I
hope everyone is having a wonderful start to their summer! It was great
to see more than 150 residents at our annual spring meeting last month.
For those who weren’t able to attend, I have provided some key
highlights and reminders:
1.Membership Drive.Annual
dues for Sherwood Forest are $100 per household, which help maintain
the beauty and vitality of our historic community and are kept at a cost
that is affordable. The new fiscal year began on May 1, and we
currently have162
paid members for 2024-25. In particular, we have a targeted goal to
increase membership over the next three years respectively, 235 (50% of
homes), 352 (75%), and 400 (85%).
We are excited to announce partnerships with several local businesses offering discounts to residents who have paid their association membership dues. To take advantage of these discounts, have your current membership card ready, which can be printed from your profiles on the Sherwood Forest website. Merchants might also ask for a valid ID.
A
raffle will be held during the annual summer block party, with
residents who pay their dues by June 29 entered to win various prizes
such as gift cards to local businesses, annual memberships for local
events, and tickets to professional sporting events. Below, you’ll find
specific discounts at participating businesses, as well as the raffle
prizes.
2.Traffic Calming:
The traffic calming subcommittee has been working consistently since
2018 internally and with the City of Detroit Department of Public Works
to create a safer traffic flow. The traffic flow on St. Martins has been
modified to one-way traffic direction and new signs have been placed to
guide drivers. Our next steps are to study the adherence to the new
traffic flow plan, share findings, and contact city officials for
additional changes as needed. You can see more details here and leave feedback and ask questions here.
4. Board Member Voting:
The nomination process is now complete and all candidates have
submitted their information. An announcement will be made letting
residents know who the candidates are in August. We only had four
eligible nominations and there are five open seats, therefore,
appointments are through ascension. The elected members of the board of
directors serve for three-year terms, with new terms beginning in
September, and there are a total 15 board seats.
Lastly, we heard your feedback at the spring annual meeting this year and have started archiving past issues of the Tattler
to the website. We were thrilled with the positive response so far, but
want to ensure the newsletter continues to evolve, delivers the news
you need, and incorporates many voices from our neighborhood. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions on our feedback form
or reach out to me directly if you have ideas or would like to get
involved. As always, thank you for being part of this incredible
community – I’m grateful to be your neighbor and friend. I look forward
to seeing many of you at our Summer Block Party on June 29!
Good Cakes and Bakes (BOGO cupcake equal or lesser value)
House of Morrison Shoe Repair (10% discount)
Skin Bar Vll (20% off services)
Dye Center (25% off Dye Class 101 Livernois, dye 3 items - 2 to keep, 1 to donate)
Suits for Less (15% off purchase)
Mad Hatter (15% off purchase)
The Shoe Box (15% off purchase)
Times Square (15% off purchase)
The Blue Door (15% off purchase)
Superior Screen Printing and Sportswear (20% off in stock merchandise, 10% off screen printing orders)
C. Grantston Bullard (10% discount on outerwear, handbags, and apparel)
Hooper’s Place (15% off of all purchases)
Tauntas Cosmetics and Beauty Bar (all purchases tax-free)
The Broadway (20% - 30% off)
Happy To Be Nappy ($10 off all styles)
Jo’s Gallery and Cafe (25% off selected framed art)
Alima Hair Braiding (10% off all braid styles and hair products)
Dixon’s Barbershop (Mondays & Tuesdays, 10am - 3pm: 1 ½ cuts, brush cuts, and quo vadis cuts $20 from June 14 - July 21)
MAC Galleries (15% off custom framing)
Natural-ish (Wednesdays: BOGO half off all beauty products and hair restoration services)
MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS
Meet the Harris Family:
Keya, Que, and Emori!
In
our historic neighborhood, a new family has moved in, bringing with
them a vibrant spirit and a genuine appreciation for the community. Meet
Keya, Que, and their five-year-old daughter, Emori Harris.
Keya
has always been drawn to Sherwood Forest and its surrounding
neighborhoods. “Growing up in Detroit, I had friends in University
District, Sherwood, Palmer, and Bagley. I spent a lot of time here and
always loved the homes,” she reminisced.
