Walking into Someday, a new art gallery and bakehouse in Detroit’s North End, you’ll be embraced like a close friend.
The space merges culinary and visual arts, all seamlessly blended with an essence of “inner child energy.” In March, Someday opened at 2857 E. Grand Blvd., connected to the comic book store Vault of Midnight. MilkyWay, a model and DJ, and Trotter, a photographer and visual artist, launched Someday with a shared vision of introducing local communities to unique creative programming that nourishes all the senses.
The founders began their journeys together at Detroit’s Cass Tech High School and have since worked together and separately in fine art, editorial, and commercial spaces.
After living in New York City for a short period and Los Angeles for around seven years, collaborating with clients such as Nike, Telfar, Rolling Stone, and Google, the couple returned home to Detroit in 2022 with ambitions of strengthening the city’s creative community and cultivating a safe space for “young melanated folk.”
During the same year, Someday received a Motor City Match grant of $40,000, which supported the realization of its brick-and-mortar.
“We honestly hit the ground running,” Trotter says. “We came back to Detroit with the mission, so I want to say within the first few months of us being here, we were looking at different areas, different neighborhoods for Someday to land.”
Initially, they looked at spots on the west side near Rosedale Park close to where Trotter grew up, but ultimately settled on the current space closer to the east side where MilkyWay was raised. The pair’s childhood, time in high school, and surely their time since, all helped to shape the current endeavor.
“I can just pay homage to our past journeys,” Trotter says. “We spent a lot of time in different spaces, not necessarily working or hands-on, but just always observing, and always appreciating the moment and that has helped us quite a bit.”
Someday’s inaugural exhibit is titled Capitalist Society, featuring three Detroit artists, four artists from other U.S. cities, and one artist from Haifa, Palestine. The show demonstrates “the experience of trying to survive in a for-profit regime” through “harrowing and uncomfortable anecdotes.”
The owners believe this show effectively represents Someday’s mission to create an accessible art experience. Plus, the theme of capitalism, even in the art community itself, is not an uncommon one.
“I feel like it’s a conversation that is relatable, but it’s also kind of heavy hitting to what Detroit is experiencing as well,” MilkyWay says. “I feel like a lot of people can relate to just that thumb of oppression in different ways.”
Trotter adds, “We’ve had struggles in our own careers matriculating in a number of spaces and so we’re walking forward in trying to create our own… The state of the world, it has a price tag, and that price tag is omitting a lot of individuals.”
Aside from creating impactful art you can see and hear, MilkyWay and Trotter have always had a love for cooking and baking, as well as cultivating community. And, they realized the importance of good food in spaces where creative work is flourishing.
“If you’re making magic you should be putting magic in your belly,” Trotter says. “We had a lot of crazy experiences going on adventures and following our dreams and eventually we came up with this idea, this concept of merging visual and culinary arts to craft a unique form of hospitality.”
The idea for Someday truly ignited in 2020 when the couple was commissioned by Rolling Stone to create a commemorative “moment” following George Floyd’s death.
“We brought the community out to Leimert Park in Los Angeles, which is a really historic Black community there and we talked about police brutality, and we talked about the experience of America and then we also served them homemade donuts, and that kind of burst the experience on collaborating culinary and art,” MilkyWay shares.
Following that, the owners made a root-inspired dinner for a friend in New York’s art exhibit, titled “raíces,” which means “roots” in Spanish, again cohesively connecting the culinary and visual arts.
Now, at Someday, to tie in all aspects of the space, bakery items connect with the visual art on the walls, and the food will continue to change as the art does.
Someday’s signature sweet treat is called the “twerk,” rebranding the popular dance as a sweet-brioche bun filled with stewed fruit and topped with glaze and pie crumbles. Other menu offerings include a spinach and mushroom quiche, “313” cookies, and more.
“When we started dating, her family was hosting dinner and movies, and in my household, it was a huge theme, at least growing up, that we always heard our house can cook the best and make the best pies,” Trotter says. “I feel like that is a common trend with individuals who come from backgrounds like ours, but there is a barrier in the concept of actually matriculating it and developing that. We feel really blessed… It all stems from childhood.”
“We are in touch with our inner child,” MilkyWay adds.
You can see and feel such in the space, which exudes a childlike energy, especially in its design aspects. The bakery counter features toy-like shapes, the table in the center of the room is whimsically carved, and the big rug on the floor is colorful and uniquely textured.
Someday is inviting… and it’s intentional.
“As we make space for ourselves, Someday is very much about making space for others and propelling experience,” Trotter says.
Looking forward, the owners plan to host more events in the space, expand Someday’s team, and ultimately transition into a full restaurant. Additionally, they plan to lean more into being a creative studio.
“We want to get more into creating campaigns and editorials in Detroit,” MilkyWay says. “We haven’t had that experience yet because we’ve been separated [from Detroit], so we really want to rub shoulders with the creative community here and make storytelling moments of both fashion and jewelry. Those are my dreams. Also journalism and documentation.”
The name “Someday,” for both owners, represents endless possibilities for the future, an affirming idea they want to emphasize to anyone who walks through the door.
“I believe everyone has a ‘Someday’ and if you are passionate enough with your life, you will find that you have many ‘Somedays,’” Trotter says.
“I love ‘Someday’ because it lets my dreams evolve,” MilkyWay adds. “It’s just something that you can constantly look forward to, constantly be grateful for, even the present, the past, and the future. It also includes everybody, she really loves community, she’s a Pisces, Aquarius moon, she really wants people in here and I just want to go forward with that, go forward with that energy, being out with the folks, hugging the folks, embracing the community and the culture of Detroit.”
Location Details
