from “le détroit” · the strait
Detroit author Tamela Todd opened her book bar at 1620 Michigan Ave., pairing a Michigan-only wine list with a curated shelf of titles and a $65,000 Motor City Match grant behind it.
A Detroit author has turned a six-year idea into a storefront on Michigan Avenue. Tamela Todd opened T&T Sip-N-Read on August 27, 2025, at 1620 Michigan Ave., Suite 122, in Corktown. The concept is a book bar: a place to browse a curated shelf of titles and order a glass of wine in the same room.
Todd, a Detroit native, published author, and wine enthusiast, has said she modeled the idea on book bars she visited in Denver, New York, Paris, and Rome, and wanted to bring the format home. The space runs about 2,400 square feet and seats up to 111 guests.
The wine list is the part Todd built on purpose. Every pour comes from a Michigan winery, a choice she made because the state's wineries do not get much national attention. Wine is served in five- and eight-ounce glasses, with mocktails for guests who came for the books and light food such as charcuterie. The bar's signature bottle is the Library of Rosé, made in partnership with Chateau Chantal in Traverse City and sold only through the shop.
The opening was backed by a $65,000 Motor City Match grant from Round 23 of the program, which supported the build-out, equipment, and supplies, per the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, which runs Motor City Match. Todd had also won Motor City Match awards in earlier rounds, for space and for design. According to the corporation, the business is the 193rd to open through the program and received additional support from Black Leaders Detroit, Invest Detroit, and the Detroit Development Fund. It employs five Detroit residents.
"Detroit deserves a space like this too," Todd said in a Detroit Economic Growth Corporation release. "It's an incredible feeling to bring this vision to life here in Detroit."
The shop is built to do more than sell books and wine. Todd has laid out a slate of recurring programming, including silent reading sessions, member wine tastings, and live music, plus a members-only wine club and an author program that puts local writers on the shelves. The store keeps afternoon and evening hours Wednesday through Saturday, with some days reserved for members and private bookings.
The location sits inside The Corner development at Michigan and Trumbull, the former site of Tiger Stadium, a few blocks from Michigan Central. The address is 1620 Michigan Ave., Suite 122, Detroit.
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