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Fashion was on full display at the Art and Vintage Fashion Show on Friday evening, May 31. The extraordinary event attracted an enthusiastic crowd of art and fashion lovers who enjoyed a wine & cheese reception, DJ-inspired music and fashion from bygone eras.

The former Skyline Club at 2000 Town Center was the scene of the event, hosted by The Friends of Southfield Public Arts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to procuring, transporting, installing and restoring art for public enjoyment.

The event featured a vintage fashion show with models from the Southfield A&T Dance Team displaying authentic vintage clothing from the 1940s, ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. On loan from Fantoni, a Berkley vintage clothing store, the clothes were previously sold in such iconic Detroit stores as J.L. Hudson’s, B. Siegel, Winkelman’s, Himelhoch’s, Jacobson’s, Bonwit Teller, Claire Pearone and Surwin’s.

“This was a unique experience for attendees to get a glance into yesterday’s fashion world while supporting the local art community,” says Southfield Mayor Kenson J. Siver.

Local artists Priscilla Phifer, Rosemary Summers, Samah Kthar, Reggie Singleton, Lionnel Hurst and Brian Nickson also showcased their work along with several vintage clothing, jewelry and art vendors.

Funds from the show will go toward public art projects, including a signature piece by famed Mexican sculptor Sebastian. His sculpture will be part of the “Nine Mile Greenway Corridor and Placemaking Project,” which represents the corridor extending from I-75 in Hazel Park to I-275 in Farmington Hills.

The importance of eliminating food-related waste was the theme during Southfield’s “Community Feast” hosted by Make Food Not Waste. The free educational event, held April 13th at the Southfield Pavilion, was designed to inspire attendees to enjoy food with an awareness of how to reduce waste.

As part of its overall sustainability initiative, the City of Southfield is working to become the first city in the state to eliminate food waste, says Souzan Hanna, ENV SP, LEED AP, sustainability planner with the Southfield Planning Department.

During the event, attendees enjoyed a meal prepared by professional chefs using food that would otherwise go to waste and end up in landfills, while local food vendors and organizations working to reduce food waste in the community provided tips for grocery shopping and simple cooking methods.

Make Food Not Waste is a nonprofit organization working to keep food out of landfills by creating lasting solutions to food waste through education, food upcycling and advocacy.

For more information visit https://makefoodnotwaste.org.

When the City of Southfield earned the title, “Top City in the U.S. for Black Women to Flourish Financially,” for the second year by MoneyGeek.com, Sherry Swift and Tina Catron weren’t surprised.

The two Black businesswomen chose to locate Swift Transitions Coaching, Consultation and Training in Southfield eight years ago and are happy they did. The company has since grown to include The Swift Collaboration and Swift Transactions Management, also located in Southfield.

“Southfield has always been an extremely diverse community,” says Swift. “If there’s an area that would be most available for success for African American women, it could be easily Southfield because of the diversity here.”

Southfield Mayor Kenson J. Siver is proud of the recognition. “We are thrilled once again to have the distinction of Southfield being the top city in the U.S. for Black women to flourish financially,” he says. “We support our minority-owned businesses through our involvement with the Southfield Chamber of Commerce, job fairs and our Business Accelerator co-sponsored by Lawrence Technological University, among other initiatives. It should come as no surprise that a number of city departments are led by Black women,” Siver adds.

To determine the best places for Black women to flourish, MoneyGeek looked at 164 cities with populations greater than 65,000 — from the best to the worst. The ranking includes analysis of income, poverty rate, home ownership, educational attainment and health insurance gaps between Black women and the entire population nationally and locally.

Catron notes another important advantage she and Swift have realized with their business location. “Southfield is a great spot for our business because it’s close to downtown and to anywhere you want to maneuver within the state. This is where a lot of businesses intentionally land because no matter where you’re coming from, it’s central to everything.”

As Swift and Catron focus on growing their business, which currently includes a real estate brokerage arm as well as training, coaching and consulting services, their plan is to “100 percent” remain in Southfield.

“It’s easy for people to find us and we can access all of the tools and resources located here,” says Swift.

Warm Winter Fest 2024

Adults and children enjoyed a warmer-than-normal Winter Fest Sunday, March 3, at the Southfield Sports Arena. With temperatures hovering near 60 degrees, the event drew a crowd of more than 300 for a variety of activities, including indoor ice skating, a high ropes course, a rock-climbing wall with bouncers, carriage rides, electric car rides, marshmallow roasting and nature programs sponsored by Oakland County Naturalists.

Happy Hour and Team Trivia

The Southfield City Centre Happy Hour and Team Trivia Networking event on March 14 drew a sellout crowd of participants from many Southfield-based organizations. The group gathered at Towne Square Food & Spirits from for the chance to show their brain power and network.

“Our area businesses have found that joining us for this event has been a win-win,” says Rochelle Freeman, director of Business & Economic Development for the City of Southfield. “Their employees have an opportunity to bond and build relationships outside of their work environment, and to mix with other companies to develop potential new leads and professional connections.”