery, public library collection, performance venue, and community gathering space. The 3.5-acre grounds feature a Charles McGee sculpture garden and the local Tony Hawk skate park.
Meet Carlos Parisi, a Detroit entrepreneur, food personality, and community builder bringing people together through food. From his business Aunt Nee's to celebrating the city's vibrant culinary scene, discover how Carlos is uplifting local businesses, building community, and sharing his love for Detroit, one bite at a time.
Meet Justin Kosmides, co-founder of Bloom, a company helping connect businesses with manufacturers to bring innovative ideas to life. Discover what inspired Justin to move from New York City to Detroit and why he believes the city is the perfect place to build a business and help shape the future of American manufacturing.
Housing
East Village's housing stock features a diverse mix of Victorian, Colonial Revival, and Craftsman homes built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, offering properties that are often much larger than average for the price point. While Greatwater Homes adds new detached single-family builds to the area, the team behind Library Street Collective has rehabilitated approximately ten nearby homes into dedicated artist residences priced below market rate. This deliberate strategy ensures the neighborhood remains accessible to the creative community while expanding housing options.
Community
The East Village Association, founded through the East Village Block Club in 2012 by longtime resident and association president Martha Coates, helps residents navigate city services, build neighborhood equity, and advocate effectively for their blocks. The group works hand in hand with Jefferson East Inc., the Villages CDC, and local developers to ensure that incoming investment reflects authentic community values. The founders of Little Village consulted directly with neighborhood leadership before breaking ground, creating a collaborative process that residents credit for the area's genuine feel.
History
East Village developed between the 1890s and 1920s as a middle-class residential neighborhood for European immigrant families who came to Detroit for automotive manufacturing jobs. Its close proximity to Indian Village, immediate access to East Jefferson Avenue, and the enduring quality of its architecture made it a natural home for continued investment. The arrival of Library Street Collective founders Anthony and JJ Curis, who purchased the historic Good Shepherd Catholic Church in 2019 to seed Little Village, has helped establish the neighborhood as one of Detroit's leading arts destinations.
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Little Village Art Gallery
James & Grace Lee Boggs Center
Dr. Ossian Sweet House
Erma Henderson Park
Breadless
Ivy Kitchen + Cocktails
culture
Assemble Sound
A full-service music company and recording studio headquartered inside LANTERN at 9301 Kercheval, within the Little Village neighborhood. Founded in 2015, it originally operated out of a vacant historic church in Corktown before expanding and moving to the east side.
I think Little Village is a clever misconception about a big movement happening in the city. Little Village is where the artists thrive and create in our city! It’s the perfect place for an elegant date night at Sinbad’s on the water, but still a cool place to chill at our state-of-the-art skatepark, co-designed by Tony Hawk. It’s an awesome place to purchase a home and manifest your happy place. And who wouldn’t want to live less than a mile away from the most beautiful riverfront ever! Little Village is a place where you can live, create, explore, and enjoy everything that makes Detroit special.
Risonna Perkins