Margarita Barry, 2012 Thrive Award Honoree

Margarita Barry, 2012 Thrive Award Honoree

Margarita Barry is a 20-something entrepreneur, designer, blogger, and aspiring changemaker. The Detroit native is a seasoned media-maker, first making waves with her multicultural women’s magazine, Tint, as a teen. Since then she’s worked in design and media for companies like CBS Radio and Michigan Business Review before venturing off on her own. With a passion for inspiring young entrepreneurs, activating creative places, and using art and digital media to empower communities, Margarita launched Detroit Design Lab in 2008, a web design firm focused on helping small local businesses; ”I Am Young Detroit” in 2009, an online publication and movement providing resources and inspiration to young “doers” in the city; and Detroit POP, LLC  in 2010, a creative place-making agency focused on local design and retail. In 2011 Detroit POP launched The 71 Pop Project, Detroit’s first ever creative space solely dedicated to full-service collaborative pop-up retail online and off. This summer the project will ‘pop’ into Downtown Detroit Partnership’s new D:hive space under the “D:pop” moniker expanding its services to local entrepreneurs outside of the creative arts community.

CitySpotters  is Margarita’s latest social venture, a mobile and web platform that will allow I Am Young Detroit users to earn local gifts by ‘spotting’ businesses and movements led by young citizen doers and by playing supporting roles as mentors, resource providers, and educators. Margarita serves on several boards including The Knight Foundation’s Detroit Community Advisory Board, Detroit4Detroit, Critic Car Detroit, Pay It Forward Initiative, and The Empowerment Plan. Her greatest hope is that the things she creates positively affect peoples’ lives creatively, socially, and economically.

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About The Thrive Awards: Presented by DailyVenusDiva.com, supporters of the plus size movement are invited to the 1st Annual Thrive Awards being held in Hotel St. Regis’ La Musique Restaurant on September 23rd.  DailyVenusDiva.com is an online magazine for plus size women and during the Thrive Awards Luncheon local women will be honored for their unselfish love and dedication toward empowering and celebrating women.