The flow of red taillights and bumper-to-bumper action as "standers-by" watch vehicles zip past on the 75 interstate, gazing for a means by which to cross; or along a particular stretch of pavement often thought more safe to venture down a street running along the speedway... the intent: keep their livelihood intact.  Still, there are some who view the 45 miles-per-hour plus roadway as simply another road, rolling the dice of life and inescapably taking chances against quick-paced traffic.  Although subjecting themselves to citations of extraordinary fines and risking prison confinement for their chosen behavior, walkers and bikers alike insist on being noticed as travelers along this grand network of interstate-connected roadways.  

       Stories of recent hardly deliver on the possibility of a mobility scooter being seen along these pathways, and yet the last scene on this stretch of highway was a granny with an attitude.  This 76-year-old, without a care in the world, declared that the safe routes were for chumps and started down the entrance ramp, groceries-in-hand, and attempted to cross the busy landscape with little time for motorists to react and/or respond to the astonishing scene.  Capturing the attention of what few automobile owners and operators that were safely able, the police were contacted with more than simply a few calls from concerned citizens.  This elderly daredevil didn't last long, as the local police force were privileged with attending to the seemingly unconcerned woman and proceeded to administer their civil duties on her behalf -- this time, in the form of a much safer ride home... with police escort.  

       Left with a verbal warning but recorded for future possibilities of incidents, not many would come to know whether the several attempts to facilitate an educational conversation into assisting the experienced citizen into seeing the error of her ways were, indeed, successful.  Slightly above snail's pace with her motorized scooter, a full mile was conquered by this insistent traveler, though who knows if she will venture further on her next attempt.  As some may perceive this story to be funny either in reporting or consuming as newsworthy content, perhaps this is one left for the book as an isolated incident and not worthy of a repeat performance -- by her or anyone.  In the end, some may be pleased to know that this story resolved with a happy, and albeit humorous ending, since not many similar conditions actually arrive to the same comforting end result.  

       More than sufficient fatalities have occurred along this particular stretch in recent years, with and without automotive involvement.  Perhaps this can double as a public service announcement that there are some unnecessary risks one is simply not required to take... and this story could have simply illustrated one.  As for observing a quicker means of travel across our local ravine of one-ton, traffic-laden current, new developments in our society have provided several other, and more viable solutions for our need to get around the city.  The Q-Line was recently installed and has successfully endured one winter.  Uber, Lyft, and other taxi-like alternative service providers have made themselves available via internet connection, telephone and mobile application.  Then, of course, there is always the friendly and trusted side street route that, while inconvenient for some, the safety level can be said to escalate significantly.  The rules of the road can be said to provide a guide toward best practice when traveling without a motorized vehicle, as they are in place for a reason, and whether we agree with them or not, penalties have been established to reinforce the need to follow these laws.  

       The speed demon of her elderly years; her days may be over for venturing into the traffic-filled abyss, though she perhaps acquired a thrill of the chase and could find new and fashionable ways to return from the grocery store.  Regardless of how that story might end, let society hope that our streets are one of relatively safe atmospheres and avoid erroneous judgment involving unnecessarily putting one's own -- or others -- lives at risk.  Allow the freeway to be available for the 2,000-pound, motorized vehicles.  Let us keep our wits about us as we travel home at any time of the day, since all it takes is a moment of veering off course to change, or end, one's life.  Although ideal and perhaps even excitingly convenient, reducing our travel time by only a few moments just may not be worth the risk in our regular commutes.

Like most members of the Detroit Metropolitan Area community, or communities -- for those whom have owned property in multiple cities -- the thriving times of the growing environment in and around Detroit brought a lot of business and community members to get involved in providing and purchasing services and / or products in the area.  For the hardware store industry, competition was growing fierce well into the mid-2000s.  This holds true for even the most fundamental staples of names in the region; more particularly, Damman Hardware.

In a desperate act to reserve lasting existence and correct once questioned leadership decisions in where to take the direction of the company, a selling of several stores to competitor -- ACE Hardware -- was a strategy that some may have perceived as a desperation for additional funds in which to recover and progress, regardless of the direction of the company.  While there could be assumed that inconclusive evidence suggests the nature of the downfall, Damman Hardware ended up closing their doors more than approximately 10 years ago from this month (to-date).  

There were questions raised early in the process of closing its doors, which especially started in their spotlight of high business profiling when a motion was filed under The Bankruptcy Court in Detroit (of The United States of America) in August of one of the years surrounding the fall of the agreement.  Accusations regarding the agreements of the partnerships could have been included in case studies by college students and/or university professors as a reference for why partnerships tend to possess a tracking record with statistics incorporating rates of high failure.  Alas, there was suggestion that the partnership wasn't entirely adhered to, with a lack of funds provided for additional merchandising and inventory purchasing credit, nor for the actual in-store assistance support which was expressly discussed.  ​

​Damman's selling of several stores to ACE Hardware was something that the ruling judge declared a higher delegation of authority and enforceability since the new transaction of high value also carried with it specific and deliberate terms as well.  

Therefore, there might have been the concluded assumption that, while Damman Hardware may have refuted counter-allegations of the conflict, ACE Hardware evidently still accused Damman Hardware that the entity's agreements had not been lived up to and that such was sound logic and fair grounds by which to refuse providing agreed upon support for the remaining additional stores which were still owned by Damman Hardware itself.  

After filing for bankruptcy in January of 2004, and reviving in July of that same year due to an agreement with their competitor, ACE Hardware, an Illinois-based and headquartered creditor for the Southfield, Michigan-based Damman Hardware, additional agreements were probably associated with nearly all agreements and orchestrated deals in order to accommodate and facilitate the attempted progress made on, and by, both parties, with what appears to have been for the sake of Damman Hardware keeping their doors open and ACE Hardware's notional ability to gain profit.  

Yelp!, a platform by which other organizations can be listed, and hopefully, collect additional referrals for a hopeful increase in revenue -- be it short-term or long-term -- continues, to-date, to list no less than fourteen locations for Damman Hardware, in and around the Detroit Metro Area.

Upon initial inspection, one could assume that the company is still going strong, even though there are several years difference from the declared bankruptcy filing petition for disorganization and failure to adhere to disagreements.  

Today, there are several options of large-chain hardware stores which provide similar products for cheaper prices than small companies, probably, ever could due to a variety of factors which might include, though are certainly not limited to, bulk shipment and bulk purchase discounts, corporate agreements, and much, much more.