[dropcap size=small]F[/dropcap]or today’s hipsters, there’s just no fun in walking well-trodden paths, whether in transit or in looking to lay down roots. Always trying to find or create something new, the entrepreneurial ones spot potential in neglected areas in need of TLC, transforming them with innovative ideas to attract the similarly-minded. Here are six from the US and Europe to Asia.

North America
Former automobile manufacturing centre Detroit, once mired in debt, has proved rich pickings with its abandoned buildings. Midtown is popular among artists. Amid the pop-up galleries and shared studios is the edgy Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit – in what was once an auto dealership – and Dell Pryor Gallery (4201 Cass Avenue, Tel: 1 31 3833 6990), which sells art by locals.

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What was once an auto dealership has been transformed into the cutting-edge Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.

Up in Canada, Vancouver’s Yaletown is a warehouse district turned hotspot for bars. One of the first on the scene was brewpub Yaletown Brewing Co, which serves ales and lagers in an old warehouse.

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Yaletown Brewing Co is housed in an abandoned warehouse in Vancouver, Canada.

Europe
Latvia’s capital Riga has been through war, but things are looking up thanks to creative entrepreneurs. Stroll down Miera Iela (or Peace Street) and you’ll find thriving independent stores from florists to bakeries. At Illuseum tea shop, you can sample leaves from around the world.

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From pu-er to mate, Illuseum offers tea from around the world.

In London, the disused car parks and abandoned buildings of once grimy Peckham have been repurposed for everything from club nights to rooftop yoga sessions. The Bussey Building, a 120-year-old warehouse space, is now occupied by CLF Art Cafe, which showcases cutting-edge theatre, art and music.

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This post-industrial building was saved demolition in 2007 and turned into top arts venue CLF Art Cafe aka Bussey Building.

Asia
The near-forgotten Shek Tong Tsui has transformed into Hong Kong’s place to be, with a fantastic range of eating options. Ga Gi Nang (G/F, 15 Po Tuck Street, Hill Road, Tel: 852 3565 6641) serves Tex-Mex-style food and mixes up a mean cocktail – try its oyster martini. Like all good hipsters, it also hosts live music, street parties and markets selling locally designed fashion.

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Hong Kong’s Ga Gi Nang, which means family in Teochew, features Mexican food and cocktails with an Asian twist.

Hipsters in South Korea are flocking to less pricey, post-industrial chic Seongsu, which is building a vibrant cafe culture. Rusted Iron in Dumbo, a cafe with a philanthropic ethos, serves artisan coffee and features works by in-house artists.

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Industrial Seongsu, where Rusted Iron in Dumbo is located, has become a cultural hot spot that houses top fashion labels such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy and Lanvin.

Adapted from SilverKris: From hobo to hip – disused carparks and buildings transformed into hipster joints.