Initially, the family had a soft two-year plan for buying a home in the area, but fate had other plans. “Que
sent me a picture of this house, and I decided to go for a casual tour
with no expectations. I just fell in love with it,” she said.
Keya, who owns a consulting business in the fintech industry, and Que, who works for the federal government, officially moved into their Renfrew home with their daughter in November 2023, after purchasing it that August and making several updates. “We
removed the built-in glass fixture around the fireplace, installed new
hardwood flooring throughout, and painted,” Keya said. Other renovations
are in their future, but they’re taking it one project at a time.
The family is dedicated to honoring the rich history of their home while making tasteful updates. “Our
goal is to incorporate some of the history of the home by respecting
its original structure but making updates that align with the time
period,” Keya explained. This blend of old and new reflects their
appreciation for the home’s heritage and their vision for a comfortable,
modern living space.
For their family, the sense of community in Sherwood Forest is invaluable.
“When
we were working on the house before we even moved in, a lot of people
stopped by to introduce themselves,” Keya said. The welcoming atmosphere
and the fact that their daughter, Emori, has neighborhood friends her
age have made the transition smooth and joyful.
Keya noted the sense of safety and connection that comes with a close-knit neighborhood. “I
was a neighborhood kid growing up, riding my bike around the corner.
Everyone knew everyone, and people looked out for each other’s
kids,” she recalled. This is the environment she wants for Emori. “One
hot day recently, Em and a friend she made in the neighborhood played
outside all day. She was gross and stinky, but it was so much fun
watching them spend the entire day outside playing – it was exactly what
I pictured when I dreamed of the house we’d end up in.”
For
Keya, their house serves as more than a place for her family to spend
time together – it’s also her office space and the place where she’s
growing her business. Her journey into entrepreneurship began
serendipitously. “I wanted to get into consulting but didn’t
have any experience,” Keya recalled. “A friend told me about a company
that offered unlimited PTO and it was a consulting business. I applied
and got the job, and it just so happened to be a Workday consulting
firm.”
Keya
worked there for eight years, gaining invaluable experience before
deciding to start her own business in December 2021. “It’s been amazing.
I’ve experienced a lot of growth and opportunity, and the flexibility
to own my time,” she said. Beyond personal growth, Keya is passionate
about fostering diversity in tech consulting. “I have the opportunity to
reach back and bring more minorities into tech consulting through my
network.”
Currently,
Keya is in the process of becoming certified as a woman-owned and
minority-owned business in Detroit. While her clients are spread across
various locations, she hopes to focus more on Metro Detroit-based
clients as she grows.
As
the Harris family continues to get settled in their new home, they’re
loving meeting new neighbors and spending time with family who live
nearby.
Keya’s
parents live in University District, having moved back to Detroit in
2016. “This is my parents’ first grandchild, so having them close has
been phenomenal. Emori spends a lot of time at their house, and in case
of emergency, they're super close,” Keya said.
"Emori gets to grow up
with her full village around her."
SHERWOOD FOREST LAWN & GARDEN CLUB
In May, the Lawn & Garden Club participated in this year’s
Motor City Makeover, a city-wide initiative aimed at transforming our
parks and public spaces into vibrant community hubs. You may have
noticed the updates to Sherwood Park as well as the walking path to
Livernois. The club planted hundreds of plants and flowers, and cleaned
up the garden beds for everyone to enjoy.
This
is a group for neighbors of Sherwood Forest to share ideas and news.
All residents of the neighborhood are welcome to join. If you are
interested in joining a quarterly meeting, reach out to gardenclub@sherwoodforestdetroit.org.
During these meetings, we discuss challenges neighbors may be facing
and help find solutions. Typically, we also cover different topics at
each meeting and even host plant swaps throughout the year. We are
working toward a Neighborhood Garden walk later this year. More details
to come!
Have you paid your dues?
Manage and pay your annual Sherwood Forest Association dues
To reportrunning
water, potholes, damaged street signs, and other neighborhood issues to
City Hall, the Improve Detroit mobile app makes it easier than ever.
If you know a neighbor without an email address who would appreciate a printed copy of the Tattler, we kindly ask that you share it with them. Thank you
