North, south, east or west, the people and communities that have a connection from this iconic crossroad of Detroit is amazing including Hazel Park. There are histories, cultures and great stories that stretch far beyond the place we call home!

As we take a drive through the towns that line these two world-renowned roads, we’re going to tell a little story about their connection to Detroit.  So, Here it goes!

8 Mile & Woodward: GO!

The headlight on Hazel Park, MI 48030

About a half-mile on the east of Woodward, where West End Rd meets  8-Mile, you will arrive in Hazel Park, a working-class town of just over 16,400 people…

In October 1882, a group of farmers gathered in a home located at the present-day city hall and had a meeting, requesting for a school to be built… Hazel Park began as a one-room schoolhouse the next year,  built as part of the  Royal Oak Township school system and named  Hazel Park School District 8 by school superintendent John W. Benjamine because of the areas plentiful supply of Hazelnut bushes surrounding this swampy area.

Hazel Park experienced significant growth as the Ford Motor Company, based just two miles south down John R in  Highland Park, began to greatly expand. Hospitals, offices and shops began to thrive around the area of 9 Mile Road. In 1924, The electric Stephenson Line was a convenient way for commuters to trolley from Hazel Park to Highland Park and Detroit.

Through the Great Depression, Hazel Park suffered greatly. Efforts to incorporate failed due to lack of infrastructure but efforts to annex it with Detroit and Ferndale also failed. At one point, Hazel Park was the most populous unincorporated area in the country.  Finally, Hazel Park’s first traffic light, post office, and Deputy Sheriff’s office were established and the city was incorporated in 1941.^[9]

It was here in 1942 that brothers John, Fred and Louis Elias opened the Dixie Drive-In, one of the first restaurants, in the midwest to offer curbside dining service. Ten years later, the name was changed to  Big Boy and would grow to several hundred eateries with the iconic Big Boy statues welcoming hungry diners.

“It’s Your Big Boy”

The Hazel Park Raceway opened in 1949. For many years, it was the only track in Michigan offering live thoroughbred racing. In 2018 the track closed and the remaining horse stables were cleared to make way for new warehouse space including mega online retailer Amazon.

Beyond the Intersection: Show Me the Money? Excluding one neighborhood in particular with a majority elderly population, the city’s median household income in 2009 was $46,687, surpassing the neighboring communities of Warren, Madison Heights and Ferndale as well as many communities in the Detroit Metropolitan Area.  Hazel Park’s median household income would be higher than 39.7% of the metro area, including 16.1% of Oakland cities, 61.5% of Macomb cities, and 55.8% of Wayne cities. (Wikipedia).

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North, south, east or west, the people and communities that have a connection from this iconic crossroad of Detroit is amazing. There are histories, cultures and great stories that stretch far beyond the place we call home!

As we take a drive down these two world-renowned roads, we’re going to tell a little story about their connection to Detroit.  So, Here it goes!

8 Mile & Woodward : GO! Ferndale

Headlight on: Ferndale, Michigan 48220

Travel north down Woodward Ave to reach Ferndale, a gateway city that borders Detroit at 8-Mile.   First inhabited by Native Americans, Ferndale’s land was cultivated for farming in the 1800’s. By the time it was incorporated as a city in 1927, Ferndale was a growing community of auto worker families. Until the early 1950’s, Woodward Ave had a streetcar system in the median that went from Downtown Detroit to Pontiac, making it ideal for Detroit’s northern suburbs like Ferndale to grow People could take a nice trolley ride to get to work or shop!

Ferndale is widely known as an LGBTQ friendly town and its landmark Affirmations Center on 9 Mile serves the southeast Michigan gay community. Over the years, pedestrian-friendly Ferndale, with its great restaurants and eclectic shops has become a favorite destination for everyone!

Beyond the Intersection: Ferndale is known around the globe as the originator of the famous Woodward Dream Cruise. This annual summer celebration of all things automotive was the brainchild of a Ferndale plumber named Nelson House in 1995.

Beyond the Intersection 2: Ferndale is the original home of Detroit Bold coffee!  AJ’s Music Cafe on 9 Mile, where the Awesome-Style Coffee For Hardworking Humans was first served. To bring awareness to our industry, it held the Guinness world record Assembly Line Concert in 2009. This non-stop show went 288 hours and  won hearts around the world as the “little cafe that bailed out the American automobile industry, one cup of coffee at a time.”

Experience Your Own Crossroads of Detroit and Enjoy it With A Detroit Bold Coffe Mug Today!

Crossroads – 1 Pound 8 Mile Baseline & 1 Pound Woodward Ave. & Mug in Gift Box

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Detroit Bold was born on the heels of the Guinness world record-setting Assembly Line Concert in 2009. To bring awareness to our working class economy and our manufacturing/auto industry we held a 288 hour non-stop concert that brought garage bands and everyday musicians together in a small cafe to perform an epic feat of endurance The concert made widespread global news and AJ’s Cafe in Ferndale, Mi. just outside of Detroit was called the “little cafe that bailed out the American automobile one cup of coffee at a time.”

