A sign for Oakland Avenue Urban Farm and info on the Saturday Farm Market Oakland Avenue was once a vibrant commercial artery in Detroit's North End neighborhood, but the Detroit Rebellion in 1967 and its aftermath triggered a serious downward spiral. Today, the street is full of empty lots and abandoned buildings, with a smattering of businesses, including a shoe shine joint, a liquor store, a car repair shop, an ice cream parlor and The Shvitz, a 1930 bathhouse that has seen a revival in recent years with a change in ownership. (It's closed because of the pandemic.) There also are churches, some bright art and the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm, which operates a Saturday market from June to September.