THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Flint, MI
Friday, May 21, 2004
By Shena Abercrombie
The “extreme makeover” at Steady Eddy’s cafe in the Flint Farmers’ Market should be done by the end of May. The caf specializes in omelets, unique sandwiches, vegetarian foods and cappuccino.
FLINT – Mike Lord’s idea of a makeover for his cafe in the Farmers’ Market was a few coats of paint and maybe some reupholstered chairs.
Instead, Baker College design students are giving Steady Eddy’s a $10,000 extreme makeover.
Unlike the hit ABC-TV program, “Extreme Makeover Home Edition,” there’s no 100-person team of designers and construction workers involved in this project. It’s just 12 students in design professor Deb Gerard’s class.
They have until the end of this month to completely transform the second-floor eatery, a fixture at the market since 1968.
The pale yellow walls will get a custom paint job and murals, to hide some of the areas in need of repair, and the mismatched chairs – leftovers from AutoWorld – will be replaced with sleek stackable ones.
Interior design major Diane Hughes, 44, of Flint, knew she and her classmates had a challenge ahead.
“I’ve eaten there a few times and I knew it was in desperate need,” she said.
Lord knew it was time to get hip.
“I’ve been here for eight years and, basically, it hasn’t changed at all,” he said. “When I bought it, I replaced the chairs they had in here – some big clumsy vinyl chairs. That’s it.”
Still, he conceded, the redesign hasn’t been easy.
“I’m up in age and not real quick for change,” Lord said. “I have to take a look at things to make sure they’re going to work. There’s some degree of concern when ideas are being bounced off.”
One of his mandates: Keep the celebrity photos that include post-middle age stars Bob Seger, Neil Diamond and Bette Midler.
“He didn’t want us to change anything on the walls,” said Krystal Fowler of Flint, 20.
At least the students will make sure the photos get matching frames.
They also plan to relocate and transform the main counter into a sandwich bar with bar stools.
The non-descript color theme will be replaced with bold oranges and blues that students say match the eccentricity of the owner.
The class has a history of community service projects that include designing rooms at Carriage Town Mission, offices on campus and private residences.
Officials from the market contacted Gerard to see if the class could take on Steady Eddy’s as part of improvements at the Farmers’ Market.
Gerard said the project will give students real-life experience and sharpen their skills, requiring them to work within a tight time frame and a small budget.
The class went to work a month ago, interviewing Lord and getting a sense of his design needs. They presented their final recommendations this week.
Students were also able to secure $7,800 in donated materials, and the rest of the changes will be custom creations by the students.
“It’s like Christmas day,” Lord said. “How many opportunities in life do you have for someone to come in and give you a face lift. A lot of this is brought on by donations. It’s an awesome thing. It’s a complete turnaround.”
