Russell Bazaar

I passed the place already a year ago but not on a weekend so it wasn’t open! I looked forward visiting it for a long time! It seems to be a great idea to occupy a huge building like that, especially when you look at the rest of Detroit !
So we went on a Friday around 12 pm, there are many different areas but they all seemed closed! The trade market was just sad, nothing local no art, no self made stuff.
60% of the stalls were closed.
The rest was all Chinese crap, bad, bad fake designer bags, polyester scarfs, cheap cosmetics !
I think I saw a barber and the food court had one taco place open.
It could be a great place, it’s huge with beautiful windows and has this industrial flair to it.
It’s sad just like a lot of the rest of that once so beautiful city!

Popped in for a bite to eat and found the Loco and the Niki’s Pizza gone; this place is going downhill.

I was pretty excited to find out about this place when I first moved here — I imagined very cool art and «stuff» packed in a huge cool space — but I was really really disappointed. Lots of «Made in China» stuff that you can find in any corner gas station, and not nearly they type of «flea market» merchandise that could make it an interesting walk through.
Don’t waste your time. And the «Art Gallery» in the back is really not worth the time.
I find that there are many «great» ideas floating out here in the Detroit Metro area, but just not well executed — I find it a lot of much ado about nothing, with the desire for full credit for less than half effort. The Russell Bazaar could be GREAT, but just isn’t.

I wish I had the same experience here as did Augustine and David. Yea, its super cool that this old building is being used for something, but I found it depressing as I wandered the aisles, half them with empty spaces. I will give it to them that there were a few cool booths, mainly the hat guy and the antique furniture booth. Otherwise, there was a lot of junk. My guy and I played «find the ugliest» item game, I must admit that I was clear winner. (at least by my count!)
I also grew up going to flea markets in the 80s and early 90s (especially County Line, which is a whole other story), so I’m no stranger to the grunge that a flea market offers. This one was just sad because there were exactly no customers there, no one shopping at all; I did not see one person with a shopping bag for the whole time I was there (maybe this is just another lovely sign of our depressed economy). Additionally, the ‘food court,’ which includes all of three stalls was equally depressed. Niki’s and Loco’s was closed but the deli stall was open, but unmanned. I hate to be so critical, especially since the idea of doing something with unused Detroit buildings is paramount, but I really don’t see myself returning unless there is a special occasion going on here (ie. art festival).

I came here during the People’s Art Festival a couple weekends ago, I had never been. After going up and down two homely aisles of art, we went inside the building to walk around.
OK, this place could potentially be cool. I grew up going to Gibraltar Trade Center back in the days when air-​brushed wolf howling at the moon t-​shirts were cool (or were they really ever?) and working at a flea market in Detroit with my dad so I get the concept: counterfeit purses/​clothes/​sunglasses/​watches, over-​priced club clothes, ugly trinkets and there’s always that forgotten-​about ghost town row of furniture and complete dumpster junk that you wonder how the renters of that space pay their rent. Well, Russell Bazaar was all of the above, but there are a LOT of empty spaces/​booths which made me feel sorry for the whole place.
There were a couple of food stands too… one I want to say was a branch of Loco’s? I wasn’t paying enough attention.
Is rent too high or just not enough buying customers maybe? Like I said, it could be kind of cool maybe if more traffic was generated through there and some cooler/​more arsty-​type vendors were situated in the place. The PAF seemed not to have helped but I know it’s not been going on for too many years so it needs some time to develop.
Bonus footage: using the restroom inside the building, when I came out to wash my hands, there were 3 young ladies in brightly-​colored stretchy outfits of blue and pink monopolizing the small 2-​sink and mirror area to apply makeup. Not one bothered to give up their space for anyone coming out of the crapper to wash their hands. About an hour later, we learned that it was one of the acts that was playing on the loading dock for the PAF. Jai Fears or Jai Tears I want to say her name was? She went on to brag about a couple of movie spots she’s landed. Very pretty girl, voice was OK… but the «backup dancers» were too cheeseball and rehearsed, so I didn’t feel like watching them long. Not my kind of music anyway.
I just found it amusing that these ladies had kind of acted like divas a little while earlier **in a freaking flea market bathroom nonetheless** when they’re playing on a loading dock of this dumpy building to maybe 25 people, and random art fair strollers. I know everyone’s gotta start somewhere and I am a supporter of local music but not those who don’t even show me common courtesy, nyahhh.
I was handed a poster of the young lady with her pink microphone which I promptly ditched and we headed over to see the band on the «main stage» with a guy playing a giant black bass… something Tarantulas…
I don’t know that I could find a reason to return to the Russell Bazaar.

I’m finally glad this building is being used for something and not left abandoned !!
I’ve been here a few times and some of the stuff here is really cool. You should be able to sort through the good stuff and the crap pretty quick. There are tons of stores that sell anything from apple pies to electronics to some cool hats.
Definitely stop in if your on I-​75 and are passing by the W. Grand Blvd area !