Local Services

Flipping Mythbusters

Two Max Broock agents are done watching good homes ruined by bad flippers — and not shy about saying so Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie Before they were Royal Oak Realtors, Matt Bazner spent 25 years as a licensed contractor, and Justin Bercheny was an interior designer. Together, the two Max Broock agents bring something most real estate professionals simply can't offer: they've seen inside the walls. Literally. That backstage access makes them unusually...

Finance + Legal Services

Trust Over Trends

Michael Cayen brings aloha spirit and steady hands to investing Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie At 13 and Campbell in Royal Oak, there’s a hula girl silhouette on the side of a building, complete with palm tree and sunset. It’s the kind of image you don’t expect to see alongside the practicality of Little Caesars and 7-Eleven. Michael Cayen put it up. His goal is simple: make something bright enough to maybe change a stranger’s mood at a red light. “That’s the whole...

Wellness

Reconnecting With You

Following her voice led Susanne Scott to a miraculous reunion — and a calling. Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie "There's something familiar about that belly." It's a strange sentence to hear in your own head. Especially when you're walking along a seawall in San Diego, searching for an uncle you haven't seen in decades. But Susanne Scott heard it anyway. Clear as a bell. And she followed it. The man with the familiar belly was leaning back on the seawall. When he...

Home + Design

Right Plant, Right Place

Less lawn, more life: Erica Zador helps backyards do more than look good Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie The wind is a character in Erica Zador’s story. Not metaphorically. Literally. The kind of wind that rips across the Great Plains with enough force to rearrange your mood—and, if you’re unlucky, your car. In Erica’s Kansas childhood, growing up 27 miles from the nearest town, tumbleweeds weren't charming symbols of the Old West. They were the wind’s weapons...

Arts + Culture

Home Ground

Dustin Walker's century of Royal Oak roots keeps homebuying human Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie Dustin Walker describes Royal Oak streets the way most people talk about their living room.  It makes sense: his family has been inhabiting them for over a century. "My great-grandparents moved here in the 1920s," Dustin explains. "Since then, we've just kept moving up Campbell Road. My great-grandmother lived at 11 and Campbell. My dad grew up at 12 and Campbell. I grew...

Home + Design

Building From Why

This former GM engineer builds renovations around what matters most to you Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie Vince Rende didn't leave General Motors because he hated engineering. In fact, he still loves the attention to detail and problem solving that it takes to be a good engineer.  He just sensed there was a better path for him—one that brings him closer not just to the work, but to the people he serves. For years, he guided multi-million-dollar automotive projects...

Home + Design

How A Home Should Feel

Kristen Roessel designs for how life feels—and creates rooms that people never want to leave Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie Kristen Roessel doesn’t remember a single moment when interior design “clicked.”  There was just a room. Her room. She was a kid, newly moved to Michigan and newly given her very own bedroom. Her mom told all the kids they could do whatever they wanted with their spaces. One sister felt overwhelmed. Her brother didn’t care.  Kristen lit up. ...

Life + Culture

Roots of Royal Oak

Inside an old fire station, volunteers preserve our city's history Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie The elevator groans to life. And as docent Tom Toggweiler and I descend, a stunning mural of the old Saginaw Trail slides past on the wall. It’s a painted reminder that long before this was a Detroit suburb with trendy restaurants and bustling nightlife, Native Americans walked this path between Detroit and Saginaw. The moment encapsulates our tour of the Royal Oak...

Arts + Culture

The Craftsman Who Listens

For 36 years, Brendan Sherwood has turned conversations into custom creations at Elements Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie For 36 years, Brendan Sherwood has turned conversations into custom creations at Elements There's a story Brendan Sherwood tells about glass vessels he made in college. During a critique, his instructor posed a hypothetical: What if someone puts something inside that ruins the aesthetic, that destroys what you've created? Brendan's answer? "I...

Arts + Culture

The Library, Reimagined

At the Royal Oak Public Library, borrowing goes far beyond books Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie The first time I heard about them, I assumed I mis heard. A ghost-hunting kit. A karaoke machine. A robotic cat that purrs when you pet it. These are not the offerings of a startup, or a tech incubator. Nope. They’re all available to borrow at the Royal Oak Public Library — which, under the thoughtful leadership of director Sandy Irwin, is redefining what a library can...