Midtown Shopping: Bob’s Classic Kicks

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Detroit, MI (March 11, 2013) Bob's Classic Kicks in Midtown Detroit. The doors opened eight years ago and helps provide special edition shoes to the "sneaker heads". (photo by: Constance Thomas/Renee Aaron Events)

Detroit, MI (March 11, 2013) Bob’s Classic Kicks in Midtown Detroit. The doors opened eight years ago and helps provide special edition shoes to the “sneaker heads”. (photo by: Constance Thomas/Renee Aaron Events)

Yes, this is a wedding and event planning site. We do aim to give you all things wedding. Shopping is a big part of the planning practice. So instead of gowns, tuxedos and jewelry, we want to show you another side of the planning and shopping process.

When its time to get gifts why not some fresh new kicks. Midtown Detroit’s retail store, Bobs Classic Kicks, www.bobsclassickicks.com  is the great place to find those rare edition, collectors item. Established eight years ago by Jason Johnson and just recently two years go Christian Dorsey became co-partner of the now staple gym shoe store of the city.

When asked why go into business in gym shoes? Dorsey responded, “I buy too  many damn shoes, might as well keep the party going”. So during the day the phone constantly rings with callers asking about the newest shoe out and the available shoe sizes.

The store provides many options of color pallets  and styles. The store uploads daily on the latest shoes being sold in the store and which classic tee looks best. To store is located at 4717 Woodward, Ave., Detroit, MI 48201 and can be reached at 313-832-7513.

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Detroit, MI (March 11, 2013) Bob’s Classic Kicks logo style Tee’s displayed for sale. These shirts help coordinate with the vibrate colors of the shoes. (Photo by: Constance Thomas/Renee Aaron Events)

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Detroit, MI (March 11, 2013) The paint cans and mural behind, shows the creative eye and the atmosphere of Bob’s Classic Kicks. (Photo By: Constance Thomas/Renee Aaron Events.)

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Detroit, MI (March 11, 2013) Christian Dorsey, Co-owner of Bob’s Classic Kick, prepares for the daily updates of the new kicks in the store. Kobe’s year of the snake is being worked on with the signature tee displayed below. (Photo By: Constance Thomas/Renee Aaron Events)

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Detroit, MI (March 11, 2013) The high ceilings and the open space leads to express creativity. Bob’s Classic Kick is open throughout the year and sometimes holds special meet and greets for the community. (Photo By: Constance Thomas/ Renee Aaron Events)

 

A Community That Learns To Skate

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As the city of Detroit goes through financial issues, a former mayor under investigation, some may think the future of out youth seems bleak. For one community by the name of Clark Park Coalition in Southwest Detroit, it continues to serves those in the community. During the winter months, youth are able to take part in their Learn to Skate and Learn to Play Hockey program.

This recreation center was once staffed by the Detroit Recreation department until 1991 when it was closed due to the city’s financial crisis. For many in the community this was a concern and as a concerted effort they formed a non-profit to partner with the City of Detroit Recreation Department, there for creating a wonderful public-private collaboration.

Many lakes once surrounded Clark Park, states Anthony Benavides, center director. So many have been skating in this area for over 100 years. This program is funded by many sponsors such as Hockey Is For Everyone, The Skillman Foundation, Wayne County just to name a few.

This center functions year round with other sports such as soccer, baseball, tennis, and golf. This coalition is not just sports focused. They have homework assistance, fitness/nutrition training, arts & crafts, and most importantly community service. Their motto is “where the community is teaching our youth to dream”.

Southwest is a very diverse community that serves as one of the many landscapes of Detroit. Programs such as these keep youth involved in positive activities and off the streets. For a small registration of $45 for any child over the age of eight, they receive all equipment for free. Youth ages 4 through 7 are free of charge. For more information contact the coalition at 313-841-8534 or email at clarkparkdetroit@gmail.com

Give Me Access: Leslie Griffin’s Journey on Event Access

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Created By Constance Thomas

Created By Constance Thomas

“Give me access, I give you press,” states Leslie Griffin, freelance writer of Detroit, MI.  Griffin has been writing for over seven years. Her focus has been in the entertainment industry. Today she was kind enough to share her process of getting public access to events. She states that at the beginning of her career it was difficult because she wasn’t known in the community, “I didn’t know what I was doing”.

On the site Electronic Frontier Foundation: Defending Your Rights In The Digital World they have a guide for bloggers on media access. They help answer some questions as simple as, “Does the First Amendment provide a right to gather news”? Their answer was Yes. Because the right to publish news necessarily depends on the ability to gather information, restrictions on your right to gather news raise First Amendment concerns.

Since she wasn’t known she made sure she got with someone who has done this before. Being able to have someone guide you and take you by the hand is the only way.  You have to know the ropes on what you’re doing, Griffin says.

