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When a millennial moved to Detroit from SF, he bought a home and opened a coffee shop. He said that would have been impossible on the West Coast.
- David Valdez moved to Detroit from San Francisco in 2018 and opened Alba, a coffee shop, which was his lifelong dream.
- Valdez said he moved to Detroit for better job opportunities and lower living costs.
- In San Francisco, he worked two jobs and lived with roommates, but in Detroit, he was able to buy a house and open his own coffee shop.
- The lower cost of living in Detroit has allowed Valdez to gain financial independence that wouldn't have been possible in San Francisco.
- Valdez noticed a lack of coffee shops in Detroit and sensed that the community needed independent, specialty cafés.
- He booked $306,000 in net sales this year at Alba, according to documents reviewed by Business Insider.
- Valdez received grants and loans from local organizations, including $50,000 from ProsperUs, a Detroit-based organization that provides loans for small businesses in the city.
- Valdez's success in Detroit is part of an ongoing trend, as many Americans have been moving to smaller cities with more affordable living costs since the pandemic.
- Between July 2022 and July 2023, 1,852 people moved into Detroit, according to the US Census Bureau.
- While Detroit has some downsides, such as a lack of public transportation, Valdez said moving there was the best decision he's ever made.
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