On the east side of Pierce Street between Merrill and Maple, a visitor to downtown Birmingham can walk a few steps above street level to
Barbara's Paper Bag or a few steps below to
Flash Accessories, the boutique directly beneath it. In the window of Barbara's, elegant Kate Spade and Vera Wang stationary are arranged near a whimsical latticework screen and picnic basket, eager to herald a wedding reception, ladies' luncheon or Bar Mitzvah. Meanwhile, at Flash below, heavily synthesized pop music puts teenage girls in the mood to buy thick plastic bangles, chunky beaded necklaces and wide silky headbands with long, sassy trains.
The close quartering of such disparate merchandise demonstrates the edge Birmingham has developed over other urban centers in the metro Detroit area, namely a large number and variety of stores for all ages, tastes, trends, and incomes. Unlike downtown Plymouth, which is a mecca for moms, gardeners and Red Hat Ladies but offers little for the Generation Y shopper, Birmingham's retail and restaurant scene is diverse enough to interest the trendy, the preppy, the alternative and the elite shopper.
"The SOHO of Michigan" is how Stacie Maier, co-owner of 110 Couture on Old Woodward, describes downtown Birmingham, referring of course to the Manhattan neighborhood famous for its eclectic mix of boutiques, which has, overtime, become decidedly upscale.
Along with partner Bridget Sagmani, Maier procures for her devoted clients high-end clothing and accessories from Ingwa Melero, Alice & Olivia, and other designers that ensure the exclusivity of
110 Couture's inventory by agreeing to supply no other stores in Michigan. "When people come to this town, they know they're coming here to shop," Maier says, adding that her clients eschew talk of the war and the state's lagging economy to discuss "shopping, Pilates, and their nannies."
Many of Maier's customers, who may drop $80 on a white cotton Major de Lema tee-shirt, $130 on a glass-and-plastic Pink Paisley ring or $900 on a small but eye-popping saddle-shaped Bracher Emden bag, comprise the wealthy, older population that's perhaps most immediately associated with Birmingham — the set that flocks to the couture retailers, jewelers, home furnishing stores and spas that are choc-a-bloc downtown. But she also serves a fair number of shoppers in their teens, twenties and thirties who come to town seeking youthful, hip, and — above all — unique clothing.
Two stores meeting this demand are longtime Birmingham fixture
Caruso Caruso and relative newcomer
This Is Me, both of which are on Maple. Caruso Caruso "is a lifestyle store — you walk in and you either get it or you don't," says 25-year-old Lennon Caruso, vice president and general manager of the store his father Frank Lennon started in 1983. It offers "denim for anyone who's alive," as Lennon puts it, but also tongue-in-cheek fare such as plush Uglydolls and tee-shirts with Little Miss book characters. At This Is Me, which was opened two years ago by sisters Adrienne and Pamela Broder, men and women can find basic alternative apparel such as super-soft "burnout" T-shirts, edgy jackets, leggings, camisoles, and one-of-a-kind jewelry made by the owners' mother.
"We focus on individuality, on people being able to express themselves through fashion,"
says Adrienne, who orders a limited number of pieces per style to keep each look from getting overdone. "We really like our customers to be confident and to comfortably push the limits of their style."
Affordability is also key for the Broders.
"We grew up in Southfield, and we would come [to Birmingham] as kids but we would never have the money to buy anything," recalled Adrienne. "High-end stores don't cater to people in their 20s. We want people to come here and be able to buy two or three fun pieces that are really unique for the money they would spend on just one thing someplace else."
The opportunity to stretch a dollar is what may be drawing much of the Broders' target market to the area. While the picturesque, well-manicured homes here are still among the most expensive in Michigan, the state's real estate slowdown has made houses available today for what they cost five or six years ago, says Dan Teahan, sales manager for Birmingham-based Weir Manuel Realtors.
"The affordability index is quite high, so for many well-paid executives in their twenties and thirties, it's a great time to buy," Teahan says.
Birmingham also boasts a walkable downtown, with plenty to do at night. There's fine dining at chic restaurants like Forte on Old Woodard, movies at the giant Birmingham Palladium multiplex and art flicks at the
Birmingham 8, or and drinks with the beautiful people who flock to places like the Corner Bar in the tawny Townsend Hotel (the place, in fact, where many celebs stay while in metro Detroit).
Another draw for Birmingham, Teahan notes, is the abundance of parks for outdoor activities such as walking, running and cycling. "On given day, if you sat static over by Quarton Lake, I wouldn't be surprised if over an hour period you saw a hundred or more runners," he says.
To cater to these health-minded residents, retired executive Dan Gilmartin last summer opened
Tropical Squeeze, a salad and sandwich shop that offers fair trade organic coffee, freshly squeezed juices, and homemade, densely-flavored sorbets and gelatos. The latter — he is quick to point out — have a fraction of the fat in ice cream, and are used as a base for the shop's popular smoothies. Patrons can ease into the padded, sea foam green booths, sip a drink and chat or surf the Internet using a free wireless connection.
Gilmartin is one of several entrepreneurs helping to foster Birmingham's burgeoning café culture, providing a refreshing alternative to the Starbucks, Caribous, Cosis and other mundane chains that, alas, dot the landscape. Take Kenny Johnson and Tom Holleman, who opened The
Cupcake Station on Old Woodward last year and in so doing injected the strip with a shot of nostalgic sweetness. Inside the bakery, which boasts round marble-top tables and warm red walls festooned with reams of small American flags, twenty varieties of cupcakes are baked from scratch seven days a week.
"We wanted it to be old fashioned," Johnson says, "like you're walking into your grandma's shop and getting a cupcake." Shoppers pop in throughout the day to fortify themselves with a Michigan Bumpy Cake or a Southern Red Velvet, and locals come in the evening to relax and people watch over coffee and dessert.
Johnson and Holleman picked Birmingham for their shop because of the heavy foot traffic and "strong downtown community. People really know each other," Johnson says. Indeed, the prevalence of boutique retail means that customers have frequent contact with owners, who during business hours can usually be found folding clothes or serving food and greeting patrons by name.
Rachel A-Woods, owner of Maple Street's
ArtLoft Gallery for the past eight years, takes personal pride is influencing the tastes of her customers. A native of Ghana, she is particularly pleased to have "converted" several of them to African art, including pottery from Capetown, South Africa-based Mustardseed & Moonshine and "functional art" (think salad bowls and candlestick holders) by South African Carol Boyes.
"Birmingham is small and quaint, and people come here because the service is great," says Woods, whose snug, eclectic gallery features everything from Alessi clocks and coffee accoutrements to Sid Dickens' "memory block" tiles to the fabric and decoupage glue dancers by Hawaiian artist Nancy Candea that dangle from the ceiling. "At any given time you can walk into a shop and meet the owner. It's all about satisfaction."