Greektown Businesses Launch Events to Bring Foot Traffic to Neighborhood Amid Construction

As construction continues in Detroit's Greektown to make four blocks of the neighborhood more pedestrian-friendly, some businesses are reporting that foot traffic in the community has been impacted. They want to remind residents and visitors that they are open amid the construction.

In an effort to attract people back to Greektown, the Greektown Neighborhood Partnership has organized a pub crawl, wine stroll, and district happy hour. 

The pub crawl will be held on May 23 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. The wine stroll is taking place on June 21 from noon to 4 p.m., and the happy hours will run every Thursday from June through August from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“We've had difficulty with the construction, obviously. A lot of people think we are closed, but we are open for business," said Spero Dionysopoulos, owner of the Golden Fleece and Mati, in an interview with 7 News Detroit.

Greektown business owner Yanni Dionisopoulos is heavily involved with the Greektown Neighborhood Partnership, the nonprofit overseeing the streetscape revitalization in Greektown. He explained to 7 News Detroit that the improvements in Greektown have been years in the making. When the opportunity came to receive $20 million in Michigan funds for the project due to a state budget surplus, the Partnership knew it needed to respond quickly.

"The vision's been always there, the funding not, and then obviously when the funding was announced, yes, we had our own little party," Dionisopoulos explained.

While the visible signs of construction along Monroe Street suggest that Greektown's businesses are closed, Dionisopoulos said he wants to clarify to the community that Greektown's storefronts are open.

"Yes, we're open for business. Yes, there's disruptions, but there's always available parking," Dionisopoulos emphasized to 7 News Detroit. "We do need your support as we have the last 100-plus years. Come stop by. Our plates are always full."