Phil Cooley

Phil Cooley is co-proprietor of two of Detroit's most popular new establishments: Slow's Bar BQ and the equally fabulous Mercury Coffee Bar. He's also a furniture designer, sometimes model and real estate developer – helping build out and make over lofts and properties around the city. And sit outside at Slow's on a summer day and you'll see he excels at modern patio building, too.

Phil is a design snob, he admits, and can't sit in other people's restaurants without critiquing the décor, at least in his head.

Phil has lived all over the world – including a stay in Milan – and is something of a fixture at Detroit art scene events. So it's not a surprise that his most favorite place in all of Ferndale, the first ring suburbs just north of Detroit, is a gallery, namely the Susanne Hillberry Gallery on Livernois.

"Susanne Hilberry is, in my mind incredibly talented," he says. "The quality she brings in is comparable to anything I've seen anywhere."

Drinks and more

Social causes also drive a lot Phil's decisionmaking. So he also feels content both aesthetically and socially taking his business to The Emory, a well designed bar on Woodward north of 9 Mile which serves a lot of organic and locally produced foods. "I like supporting people who work with sustainability in mind. I think it's not only an attractive space and a good drink, but beyond there's social conscience behind it." Neighboring Woodward Avenue Brewery has the same owners, but Phil prefers across the vibe across the street at the Emory.

For ethnic eating, he likes Anita's Kitchen and Blue Nile. He notes that Anita's has had a recent modernized makeover, but it's not the design that he likes as much as the grub at either spot. "It's the quality that brings me there," he says, noting that while most of his Ferndale trips come when he has to be there for some other reason, he will make special trips from his Corktown Detroit home just for Anita's.

For music, he says that "occasionally I would go to Magic Bag, but that style of music is not really in line with what I like. They rarely have things I want to see."

Phil is not much of a clothing shopper, but he will travel to Ferndale for good Vintage clothes (Mother Fletchers is a favorite) and a salon called Flip – where he gets his hair cut.