Lifestyle and Gift Retailer Urbanum Opens in Midtown Detroit

Urbānum, a Detroit-focused lifestyle and gift retailer, announced today it has opened its doors in Midtown. The shop is located at 6545 Woodward Ave. In honor of its opening, a Housewarming Party will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, at Urbānum to benefit Humble Design. All are welcome to attend.

Humble Design is a nonprofit serving individuals, families and veterans emerging from homelessness by transforming their empty house into a warm, welcoming and uplifting home with donated furniture and household goods. The organization will receive a donation of 10 percent of net sales made at Urbānum in Detroit on the day of the Housewarming Party to use toward general operating costs.

The 1,800-square-feet Urbānum showroom, previously home to Hi-Fashion Ladies Wear, is the vision of Detroit resident-turned-shopkeeper Brigid Beaubien. Beaubien has carefully selected, curated, created and perfected the Urbānum collection with the goal of helping Detroiters put their personal stamp on their living spaces.

“Creating a sense of home is one of the most important feelings in the world. We want our customers to have the ability to express themselves in their own homes, in their own way, to create a feeling of comfort and hospitality,” said Beaubien. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with Humble Design to help transform once vacant houses into warm and welcoming homes for those transitioning from homelessness.”

Featuring key home décor essentials with an unmistakable Detroit- and city-living vibe, Urbānum offers custom furniture and textiles. The shop is a Detroit-area dealer of Regina Andrew Design. Founded by Detroit husband-and-wife team James Slaven & Carla Zajac, with the belief that everything we do should electrify a room, Regina Andrew Design produces lighting fixtures and furniture with a distinctly Detroit-style.

The shop proudly carries a wide selection of Lee Industries, Inc. furniture and Malouf Z fabrics and bedding, and handcrafted frames and housewares by Detroit’s own Mutual Adoration. It’s also the only store in the city that carries Visual Comfort & Co. designer lighting. Eclectic host and hostess gifts are aplenty in the new showroom, as well. From playful coffee mugs and dish towels to candles and wall art, this local source for Detroit-inspired design elements has homeowners and interior designers covered.

Opening the shop is a natural path for Beaubien to follow. Her Detroit roots run deep, as her descendants were among the inaugural families to arrive with Cadillac back in 1701. As a child, she was fascinated with furniture catalogs and more interested in designing digs for her dolls rather than dressing them. Now she wants to outfit homes with a design aesthetic at the intersection of treasured finds and industry design, which are elements that incorporate raw materials and the manufacture of goods in factories.

Beaubien has generations of shop-keeping and design roots in and around the Motor City, including The Kindred Spirit, a gift shop in Wyandotte that was owned by her parents. At Urbānum, it’s a family affair, as well. Her mother and daughter assist with customer design counsel and client service.

Along with her husband, Tim Costello, Beaubien owns 8 Degrees Plato Beer Company, with locations in Ferndale and Detroit. Recently, its Midtown store was named a finalist in the first Commerce Design Awards program by AIA Detroit and Design Core Detroit.

Registration for the Housewarming Party is requested and can be done by visiting https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rebel-cycle-studio-grand-opening-tickets-50791714385 or https://www.facebook.com/events/274397230068307/.

About Urbānum

Located in Detroit’s New Center, Urbānum is a curator of distinctly Detroit and city-driven design, with merchandise combining the familiarity of industry with the comfort of found objects. The Urbānum experience exudes warmth, graciousness and hospitality, providing the community avenues to express this in their own home, in their own way. The shop is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information visit www.UrbanumDetroit.com or call 313-771-4777.

About Humble Design

Humble Design serves individuals, families and veterans emerging from homelessness by transforming their empty house into a warm, welcoming and uplifting home with donated furniture and household goods. Across the country, the nonprofit’s warehouses are curated and stocked by design teams that personalize homes, providing a dignified, life-changing experience for clients. Humble Design is located at 180 N. Saginaw St, Pontiac, MI and can be found online at www.HumbleDesign.org.