MASTERMIND: Wendy Batiste-Johnson

When Wendy Batiste-Johnson decided to open a women’s clothing boutique in downtown Ann Arbor, plenty of people thought the idea was doomed. A couple of well-known, respected realtors told her she was too young, too green, too fresh-out-of -college.

"I was young. I was 22," Batiste-Johnson said. "But I was very determined, and I knew what I had was a gold mine. I was a bit discouraged, but I didn't stop. It allowed me to find the space I have today, and that's been an amazing blessing for us."

That was almost seven years ago, and today Poshh, at 535 E. Liberty, is not only thriving, it’s helped make its neighborhood a more vibrant place.

"Retail is a difficult industry," said Mike Giraud, vice president of Colliers International, which manages the property where Batiste-Johnson eventually set up shop. "It’s a matter of understand your demographic, understanding your location and understanding your product. She had done a lot of research. This was not a far-out idea."

Batiste-Johnson has a degree in industrial labor relations from Cornell. After college she spent less than a year working in the corporate world as a project manager, and hated it. But the experience forced her to figure out what she really wanted.

"I was working with an extremely sexist group of men," she said. "I’m not one to scare easily, but it was pretty intolerable. I worked very quickly and with a lot of determination to get Poshh up and running."

The shop sits in a stretch of Liberty St. that – despite its strategic placement near the University of  Michigan’s central campus – had never quite measured up to nearby State St. as a shopping destination.

"Wendy’s brought cool, hip clothing that’s basically attractive to the student population," Giraud said. "She helped prove that Liberty Street is a viable retail corridor."

Since Poshh (actually called Twiggy for the first two years) moved in, the block has added Four Seasons Perfume, American Apparel, Biggby Coffee, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Beyond Juice. A little further down, McKinley Towne Centre now includes a restaurant and Google's Adwords offices. The transformation has been dramatic and given Poshh's success argues for the pioneering power of homegrown retail.

"Restaurants are asking to be next to us. That makes me feel very proud," Batiste-Johnson said. "There were a lot of skeptics (when I started). I was a little stunned. Now we've been six years here, we're still here and seeing a profit. We're making money and building a very wonderful business that we hope to expand… I'm very proud of the fact that Poshh survived."

Batiste-Johnson’s own creativity and business savvy has a lot to do with that. Her inventory, originally geared toward college students, has grown and changed with her clientele. After two year she changed the name to Poshh to reflect a broader customer base – one that includes not only college students, but also working women – and a more sophisticated product line. The "shh" speaks to the boutique’s image as the fashion world’s best-kept secret.

"The store constantly evolves," said store manager Ashleigh Deweese, who’s been with Poshh for almost three years. "It’s amazing how Wendy stays on top of everything – she also buys for the store. She listens to customers and employees and constantly stays on top of what’s needed, as well as how to funk it up a little bit."

Batiste-Johnson worked virtually 24/7 the first two years as the shop’s only employee. About the only time she saw her husband, Rodney, was when they'd meet for dinner. She still has a long list of favorite Ann Arbor restaurants.  The pace mellowed a little after she hired Deweese. It changed again when Batiste-Johnson’s son was born two years ago.

And though she and her husband left Ann Arbor for Livonia in 2004, they’re looking to move back.

"I think what the town has is a great sense of community," she said. "One thing I do love as a resident and business owner is it’s a very diverse, welcoming community. As and African American female I embrace and love it. I’ve even heard people who are not form Michigan say they’ve heard it’s a welcoming community."

What it lacks, she says, is retail, and she would welcome the competition.

"People say we’re in a recession," she said. "I feel that Ann Arbor is one of those cities that’s the last to get hit and the first to bounce back. I see a lot of food going up, which is wonderful, but I’d like to see spark of other types of retail. It would draw more people to city. I’d like it to be more of a destination and not just for art fair."