West Bloomfield Resident's Cause-Based Biz Opens in Ann Arbor

Cause-based fashion brand, Merit, founded by West Bloomfield resident David Merritt, will hold an official grand opening for its first ever retail storefront on Nov. 20.

Every 26 seconds, a student drops out of high school in America. This statistic, alongside a clock counting the number of high school dropouts this year stands in the window of the Merit store at 1113 South University in Ann Arbor. Combining fresh, effortless clothing with an impactful cause, every Merit purchase helps send students in need to college.
 
“We’ve learned a great deal during our orientation/soft launch period, and are so excited to engage even more of the community," said Merritt, former University of Michigan men’s basketball captain and West Bloomfield High basketball star. "We know that our cause and product is connecting greatly with University students and young business professionals living in the area. And we’re just thrilled to continue sharing the Merit experience with even more people.”

Visitors to the store will find information about Merit’s FATE program (facilitated by its nonprofit arm, Give Merit). FATE is a four-year cohort-based program kicking off its second year with 22 ninth graders from northwest Detroit. Its goal is to motivate each participating student to graduate from high school and attend college, through exposure to a college campus (the University of Michigan) and highly interactive and engaging workshops with partners such as Google, Zingerman's, Fathead, and Plante Moran. 

“This program allows Merit an avenue to do more than just donate money," Merritt said. "It allows us to put our hands to important work that we feel strongly about. Additionally, the store allows us to directly connect our customers to the very students their purchase is impacting."

The ribbon cutting will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 20. Learn more by writing to info@meritgoodness.com.