Ho said she and Welch weren't coming in to "take over," but to help add value and new elements alongside the Folk founders.

Marrow, The Royce, Mink, Folk and Farmer's Hand will be tied together through shared use of a new back-end services company formed by Ho called Backbone Hospitality LLC.

"My goal at Backbone is to really come up with a very good system of best practices and a process for training people to work for us, but also having a very strong message and execution of company culture," she said. "Overarching culture about sustainability and sustainable business, good hiring and retaining (practices) ... fair wages ..."

Nest Egg has two main plans. First, the 390-square-foot Farmer's Hand is set to close around July and reopen in a larger space. It would aim to brand itself as a more frequent shopping destination, aiming to increase competitiveness for high-quality local products and meet consumer demand more effectively, Louya said.

As for Nest Egg's other vision: When the Farmer's Hand closes, the group aims to start work to convert the pocket-sized space into Mink, a seafood-focused restaurant concept dreamed up by Welch and Ho. Their goal is to open in September, serving a small, rotating menu with unique wine pairings and around 20 seats.

The new, approximately 1,800-square-foot Farmer's Hand would open in 2021 in a yet-to-be-constructed Trumbull Avenue building planned by Louya and Foulkes' current landlords, Brian and Stacy Mulloy of Ballet Real Estate.

The Mulloys renovated the 1870s-built building at 1701 Trumbull Ave. that houses Louya and Foulkes' businesses, as well as Mama Coo's Boutique, Meta Physica Wellness Center and The Bearded Lady salon.

Following up on that investment, they want to construct two buildings in neighboring lots: 2,600 square feet on Bagley and 5,000 square feet on Trumbull. Brian expects a $1.25 million total price tag with a combined two apartments and two retail tenants (including Farmer's Hand).

The architect on the project is Becky Nix of Biolinia, which has offices in Detroit and Warsaw, Poland, according to its website. The partners haven't signed on a construction contractor and declined to provide renderings.