New Neighborhood Market and Kitchen Debuts in Corktown

A new market selling prepared foods and everyday household essentials opened over the weekend on Michigan Avenue. Good Stuff Corktown debuted on Saturday, December 8 at 1444 Michigan Avenue during neighborhood holiday shopping event Corktown Aglow.

Good Stuff was founded by Mallory Mottoulle and Carmen Tocco in partnership with Autumn Dean. Mottoulle, who previously worked in model management in New York’s fashion industry, tells Eater that she decided to relocate to Detroit after visiting the city on a business trip. While the city was a good fit, Mottoulle says she often found herself having to leave the neighborhood to pick up common household items. At Good Stuff, Mottoulle is aiming to bring some of the spirit of New York bodegas to the area. “Living in New York for 25 years we have little corner bodegas everywhere, so you can just run out and you can pick up your flour, you run out of rice or chicken you can get that, if you need a can of soup it’s right there. That’s what we want to offer here,” she says.

The 1,700-square-foot shop is located next door to Union 3 Tattoo and is stocked with a variety of everyday products ranging from paper towels to Calder dairy milk and cream to Crispelli’s bread. While the format sounds similar to nearby market the Farmers Hand, Mottoulle says she and her partners are aiming to offer a different mixture of products. “It’s really your essentials, like day-to-day,” she says. “I don’t want to be that new store that’s offering the same things.”

The space has an old Corktown feel with original tile floors that are complemented by antique pieces Mottoulle purchased from Woodward Throwbacks in Hamtramck. Among them is a large wooden butcher shop case, which is being repurposed at Good Stuff as a display case for breads. On the weekends, the shop will also offer pastries including plain and chocolate croissants. Customers can grab a seat at the shop’s indoor picnic table.

“A friend of mine has a similar shop in New York and for years now it’s always been our little go-to spot where you’d stop by after work, pick up a piece of bread, chat for a minute, sit on the bench. Everyone comes from the neighborhood,” Mottoulle says. “So that’s kind of my dream.”

Within the next few months, Good Stuff plans to begin working on building out a kitchen in the back of the space. Tocco, who previously worked as an events manager at the Trumbull and Porter Hotel, will be managing the kitchen. She plans to serve food based on Ayurvedic eating, a holistic food philosophy that’s popular in wellness circles.

For now, Mottoulle plans to open the shop daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will adjust hours depending on the rhythm of the neighborhood. Good Stuff is also taking suggestions from customers about what they’d like to see offered in the shop.

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