Being able to have access and interview a such as the likes of singer Lala Hathaway, the daughter of famed deceased signer Donny Hathaway’s daughter took dedication and hard work on Griffin’s behalf. Stating that if she couldn’t get in touch with their PR person, she would tweet the celebrity. By doing this step, sometimes there may not be a response depending on their huge following.

Having access requires laws and procedures. Every state is different and in order to know the laws on how to have access or public records, you have to go through the right channels. The site Citizen Media Law Project is a great tool to have and utilize when trying to attain public records. For Griffin’s case, she begins a partnership with a venue. Her collaboration works more as a trade off. The venue wants publicity; she wants the opportunity to interview the talent. No matter what she has to produce a story. If she’s at the Fox Theater for free, she’s written a story.  It’s not a cakewalk; she interjects.

Griffin’s humbleness keeps her grounded. She stated that “one can’t become the celebrity; you interact with them, you interview them.” The evening we spoke, Griffin was on her way to Motor City Casino’s Sound Board stage to interview the comedian Eddie Griffin.

Leslie Griffin’s sample of work can be found in the Michigan Chronicle/Front Page at http://www.michronicleonline.com. If you would like to contact her she can be reach at igetitwrite@yahoo.com .

Ooh So Fabulous Events Speaks Legal Journey As Ongoing Process

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Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. This is the classic saying when a bride is going through the last steps of her wedding planning. Sometimes a bride may do the planning on her own and sometimes a bride may use the services of a company.Ooh So Fabulous Events, Co-Founder Tamesha Rouse and her partner are in the business of making couples special day memorable with their services. On a consistent basis Tamesha and her team work effortlessly to work with couples on the logistics of their day. Their team will help with day of coordination, linens, set design, and even workshops.

On a Saturday evening, I spoke with Tamesha to get some background information on the legal aspect on how her company handles any legal issues that may arise. I asked her about Defamation and has it ever affected her.

Defamation as stated is to harm the reputation of by libel or slander. Ooh So Fab Events, has been fortunate enough to not have to deal with any slander towards the company. But, a company did come to their site and take photos from their site and place it on their site as their own. They spoke with their lawyer and he told them “Facebook-anything that I posted on there no longer belongs to you. He also suggested the only way to protect ourselves from not happening again would be to watermark the photos.

I asked Tamesha about how when her and her partner started their company, how did they go about going laying the foundation about their legal matters. She stated, When Ooh So Fabulous was started we sat down with two lawyers and they drew up our contract by advising us to make sure that we are covered by any means necessary. We did know of a company that had to breech contracts once her business folded, she took money from these clients, but could not produce the product.”

The difficult part that occurs for Ooh So Fab unlike other vendors is that they “deal with clients on a monthly, weekly and sometimes daily, without a legal binding contract we will not be paid for our time”.  So it will be very crucial to cover all legal grounds before and during while meeting with a client.

If you like to find more information about Ooh So Fabulous Events, click on the link above to contact Tamesha Rouse and her team.

"Tamesha

 

 

Renee Aaron Tips: Wedding Photographer’s Mistake Educate Others

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Image Provided By:Video Editing Made Easy

 

When one hears the compliments, “You do amazing work” or “I have seen your work and I would like to hire for my next event”, are always good signs of what one would think will be the start of a great working relationship. So now you have met with the client and have discussed what the particulars will be. The date is set and you are ready.  The time is now here for the event to take place and you commence to work. No one ever told you that what lies ahead will make a turn for the worse.

As a wedding an event planner I take it very seriously to educate myself of things that have happened to other vendors in the industry. While researching, I came across a video that was posted by Gary Fong. A wedding photographer reached to him, “who found himself in a pickle: after doing a “great job” (in Fong’s opinion) in shooting a wedding, he received a menacing letter from the couple threatening him with a $300,000 lawsuit”, as taken from the website Peta Pixel.

This photographer is experiencing a case of the Libel life. The lawyer (who is also an attorney) started the letter with, “This is the only demand you will receive before you get sued, and you ruined our wedding. Verbal contract aren’t forcible in Washington State.”

The video continues with Fong reading this letter. He speaks about the errors in the photographers: always have a contract, always edit out the photos that were not going to be used, and be careful.

I spoke with Doria Barnes of D’Arne Productions a multimedia company and had her review this video. I asked her a few questions and this was her response:

What are your thoughts of the video and the issue at hand?

I think the client does have a right to not be satisfied with the photography work. However, the lawyer intimidation and the $300,000 they are requesting is ridiculous. There should always be an initial meeting with the client and photographer, covering all bases ensuring the client and photographer click and work well together. In this situation the photographer failed to have that initial meeting and a follow up meeting presenting the contract spelling out everything the client(s) want and a media release form. These forms are to make certain, the photographer will capture everything the client wants documented. Videography is a little bit different, I record the entire event from 2 different angles and I am able to cut and paste to create exactly what the client wants.