The name Detroit Bold was chosen as the name of our coffee because that was the best way to describe what we had done. We took a bold stand and soon the world began to take a different look at Motown. . . The coffee that we drank for all those hours was what kept us going; our true, working-class Joe. Detroit Bold is a name that really is as much a tribute to you, the person drinking it as it is to anything else.

The names behind our coffee are more than names, they are connections. – AJ O’Neil, Founder of Detroit Bold Coffee Company

The Crossroads of Detroit, Woodward & 8 Mile

Woodward Ave.:  From the foot of the great Detroit River, gateway to the Great Lakes spans this most iconic road. Our 100% Arabica Premium blend is all you would expect, all you would demand in a coffee as bold as Detroit; as bold as you. Woodward is Detroit’s signature and millions have travelled it from near and far. Like Woodward Ave blend Detroit Bold coffee, it’s part of who we are.

Order Up a Crossroads of Detroit Gift Set Today!

Crossroads – 1 Pound 8 Mile Baseline & 1 Pound Woodward Ave. & Mug in Gift Box

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That has certainly been the case for Detroit Bold coffee, but we’ve had somewhat of a unique twist on that. You see, when we first began to grow as a recognized name in coffee back in 2009, we were approached by some big names in the business who suggested that we could do better nationally if we just dropped the name “Detroit” from our name.

The conventional wisdom was that Detroit would not play as well to coffee lovers outside our area. Obviously, we did not agree. We held firm in that there is a bit of Detroit in everyone and that our hard work, grit, talent, and determination would resonate everywhere.

The time has come to convince the rest of the USA and we are going to ask for your help. . .

After all, this is your town and your coffee. It’s our job to represent that with our absolute best, and we are up to the task; with your help!

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We had some fun with Liam McIlroy, Director of the Detroit Youth Lacrosse program, at the Eastern Market last Saturday. We couldn’t help but quote him on Detroit Bold Coffee! He said, “It’s the coffee around! It’s people who make it, it’s the people who drink it, and it’s the community it creates. Coffee brings people together [and] this is the best!”

Liam is a community enthusiast and spends much of his time empowering the Detroit youth through mentorship and coaching. We think the leadership this program is providing the youth in the city of Detroit will make a great impact. Thank you for all your service!

What’s up with the hype of our newest blend? Try it for yourself and help give back to the community  Try our new 8 Mile Baseline Deep Dark Roast Blend here.

About Detroit Youth Lacrosse: Detroit Youth Lacrosse is a youth serving organization created by the Chandler Park Conservancy to support the health and well-being of Detroit youth and introduce them to the elite game of lacrosse. Our mission is to cultivate the resiliency of our children and empower them through mentorship and coaching to pursue academic, athletic, and community-centered excellence while fueling the growth of lacrosse amongst children of color, their families, and the community at large.

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One of our strongest beliefs as a company is to give back and engage in our community. It is so critically important for businesses to learn how to create and set down their roots in areas where they can make the most significant impact.

To us at Detroit Bold, being significant is everything. Founder, AJ O’Neil, built Detroit Bold Coffee Company with the vision of being a catalyst for positive change in a city with a bleak outlook. And he chose a neighborhood that was negatively affected the most by decades of an economic downturn, Highland Park.

Positive change can happen from just one person. Detroit Bold Coffee Company is proof that one person can make an impact. The economic impact of Detroit Bold has created new jobs, helped local charities, fueled hard-working people everywhere, and brought enormous amounts of positive attention to a neighborhood and a city that HAD a bad rep.

Things have changed and are continuing to improve. The Motor City works hard. We make things. We have grit because we don’t let fleeting moments get us down. Great people live in Detroit, and as a result of their determination to rebound, great people are now moving in by the thousands! We are so incredibly proud to be DETROIT PROUD, DETROIT STRONG, and DETROIT BOLD. However, our job has just started!

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss.

Founder, AJ O’Neil roasting fresh, delicious coffee in Detroit

Detroit has not fully rebounded, and there is a much room for improvement. We believe that our job of making a difference and impact in the community has just begun. We are committed to making our delicious hand-crafted, hand-packed coffee that will continue to bring a positive effect on our beloved city. We hope you will join us in our continued efforts by choosing to enjoy our refreshingly smooth, yet BOLD coffee the next time you buy coffee online or at your local grocery store.

Thank you Jack Lessenberry for sitting down with AJ O’Neil at AJ’s favorite coney, Red Hots Coney Island. You can read his recent article “Hope for Highland Park?” where he and AJ discuss the past, present, and future of Highland Park.

STAY BOLD with our New 8 Mile Coffee Blend!

Written by Joel Sellentine, Chief Bean Advisor for Detroit Bold Coffee Company

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