In case you haven’t noticed, watches are hot. As is cycling, writes Dennis Archambault on Model D.
That’s enough for a national company to secure a floor of the Argonaut Building in New Center to assemble Swiss-quality watches, high-end bikes, and leather goods. Shinola is the company connecting the whimsical image of an old shoe shine product together with a theme that is catching on in America.
Those products being made in Detroit means something to Heath Carr, principal of Shinola, which is owned by Bedrock Manufacturing.
That "something" may recall stoves, carriages, cars, and the many other things that were once made here. It may also reflect the growing local maker culture. It’s more than an advertising slogan and perhaps more than just Detroit, the city. It’s about Americans making watches, bicycles, and leather goods in the United States; Americans making things well and cost-competitively.
