From left, Adrienne Smith helps Ramone Davis while Diane Lewinski and Vega Wimmer browse Thursday at Detroit’s Spiral Collective. (Brandy Baker / The Detroit News)
Detroit— Dave Lewinski wanted to do something for Detroit's small businesses.
So when the Royal Oak photographer saw a posting online about an Ann Arbor "cash mob" — similar to a flash mob where folks amass in one location for performance art — he said he "only needed a split second" to realize he found a way to help boost the local economy.
Lewinski and a dozen others flocked to the Spiral Collective — a bookstore, art gallery and gift shop — Thursday before lunchtime for their first cash mob.
By 3 p.m., Janet Webster Jones, whose Source Bookseller is one of the three stores in the collective on the corner of Cass Avenue and West Willis Street, said she had served more than 40 people and doubled her profits.
"Today is looking like a busy Saturday," she said.
Lewinski said he bought a wallet with a picture of a camera on it. He said 90 people responded on Facebook that they would show up Thursday to shop.
"My mom even showed up and bought a book for my nephew," Lewinski said.
The idea began on I Am Young Detroit's website, a community blog for young innovators and professionals in the Detroit area and from Lewinski pondering: "How can I help them out?"
"Winter is tough" on many merchants, he said, and he wanted an event that would boost sales. A cash mob was born.
The group decided to extend the mob for an entire day rather than a one-hour rush.
"If it's just one hour, it doesn't really help the small business, it just overwhelms them," Lewinski said.
He's now eyeing Eastern Market, or even restaurants and breweries, or donating to a charity. Cost is a factor for participants, Lewinski said, so stores can't be too expensive. He looks for merchandise priced between $2 and $20.
Adrian Pittman, 36, who plans a move from Royal Oak to Detroit's Midtown today, said there's "a real buzz happening in the city," and he wants to join in.
"I liked the fact that this wasn't just Detroit rah-rah-rah. That's nice and everything, but at the end of the day there's work to be done and so let's everyone pick up a shovel," Pittman said.
As for Jones, the sales were welcome, "but I'm happy for the new people that get to come and see who we are and what we do."
She sells nonfiction books, fair-trade chocolates, maps and poetry-themed cards, and averages 50 or so customers in a week, she said.
"We have a lull," she said after the holiday surge, "so this is a good time to have a cash mob."
Join the Conversation
The Detroit News aims to provide a forum that fosters smart, civil discussions on the news and events that we cover. The News will not condone personal attacks, off topic posts or brutish language on our site. If you find a comment that you believe violates these standards, please click the "X" in the upper right corner of the post to report it.