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Video by Tom Hendrickson for the Colin Hubbell Fund.
Written Friday, August 22, 2008:
The last card I gave him said, “Please stop stalking me.” It was a joke, of course – one of the highlights of my week was when he sauntered into the shop to pick up his mail and shoot the shit. Even on the days he was dragging from chemo or radiation, he was still full of charm & charisma. He would tell me how proud he was of his children, or the latest news about his development projects, or his take on the state of the city. And he would listen with interest when I would spin my dreams about the neighborhood. He was one of the few who shared my optimism and sense of urgency. I loved that about him.
So we were roommates. Or rather, I was his. When I went to him in the summer of 2006 with my hair-brained scheme to open a retail shop on West Canfield Street, he didn’t try to talk me out of it. He was on board from our very first conversation. And when I look back on those initial chats, he really had no proof at all that I could actually pull it off. But for absolutely no good reason, he believed in me – and by the winter we had negotiated a plan: I would open my shop in his office space on the ground floor of the Canfield Lofts – one of his projects, one of Detroit’s first loft conversion projects, and also, incidentally, my home.
For me, it was a dream come true -- my own shop in my own building! Not only would my “downstairs” commute mean I would have the lightest carbon footprint in all of Southeastern Michigan (yay me!), I would also have the coolest roommate/landlord, bar none. And believe me, for a new business owner who doesn’t know what the heck she’s doing, having someone like Colin in your corner makes all the difference in the world.
For me, it was a dream come true -- my own shop in my own building! Not only would my “downstairs” commute mean I would have the lightest carbon footprint in all of Southeastern Michigan (yay me!), I would also have the coolest roommate/landlord, bar none. And believe me, for a new business owner who doesn’t know what the heck she’s doing, having someone like Colin in your corner makes all the difference in the world.
So we opened the following spring. And I’ll never forget the first thing he bought – a print for his wife, Trish. It was a picture of two bicycles with a heart in the middle. Oh, how I loved him for this! He told me all about how before they had kids, when they were poor newlyweds, they would take long bike rides around the city. He told me how the city was so different then. It also reminded me of the first time I met him at Cityfest – he rode up to the City Living tent on his bike looking like an urban hippie on a mission. He was like this wonderful angel with attitude.
You know how some people just “get” it? Well, Colin was one of these people. They are so few and far between, not a day goes by that I don’t count Detroit’s lucky stars for him. He was grassroots and gratitude and gung-ho all the way. When others didn’t really get the “ground-up” spirit of our new experiment called Detroit Synergy, he did. (Of course he did!) When I feared others wouldn’t understand my indie retail aspirations, I knew he would. (Of course he would!) And on days when the shop was slow or I was feeling a little punk, he would pick me up with his lovely foul mouth and his lovelier warm hugs.
Watching him perform “Lean on Me” at his “First 49th Birthday Party” at Traffic Jam & Snug with his gorgeous daughter at the mic and a crowded room full of friends and family was one of the most touching moments of my life. I had to step outside, I was so verklempt.
And I am verklempt today, knowing that Detroit has lost one of its finest. Please keep stalking me, Colin Hubbell! You are welcome to come hang out in the shop anytime. The second stool behind the counter will always be reserved for you…
