In another Detroit retail success story, the artisan boutique
Love Travels Imports has made the transition from pop-up to permanent. Owner and founder Yvette Jenkins has taken her business from the once- to twice-a-week appearance at Eastern Market's
Artisan Village to an established online presence to participating in the
Revolve Detroit pop-up program along the Avenue of Fashion. Love Travels Imports is now a permanent fixture there.
Love Travels Imports draws its name from Yvette's passions, love, traveling, and artisanal crafts. Her products range from homewares to jewelry and come from artisans as far as South Africa and as near as Mount Clemens. She focuses on Fair Trade products and sees her shop as an extension of that philosophy, saying that it's about helping artisan entrepreneurs get their wares out and into the marketplace in a fair and sustainable manner. She sees Love Travels Imports as her opportunity to directly and positively impact other communities, both locally and abroad.
The Revolve Detroit program placed Love Travels Imports in a Livernois storefront last September. Yvette has since paired up with fellow Revolve Detroit participant and former pop-up neighbor
Art in Motion, sharing a space at 19452 Livernois Ave. It's a fitting partnership, one that pairs complementary businesses. When the two were neighbors, Yvette would send her customers over to check out the ceramics next door and vice versa. It's this sort of camaraderie that nurtures the Detroit retail scene.
"There's such a deep history at the Avenue of Fashion," says Yvette. "It used to be the premier shopping district in Detroit. There's a buzz about Livernois again and I encourage people to come over and experience it. It's an exciting time for the city."
Source: Yvette Jenkins, owner of Love Travels Imports
Writer: MJ Galbraith
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