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Shinola, Bike And Watch Maker, To Open Flagship Retail Store In Midtown Detroit This June

Buzzy Bike Maker Opening Midtown Storefront
Nicole Rupersburg
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This story originally appeared in Model D.

The excitement surrounding the Detroit-based manufacturer of watches, bicycles and leather goods Shinola is palpable, and already the brand is getting buzz from national news and entertainment media outlets – not bad for a retailer whose products only just went online last month and hasn't yet opened a storefront. Well, that will soon change. The Detroit store, located in Midtown on the ground level of Willy's Overland Lofts, will open this June. This will be the flagship store, and one of only two in the country (with the other in TriBeCa). The Midtown space is 5,000 square feet, with half dedicated to the company's bicycle assembly. Guests will be able to watch the bikes being assembled without walls or glass barriers. The rest of the space is designed as a retail store and community "hang out" – "A place not just to shop but more of a community hub," says Daniel Caudill, Creative Director of Shinola. They'll work with Avalon Breads to provide pre-packed foods to complement juices from a local juice company in an environment with comfortable seating and an outdoor landscaped area. The retail portion will offer a combination of their products, "thoughtfully selected to serve (the Detroit) market," as well as other American-made products that pair well with the Shinola collection. It will also include "curated products and one-of-a-kind items we are calling 'Issue of One.'" The space will retain its industrial features with blonde wood fixtures and warm leather furniture. One of the highlights of the space is the original skylight. "The space will feel light, modern and warm," says Caudill. "It will be a place you'll want to shop in, hang out and ultimately spend time in." It will also be used for events, from screenings and art exhibitions to talks and roundtable discussions around design and American manufacturing. Shinola's plans also include partnering on and producing events, from last year's inaugural Dlectricity to being the official timepiece and timekeepers of the Detroit Grand Prix this June and the title sponsors of Detroit Restaurant Week, which starts this Friday, April 19. Source: Daniel Caudill, Creative Director of ShinolaWriter:

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Before You Go

Best Of CES 2013: SmartWatches
CST-01(01 of07)
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The team at Central Standard Timing, based in Chicago, is going big by going small. In Vegas it showed off a flexible, extremely thin (0.8mm), lightweight (12g) watch with an e-ink display backed by stainless steel. Pictured is the CST-01 next to its "base station," which is both for charging and for setting the time, as the watch itself has no buttons to stay thin. Its battery lasts over 15 years and can be recharged (in just 10 minutes) 10,000 times. Can I Get It? Not yet. While they have far surpassed their Kickstarter pledging goal of $200,000, CST still has a bit ahead of them before manufacturing. Shown here is a Design Validation Unit. Current Features: Super lightweight and thin, digital face.Battery Life: 1 Month (credit:Kickstarter)
i'm Watch(02 of07)
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Made in Italy, "i'm Watch" is the iPhone of smartwatches. Or at least based on its website, which looks eerily like Apple's, it wants to be. Its touchscreen lets you read emails and texts, receive reminders about appointments and answer calls. There's also i'music (over 6 million songs available with an annual subscription), i'm Cloud (update your i'm Watch remotely, even from your smartphone), and i'market (an app store with hundreds of apps). The watch connects to your phone via Bluetooth.Can I Get It? For sure! i'm Watch can be purchased here. Current Features: Speakerphone, reads SMS and email, appointment alerts, out-of-range alert, app store, fitness tracking features, music subscription, cloud services, social-media alerts, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi. Battery Life: Without Bluetooth connection: 48 hours With Bluetooth connection: 24 hours Talk time with speakerphone: 3 hours Time for other uses: 5 hours (credit:i'm Smart)
Cookoo(03 of07)
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Engineers in the U.S. and Hong Kong, industrial designers in Europe and a manufacturing team in China make up ConnecteDevice Ltd.'s dream team that's created Cookoo. The Cookoo has a command button that you can customize for actions like checking in on Facebook, tagging your location on the Cookoo app's map or remotely activate your phone's camera to take a picture. The Cookoo uses Bluetooth to connect with iPhones and iPads.Can I Get It? Yes! You can buy it here.Current Features: Incoming/missed call alerts, calendar reminders, text and email alerts, out-of-range alerts, social-media alerts, low-battery alert.Battery Life:Not rechargeable battery - standard replaceable CR2032 battery (credit:Cookoo)
Leikr(04 of07)
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Developed in Denmark, the Leikr is a GPS sports watch that aims to deliver "the best training device an athlete could desire." It was created by a team of ex-Nokia engineers passionate about sports and outdoor activities. On it's 2-inch high-res screen you can track your location on a map and have your pace, speed, heart rate, distance, calorie consumption and elapsed workout time neatly displayed in a six-tile spread. Wirelessly sync workout plans or running or cycling routes straight to your Leikr watch through both Endomondo (an online sports community based on GPS-tracking) and Leikr's websites. Your Leikr will lead you through the work out as well as providing real time feedback.Can I Get It? The Leikr team has yet to meet their Kickstarter goal, so not yet. Current Features: Vibrating alerts, GPS, maps, personal coach function, fitness-tracking features, Bluetooth, Endomondo.Battery Life:Active mode: 6 hoursIdle mode: 24 hours (credit:Leikr)
Pebble(05 of07)
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Based in Palo Alto, Calif., the Pebble Technology team have successfully Kickstarted a sleek, customizable-in-every-which-way watch. You can choose from a variety of watch faces and make use of fitness, music and social apps. Feel free to tinker with (or disable all of the) various notification settings for incoming caller ID, email and calendar alerts and social-media alerts. The Pebble can even be customized with the coding service IFTTT.Can I Get It? Not just yet, but the Pebble is available for preorder here.Features: Customizable watch faces, incoming caller ID, reads SMS and email, speakerphone, appointment alerts, out-of-range alert, app store, fitness-tracking features, music player, cloud services, social-media alerts, Bluetooth.Battery Life: 7 Days (credit:Pebble)
Martian(06 of07)
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The latest product of Irvine, Calif.-based Martian Watches is the Martian voice command watch, which lets users interact with their in-pocket phones through voice communication. Phones connect via Bluetooth to the Martian, which vibrates when receiving an incoming call and can reject a call with a wrist-shake. The "Martian Leash" option lets you know when you forget your phone somewhere. As for more advanced functions, the Martian works with the voice command on iPhone or Android. Of course, you also receive incoming text vibration alerts and social media or email notifications as well. The Martian voice command watch comes in a variety of collections and colors.Can I Get It? Estimated to be shipped in February or March of 2013, these Martian watches are now available for preorder. Current Features: Vibrating alerts, incoming-call alerts, out-of-range alert, speaker, noise-canceling microphone, voice command, social-media alerts, Bluetooth.Battery Life:Talk time: 2 hoursStandby time: 7 daysAnalog clock (separate battery): 2 years (credit:www.martianwatches.com)
WearIT Sports Watch(07 of07)
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Italian company Si14's WearIT is an open Android smart watch. Intended to have the look and feel of a sports watch, WearIT is meant to help monitor health and wellness, and is also geared towards personal and social gaming. With features like CardioMap for exercise, hiking maps, compass, music player, downloadable games and social-media browsing, WearIT might be a game-changing sports watch.Can I Get It? Not quite yet! The WearIT showcased at CES was a non-functioning prototype, so current features and battery life are unavailable. (credit:www.si14.com/wearit)
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