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Pizza, helping to revitalize Detroit
Developers Akunna Olumba and Marcus Jones are hoping to bring about change and bring livelihood, to the Livernois Six-Mile road area in Detroit, with their new business, Detroit Pizza Bar.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Developers Akunna Olumba and Marcus Jones are using their pizza-making, and entrepreneurial skills, to open a new restaurant, in the heart of Detroit.
They are working to bring about change, and help revitalize the Livernois Six-Mile road area in Detroit, with their new restaurant, Detroit Pizza Bar
"It’s about change," said Olumba.
Today marked the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new restaurant. The owners welcomed community members and city leaders, to come inside and taste the Detroit Pizza Bar's pizza and wings.
"The feel that you get when you walk into the restaurant it really does feel like a downtown restaurant in the heart of Detroit," added Olumba.
Though the owners admit, this journey to get to this day, was not an easy one.
"This project did not come easy we had to endure the pandemic when we first got started on this project. That put us behind quite a bit. We had to also deal with the escalating construction cost and labor shortages," said Jones.
But these entrepreneurs refused to give up, and they are eager for the community to know that they are ready for their business. They are even open for birthday parties, and special events, where Olumba says, she wants people to feel as though they can just come in, relax and enjoy.
Dr. Geneva Williams, the Executive Director of Live 6 Alliance, along with Detroit’s Mayor Mike Duggan, were both in attendance at this event, cheering these, and all other Detroit, small business owners on.
"It was fascinating to see what happened … we saw one storefront after another, start to take off, and then we invested in that streetscape, and now you can’t find a parking space," said Duggan.
These business owners also hope they can serve as a guiding light for other entrepreneurs, and feel that the Detroit Pizza Bar will help further revitalize the Livernois and 6-mile area.
"It sets a precedent and a scale for the other developers to live by, but for the community to look forward t," said Olumba. "When you start seeing restaurants like this, and developments like this, in the heart of the neighborhood, then I can surely say Detroit for real is making a comeback."