Detroit, Michigan
The Shoemaker
Jarret Schlaff is partnering with veterans to create a leather-goods brand — and rebuild Detroit
I met Jarret Schlaff at his business, which occupies a 100-year-old bank building in Detroit — a space he shares with a prosthetics company. Immediately upon entering, I was taken by the old-era-style work environment. There are sewing stations with people at them along the windows looking out at East Milwaukee Avenue. But the main feature of the space is a central work table that takes up the majority of the floor. It’s very active. Busy, collaborative, intertwined, and swirling — but so is Schlaff.
Schlaff has been in and around Detroit his entire life. He’s welcoming and energetic and talks quickly, intelligently, and enthusiastically about both his business and his community. I attempt to work Schlaff’s personal work history into the conversation, but before long he’s back to talking about Detroit and the needs of everyone around him. By the end, I realize that, for Schlaff, it’s all personal.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
