When owner Andrey Douthard had the notion to open Paramita Sound in an abandoned house in Detroit’s historic West Village Neighborhood back in 2014, he knew he had a cool concept on his hands. But it was probably a far-fetched idea that his bar-vinyl hub for artists and DJs would widely become known as one of the best in the city, and even the country.
Today, though, that once far-fetched idea is a reality, as USA Today recently named Paramita as one of the country’s 27-best bars.
The bar was chosen by Lyndsay C. Green, the food writer for the Detroit Free Press (both USA Today and the Detroit Free Press are owned by Gannett), who said, “For its minimalist, local-first bar program and the intentional way the space cultivates community through music, Paramita Sound is Detroit’s Bar of the Year.”
The list includes several types of bars, including neighborhood taverns, cocktail bars, dive bars, cocktail bars, and even a beach bar, and the list of 27 bars were chosen by writers across the country who actually live in the towns and drink at the selected bars.
Paramita holds a unique place in the nightlife scene of Detroiters. It’s one of the few Black-owned bars in Detroit’s downtown, having relocated to 1515 Broadway after spending its first three years at the West Village location.
“Detroit’s most progressive producers were showcased on the last Friday of each month for three years. From the city’s OG’s to unheard talent, the profile opened its arms to everyone. Always free, always inclusive, and always a lot of [expletive] fun,” the website says.
The wine bar/record shop moved downtown to replace a space that had formerly been a central hub for the local Detroit music scene since the early 1980s, and it hasn’t looked back since.
“When we started in 2014, the idea of opening this record shop initially was justifying a more universal language to connect with people,” Douthard told the Free Press. “The goal of what we do at Paramita is to maintain generational connections and so starting as a record shop was us trying to bring people together in the most honest way because my love and my place in this city has always been through the music community.”
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