Detroit Bud & Breakfast is also a community hub
Alex Washington of the Detroit Metro Times has an excellent feature on the unique offerings of Detroit’s Copper House B&B that begins:
Picture this: you’re invited to a backyard dinner party on Detroit’s west side. When you arrive, there’s a beautifully decorated table, a DJ playing music, and a mobile bar. There’s also an eclectic mix of people ranging in professions, race, gender identity, and style, who are all there for the same reason — cannabis.
Jess Jackson and her wife Cara Jackson own the Copper House, a “bud and breakfast” located in Detroit’s Bagley neighborhood. The couple drew inspiration for the Copper House after backpacking through Europe, a trip that eventually resulted in their engagement. Throughout their travels, they stayed in a variety of short-term rentals ranging from bed and breakfasts to hostels, and brought the concept back to Detroit.
“What we loved about the hostel experience is that it was very communal, and that there was kind of like a community ambassador around,” Jess says. “But the concern was we’re queer, and we’re gay, and we don’t know if we can be affectionate around these people.”
That concern is a part of what led Jess to decide that the Bagley neighborhood was the right area for the Jacksons to begin laying permanent roots. The area is relatively close to Ferndale, the Michigan city most known for being LGBTQ+ friendly, and Bagley itself is known for being accepting as well.
“This neighborhood historically has a lot of intersections, that’s why Hotter than July, the Black (LGBTQ+) pride festival, happens in Bagley at our park, because there’s a lot of Black queer history in this neighborhood,” says Jess. “I specifically was interested in Bagley because of the adjacency to Ferndale, because of the queer community, because it is a Black community, and because I love the architecture.”
When it comes to the Copper House, calling it a “bud and breakfast” perhaps oversimplifies all work and community-building that the Jacksons actually offer. Jess describes herself as a community architect and community activist. While finishing her Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Delaware, her sorority sister launched a CBD apothecary line that centered on using cannabis for medicinal properties as it related to anxiety and depression. At the same time, her sorority sister also centered conversations around social equity and cannabis justice, a topic that caused Jess to research more about the cannabis industry.
“What I loved about the industry was that it’s a ground-floor opportunity to kind of grow with the industry over time,” says Jess. “I also really like that it weaved together my interests of equity and justice. Social equity is jargon within the industry — folks kind of know that there are some corporate social responsibilities to repair the harm from the past.”
We really (really) encourage you to read the full feature that includes their future plans & if you’re heading to the Motor City, definitely consider a stay at Copper House.
More Michigan cannabis lodging options & articles from the Michigan Cannabis Trail.
photos via Copper House Detroit on Instagram
