I was all ready to mock the obnoxiously sized box used to carry the Chrysler 200 press kit until I opened it and found a pleasant surprise: A Pewabic Pottery tile, something that's instantly recognizable if you're imported from Detroit.
If you ever have a chance to visit an older home in Detroit, you might see this striking blue tile accenting a foyer, or a fireplace, or somewhere. It can also be seen in the Guardian Building and the Detroit Institute of Arts. It can be kind of blah if you're not from here; "oh, it's just a piece of tile," you might say. But it represents a golden age of the turn-of-the-century arts & crafts movement here.
Pewabic Pottery was established in 1903 and has remained in the same house in Indian Village for almost as long. Nothing at Pewabic Pottery is machine-made; it's all done by hand, and the shade of blue used is unique to the company.
The fact that Chrysler would go this far to push the "Imported From Detroit" mantra is admirable, and I have to tip my hat to them. It's refreshing to have an actual local souvenir with heritage and meaning and not just another koozie that'll end up at Salvation Army next year.