A liquor store may seem an unlikely place for an art exhibit, but stepping into Liquor Basket Gratiot’s Push Gallery couldn’t feel more organic. The improbable art venue has added a new dimension to the city’s already explosive arts scene. Folding bold expression into the everyday, this is a quiet revolution that dares to reimagine how and where art lives, and who gets to experience it.
Just over a year ago, photographer, Elonte Davis, approached fellow artist and Liquor Basket Gratiot owner Dominick Lemonious with a brilliant idea to exhibit his work at the venue. Together, they launched Love, Appreciation, Celebration—an exhibition of Davis’ photography that placed his framed images of Detroiters not only on the establishment’s walls, but in refrigerated cases, and on turntables and bullet-proof glass. Delivering art directly to the people, the exhibit provided an added layer of culture and community engagement to the environment – immediately changing what we perceive a liquor store to be and creating an entryway into the arts for many of the store’s patrons.
Adding to this uncharted voyage, Davis photographed and integrated customers into the exhibit along the way. Many got to see themselves in professional photographs and on gallery walls for the first time; some of them returning for events, Detroit-sharp with their families, to revel in the recognition.
The concept of the liquor store art show was a huge hit that Davis is developing into a documentary and Lemonious has continued to cultivate: Liquor Basket Gratiot went on to present four more group exhibits during 2024, including Shooter’s First – a show specifically highlighting local photographers, who have greater difficulty being seen on gallery walls. Most notably, this has become the talk of the town—the place to be and the place to see—for Detroit creatives and art aficionados.
A family business and a practice of art
Liquor Basket Gratiot is a Black-owned, family-run business nestled beside the iconic Faygo plant on Detroit’s east side. Though years in the making, its doors opened during the height of the pandemic—a bold leap in uncertain times. Since then, it has not only endured but flourished, now offering one of the region’s most extensive selections of Black-owned and locally sourced spirits. Among its curated offerings are names like Uncle Nearest, the Detroit-based, Black and woman-owned Anteel Tequila, the McBride Sisters’ celebrated Black Girl Magic collection, Motu Viget, and even Sun Goddess wines by Mary J. Blige. More than a liquor store, the operation stands as a testament to the power of Black family legacy, resilience, and community-building—thriving in the most unexpected places.
Dominick Lemonious like many artists, realized his interest in art during childhood, but only began creating seriously after returning home from college in North Carolina. His grand introduction to the art world came when he was invited to assist prominent Detroit muralist, Hubert Massey, with a 30-foot-by-30-foot fresco in downtown Detroit’s (since renamed) Cobo Center. From there, he developed relationships with other artists via the Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club, and explored drawing, painting, print-making, and merchandise development. His signature artworks raised awareness about sign language, and he designed a coat of arms for the city of Detroit that remains permanently installed at the liquor store. His personal art practice has, from the beginning, been pointed at elevating consciousness and celebrating Detroit as a taste-making city for the world.
Surrounded by an abundance of talent and touched by the spirits of artistry and entrepreneurship, Dominick naturally began to re-envision the establishment’s walls as prime exhibition real estate. He had already begun replacing standard liquor store point-of-purchase signage with artwork even before the first exhibit, and he has continued refining the space to make it more gallery-ready.
Liquor Basket Gratiot introduces Push Gallery
Digging deeper into dedicating this space to the arts, Liquor Basket Gratiot decided to give the exhibition program its own identity and recently rebranded it as Push Gallery. Lemonious describes Push as “an artist-run gallery focused on pushing the collective and making art more accessible to the community.”
Push’s debut exhibition, Community First, opened on Friday, April 4, 2025 with an extensive line-up of more than thirty emerging art stars, fledgling local artists, and high profile and veteran names including Sydney James, Phil Simpson, Walter Bailey, and Michael Horner. It was an immersive experience with floor to ceiling installations including paintings, freestanding art, sculpture, and a whole fine art print operation running by Oshun Williams. Tastings were doled out by Ikonic Spirits, a Michigan local wine and bourbon brand inspired by Idlewild, music by DJ Frankie B, and plates offered by The Liquor Basket’s kitchen (which reopens officially in May). The Push Gallery reception was a night to remember that will perhaps go down in Detroit history as the most influential art opening of the year.
Push Gallery is within a store after all – one that was completely open for business during the reception. Cousins and sisters rang up purchases behind the counter, and walk-in customers were enveloped in the raucous world of art and creatives. To be invited into this atmosphere, while simply grabbing a snack or a beer, can open up a person’s perspective on the world. One customer, who walked into a previous show while shopping, is now exhibiting her art for the first time in Community First. Her life is, quite possibly, changed forever. It is this kind of community engagement the gallery is living for.
“Having art inside a liquor store has been very impactful. It brightens the environment and the mood,” Dominic shared. “Many people may be coming into the store are dealing with real life issues, and seeing the art just changes the mood. I believe art has the ability to uplift people in that way.”
What this space is showing us is that there’s no wrong place or time for art to be seen, loved, and collected. While there may be a place in art for gate-keepers, it certainly isn’t here. Visit the Liquor Basket Gratiot’s Push Gallery any day of the week from 10:00 am to 2:00 am. Liquor Basket Gratiot, 3643 Gratiot Ave., Detroit, MI 40207.
