Bedrock’s vision for downtown Detroit entered its most anticipated phase this August with the opening of ALO Hudson’s Detroit, the first retail tenant inside the long-awaited Hudson’s development on Woodward Avenue. On Friday, August 22, the wellness-focused brand opened its doors, giving Detroiters and visitors another reason to pause and explore a corridor that has been steadily rebuilding its rhythm. This stretch of Woodward has seen a resurgence over the past few years, with names like Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty adding national shine, Detroit’s own The Lip Bar growing into a celebrated homegrown success, and new bars and restaurants like Easy Peasy turning the avenue into a lively mix of food, fashion, and culture. ALO’s debut is the latest piece of a larger story that has been years in the making.
For Detroiters, the Hudson’s site has always meant more than square footage. It was once home to the iconic J.L. Hudson’s department store, a symbol of Detroit’s mid-century vitality and community life. For decades, Hudson’s wasn’t just a place to shop; it was where families met for holidays, parades passed by, and the pulse of downtown was measured. That heartbeat stopped in 1983 when the store closed. Fifteen years later, in 1998, the building was demolished, leaving an empty block on one of the city’s most important streets. For nearly two decades, the lot stood as a reminder of both loss and possibility.
That changed when Bedrock, the real estate firm led by Dan Gilbert, announced its plans to redevelop the site. The groundbreaking in December 2017 drew crowds and coverage. Detroiters were promised not just a building but a statement—that downtown would once again be a place where commerce, culture, and community converged. Over the years, designs shifted, timelines were extended, and the pandemic slowed progress. Still, the cranes kept moving, and the skyline evolved. Now, nearly eight years later, the first retail doors have opened.
“The opening of ALO, our inaugural retail tenant at Hudson’s Detroit, is a significant milestone,” said Naumann Idrees, Bedrock’s senior vice president of leasing. “ALO embodies wellness, community and human connection—values that complement Detroit’s energy today.” For Idrees and Bedrock, the goal was never just to fill space but to create a place. ALO’s brand, rooted in fitness, mindfulness, and lifestyle, felt like a natural first step for a downtown looking to show its breadth.
ALO’s flagship location at 1272 Woodward Avenue greets a downtown that has become an attraction again. For residents, it’s another local stop; for visitors, it’s an invitation to see a city that continues to rewrite its story. And Bedrock is just getting started. Hudson’s Detroit will add more retail and dining options over the coming months, including Tecovas, a Western bootmaker, and a lineup of curated experiences meant to make the building a daily draw.
The development is more than shopping. It already houses The Department at Hudson’s, a 56,000-square-foot event venue open to the public, designed to host everything from galas to conferences. Office space is filled by major tenants like General Motors’ global headquarters, Accenture, and Ven Johnson Law. Nick Gilbert Way, the new public plaza named for Gilbert’s late son, offers an accessible gathering space. Plans for a rooftop bar signal that the building will be as much about social energy as it is about commerce.
Beside the main structure rises a 45-story tower, one of the tallest additions to Detroit’s skyline in decades. When completed, it will feature The Detroit EDITION hotel and The Residences at The Detroit EDITION, offering high-end living and hospitality steps away from Woodward. Together, the two buildings are redefining what the Hudson’s block means to Detroit.
The significance of this first retail opening is hard to overstate. For years, Woodward Avenue was marked by loss, punctuated by vacant lots and shuttered storefronts. Today, it is layered with energy. Detroiters can shop at Fenty Beauty, grab lipstick from The Lip Bar, meet friends for drinks at Easy Peasy, and now step into ALO’s wellness-centered space—all within a few blocks. The Hudson’s site was once an empty reminder of what was gone; today it’s becoming an active part of what’s next.
The anticipation for this moment has been long. Each construction update, every crane movement, every steel beam drew attention because the Hudson’s site represents something larger: Detroit’s resilience and its refusal to settle for decline. It is a reminder that downtown belongs to the people who stuck with it and to those returning to see it anew.
ALO may just be one store, but its presence signals a shift. It tells Detroiters that the wait was not in vain, that the promises made at groundbreaking are starting to materialize. For longtime Detroiters, this first retail tenant feels like more than a store—it’s a sign that a long-vacant site has come back to life. For newer residents and visitors, it’s a chance to see downtown not as a memory, but as a destination.
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