Bailey Lounge

Tucked away at a secluded street-​corner in a building which can only be described as a wonder of brick architecture from the golden age of neighborhood retail store-​fronts, you find the Bailey Lounge. It’s physical façade takes cues from similar establishments from Savannah to Detroit: prominent doorway, ample glass brick, frontage shared with other stores (a barbershop I think in this case and a shoe repair shop or something in between), and a huge sign overhanging the sidewalk proclaiming in bold black lettering over a yellow background that this Bailey Lounge. This type of retail/​bar/​restaurant arrangement is typical to traditionally African-​American neighborhoods all over but rarely is discussed, even though it’s a pretty unique. I wish architectural historians talked about it more: some of these buildings are getting up in years and are real treasures.
Anyways, about the lounge: it’s a neighborhood bar and attracts a mixed-​age but mostly middle-​aged crowd. The ladies dress to impress, if you’re a guy though you can get away with a baseball cap – especially if it’s a Tigers one. Or Red Wings. The vibe is predominantly Black, very festive, and very local. It’s the real definition incarnate of a neighborhood bar.
Livernois has received a somewhat un-​deserved repute for being a dangerous area, especially this section of it: there are residential neighborhoods here still and good people who live in them. This bar is the living essence of being part of a neighborhood.