It all started with trash.
Around 10 years ago, Detroit residents and life partners Bo Shepherd and Kyle Dubay were in their 20s and came across it constantly while biking around the city β the lumber, metal, tile, and other objects left behind when someone moves away or a house is being gutted or demolished. But Shepherd and Dubay didnβt see it as trash. They saw stuff that has what they call βhonest wear,β or, in Dubayβs words, has βhad a life β its own texture and scars and marks that you would never get with something new.β
So much of this history, and the history of Detroit, was being thrown away. Shepherd and Dubay wanted to make something new from the remnants and debris. They started making home goods like decorative screen-printed signs and wall-mounted bottle openers with wood theyβd reclaimed from the city streets, selling them at artisan fairs and Eastern Market.
They werenβt armed with much more than Shepherdβs creative background β a former designer at General Motors Co., she trained at the College for Creative Studies β and what Dubay learned in high school woodshop. But they both had resourcefulness and drive. They named their company , a tribute to Detroitβs Main Street and to the retro origin of the materials they work with.
Today, Woodward Throwbacks is known nationwide for its handmade furniture and interior design centered on salvage. On Instagram, over 150,000 followers watch Shepherd, Dubay, and their small team build one-of-a-kind creations such as cabinets with old signs for doors or coffee tables made with wood salvaged from Michigan Central Station.
Renovation projects include adding texture and Detroit history to commercial spaces throughout the city and converting an Islandview warehouse into their future home.
Theyβve expanded the businessβs footprint from a garage to a building near Corktown, then a former Hamtramck auto dealership to, in 2022, a downtown flagship, Throwbacks Home, where visitors can find Woodward Throwbacks furniture alongside new seating made by sustainable design company Gus and home goods like luxury candles and vintage glassware.
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For Shepherd and Dubay, the move downtown signals the growing appeal of reclaimed and reused over brand-new and mass-produced.
βThrifting furniture is becoming more mainstream,β Dubay says. βYou go on Instagram now, and [interior design] is all about self-expression. What do you like? Itβs not about going to Google and buying the same couch your neighbor has; itβs about buying the cool thing that you found in Ohio or at an estate sale.β
In addition to the uniqueness and individuality an antique brings to a room, older items have already stood the test of time and often retain their value over a long period. There are also environmental benefits in seeing the beauty in whatβs already there and recycling it.
βNormally, when people think about sustainability, they think about using fair trade or using sustainable materials like mango wood,β Shepherd says. βWeβre actually taking materials that are in our own neighborhood, so itβs more about being locally sourced.β
βInstead of taking new materials out of the environment, weβre recycling materials,β Dubay adds. βThe most sustainable house you can build is one thatβs already built.β
Throwbacks Home is located at . Go to to learn more and to order their new book, Throwbacks Home Interiors.
This story originally appeared in the April 2024 issue of ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroit at a local retail outlet. OurΜύdigital editionΜύwill be available on April 5.
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