What Is The Foundry? Inside Downtown Pontiac’s Marketplace for Makers, Small Businesses & Big Ideas

Calling The Foundry a marketplace doesn't really explain what we're trying to build.

It isn't just a store.

It isn't simply a collection of vendor booths.

And it isn't intended to be another traditional antique mall.

The Foundry is an experiment.

An experiment in small business.

An experiment in historic preservation.

An experiment in downtown revitalization.

And an experiment in what can happen when you give people with ideas a place to actually try them.

Why We Built The Foundry

Starting a business is hard.

Opening a traditional storefront can be even harder.

Before an entrepreneur sells a single product, they may already be responsible for commercial rent, utilities, insurance, inventory, fixtures, signage, furniture, marketing, staffing and thousands of dollars in build-out expenses.

That amount of risk can stop a good idea before it ever gets started.

So we started asking a different question.

What if you didn't need an entire storefront to start a business?

Maybe you need 200 square feet.

Maybe 100.

Maybe 50.

Maybe you simply need one display and a chance to put your product in front of real customers.

The Foundry gives makers, artists, collectors, vintage sellers and entrepreneurs somewhere to begin at a scale that makes sense for them.

Start selling.

Meet customers.

Learn what works.

Change what doesn't.

Build the brand.

Grow when you're ready.

A Marketplace Built Around Discovery

Walk through The Foundry and the experience changes every few feet.

You might find handmade goods in one space and vintage clothing in the next.

Then candles.

Jewelry.

Natural products.

Artwork.

Collectibles.

Michigan-made products.

Pontiac history.

Something somebody made last week.

And probably something you didn't know you were looking for until you found it.

That's the point.

We don't want The Foundry to feel like one giant store.

We want it to feel like dozens of independent ideas sharing one roof.

Why Downtown Pontiac?

There are places where opening a concept like this would probably be easier.

That's part of why Pontiac matters.

Pontiac was once one of Michigan's great industrial and commercial cities.

Generations came downtown to work, shop, eat, go to the theater, conduct business and build their lives.

The automobile industry helped make Pontiac known around the world.

Downtown was its commercial heart.

Then the way America lived changed.

Retail moved outward.

Malls grew.

Highways changed travel patterns.

Industry changed.

Downtown foot traffic declined.

But Pontiac still has something incredibly difficult to recreate:

Historic bones.

Architecture.

Walkable streets.

Character.

History.

A central location.

And buildings waiting for new ideas.

If you believe historic downtowns deserve another chance, you can't only participate after everything has already been fixed.

Somebody has to come earlier.

Somebody has to unlock a door.

Somebody has to turn the lights on.

Somebody has to try something.

One business isn't going to transform an entire downtown.

But activity creates more activity.

One open storefront gives someone another reason to visit.

One successful event brings someone downtown who may not have been here in years.

One entrepreneur taking a chance makes it easier for another entrepreneur to imagine doing the same.

How History Loves Company Led to The Foundry

The Foundry didn't begin as a completely separate idea.

It grew naturally out of History Loves Company.

History Loves Company has spent years telling stories about historic homes, architecture, neighborhoods, preservation and the communities that surround them.

Our videos take viewers inside historic houses, forgotten buildings, factories, downtowns and neighborhoods that helped shape Michigan.

But eventually, documenting those stories created another question:

What are we doing to help create the next chapter?

The Foundry became one answer.

Instead of only talking about adaptive reuse, we could help put an old downtown building back to work.

Instead of only talking about local businesses, we could create space for them.

Instead of only talking about community online, we could create a physical place where people could gather.

And in our full What Is The Foundry? video , we're sharing that entire story — where the idea came from, what the building has become and where we hope it goes next.

Meet the Businesses Inside The Foundry

The building matters.

But the businesses are what make it alive.

Our growing community of makers, brands and creators has included:

And that list keeps evolving.

New businesses arrive.

Existing businesses change.

Vendors expand.

New products appear.

New concepts are tested.

You're not walking through something that was finished and frozen on opening day.

You're watching businesses being built in real time.

The Foundry Is a Small-Business Incubator

Somewhere in Michigan right now, somebody is making something at their kitchen table, in their garage, basement, spare room or studio.

People around them keep saying:

“You should sell that.”

Maybe they already sell online.

Maybe they've done a few markets.

Maybe they're just starting.

But going from that stage to signing a traditional commercial lease can be a massive jump.

The Foundry is designed to create a step in between.

Put your product in front of people.

Learn which items get attention.

Test your pricing.

Improve the packaging.

Change the display.

Talk to customers.

Build confidence.

Learn what your business could actually become.

More Than a Place to Shop

Retail is only one piece of the long-term Foundry vision.

We want this building filled with activity.

And we're especially interested in the ideas nobody here has thought of yet.

Some of our favorite conversations begin with:

“This might sound weird, but what if we…”

Those are exactly the conversations interesting places need.

Nearly 9,000 Square Feet — And We're Still Building

Today, The Foundry ecosystem encompasses nearly 9,000 square feet in downtown Pontiac.

The larger space brings together:

• Independent vendor spaces
• Small-business incubation
• Vintage and collectible retail
• Michigan makers
• Office space
• Creative and media space
• History Loves Company operations
• Pop-up opportunities
• Classes and events
• Community uses

And the concept continues to evolve.

We don't consider that a problem.

It's part of the idea.

The Bigger Dream

At its core, The Foundry is a bet.

A bet on small businesses.

A bet on creators.

A bet on historic buildings.

A bet on downtown Pontiac.

A bet that people still want physical places where they can wander around and discover something they weren't searching for.

And a bet that preserving a historic downtown takes more than simply protecting buildings.

We have to give those buildings something to do.

Put people inside them.

Create businesses.

Create reasons to visit.

Create activity.

Make new memories inside old places.

History Loves Company has spent years documenting places that used to be alive.

With The Foundry, we're trying to help make one of those places alive again.