As a professional how do you combat issues like this with a client?

Having meetings after meetings with the client making sure we are all on the same page.

How important is that you cover your bases?

It’s very important that as a company, we cover all bases because the client we are working are presently work with can refer your services to new clients.

Do you have any libel or defamation clauses in your contracts?

I do not have those clauses; however, I will definitely make sure I do so, a.s.a.p.

So in the end we need to cover our bases. We have to have documentation no matter how well you know a person or not. In the end it’s all still business.

To find more information about D‘Arne’ Productions check out their website darneproductions.blogspot.com.

Image Provided by D’Arne Productions

 

 

 

Renee Aaron Events Presents: Ooh So Fabulous Weddings and Events

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Photo Provided By: Ooh So Fab Events

On a Friday evening, I sat down with co-founder of Ooh So Fabulous Wedding and Events, Tamesha Moore-Rouse. We talked about the start of the wedding business and what the future holds with the fabulous event planner.

As noted on the company’s website in their “about us” tab, Moore-Rouse states exactly how the company was started by accident. “A friend of ours from the University of Michigan was getting married and a week before her wedding she fired her wedding planner and hired us,” Moore-Rouse speaking of herself and her business partner Kalisha Gaines.

Born and raised in the city of Detroit, Moore-Rouse’s background is in Education. She holds a Master’s in the Arts of teaching. Bachelor’s in Education, Elementary Education, Children’s literature with Drama and Theater for the young. Teaching runs in her family. Interestingly, her father is a retired teacher and always asks when will she get a real job? She laughs as she speaks about him because she states, that he doesn’t realize this is a real job.

Every business owner will have their share of ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. When asked what the ups were she says, “This is my baby, I get to mold it and shape it into whatever I want it to be, its mine.” In that same breathe she clearly lays out what are downs, “But at the same time the downs is, its my baby and if something goes wrong, it’s me that their calling. It’s my partner their calling. It’s all on me now. I’m in charge and I have to make the right decision.”

Photo Provided By: Ooh So Fab Events

Photo Provided By: Ooh So Fab Events. Taken By: Marco Antonio Photography

Every client brings their own unique flavor and trait. When asked what types of clients has she encountered thus far, she had this to say, “We have clients recently that haven’t had that beauty, they’ve said their not pretty enough, or they can’t want for their wedding, so they can be pretty”. Their goal is to provide that client with the Ooh So Fabulous experience by letting them know they are beautiful. Their event is important but they want the client to experience and feel that within. When she finished, the question was asked would you consider this your mission statement.  She quickly replied, yes.

I asked Moore-Rouse about the future of Ooh So Fab Weddings. She was excited to share that recently in September of 2012; they have expanded to a full service called “Ooh So baby”, for the moms, dads and babies. They are also event producers for big trade shows as well.

As we ended the interview, I was given the tour of her great office held in the Metro Work Space facility, in Livonia, MI. They are also expanding out of state as well in Atlanta, Orlando and Chicago. If you would like to watch the interview of Tamesha Moore-Rouse of Ooh So Fabulous Wedding and Events, click on the video and learn more about the great event planner. 

For more information about Ooh So Fab Weddings and Events check out their Facebook page.

 

A Vision Becoming a Reality…

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After Thanksgiving dinner in 2004, my then-boyfriend kneeled down and asked me in front of my family “Would I give him the honor of becoming his wife”. From that day forward, I would walk into a world of all things fabulous, elegant and life changing. For some women, planning a wedding is a stressful time. Brides have the voices of mothers, sisters, BFFs, and maybe even a grandmother giving them an opinion of what needs to be done and how they would like to see it happen. As a coping mechanism, to avoid the voices, a bride will contact me: A wedding planner.

I have always been then “Go To” person for what happening in not just Detroit, but other cities as well. Growing up, I always had a fascination of far away places. I would call for travel brochures, and kept a binder of them. I always loved dressing up and attending events. I knew when my time was right; I would marry that guy GOD intended for me. We would do all the things needed to make sure we have a great marriage, but first we would have to plan the perfect wedding.

While planning the wedding, one can learn so much about weddings. To learn simple tips about favors, locating boutiques and specialty stores where a dress that would normally cost $1,200 is now only $400. Where instead of finding a baker, who owned a store, you meet a woman who makes cakes out of her home and her cakes were just as amazing as a large bakery.

Here at Renee Aaron Events, LLC, we aim to help those brides, write their vision and make it plain enough to where they are not stressed during the process. A bride should have a cost efficient wedding with out breaking the bank. We work with the bride to have a comprehensive budget and timeline, which keeps them on track through out the planning process. Planning a wedding should be fun and memorable, and that’s our goal.