Kyle Bartell

What is Sit on It Detroit?

Sit On It Detroit is a social enterprise that provides reclaimed wood benches at bus-stops around the city. I founded it in 2012 with my business partner Charlie Molnar. I was using public transit everyday and noticed the lack of seating at many bus stops. I saw this as an opportunity bring together my interests in transit advocacy and urban planning and make an on-the-ground impact.

What was your experience in Build?

The timing was perfect for us. I was already working at D:hive as a tour guide, so I was very familiar with Build. Taking the classes while working on the business was ideal for us. Jeff (Build Instructor and Executive Director) was always a phone call or email away.

 

“Taking the classes while working on the business was ideal for us.”

 

 

 

What are your most recent developments?

So far we’ve placed benches at over 18 bus stops in Detroit and we’ve begun expanding production to provide benches for parks, neighborhood baseball diamonds, and more public spaces in the city. Our current projects include building a bench commissioned by Source Booksellers in midtown, in addition to working with local businesses to build tabletops, a-frame signs and other small-scale carpentry projects. We also recently moved into a new 10,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Corktown.

What’s in the future for Sit On It Detroit?

We want to bring attention to larger public transit issues facing the city, and we hope to improve the quality of life for transit riders and the general public.