New shops and restaurants coming, going in southeast Oakland Co.

The new digs mean the store will have a separate showroom for bridal, which often acts as a classroom for those wanting to learn about diamonds. 

Zalman’s Treasures also offers a large collection of upscale sterling silver jewelry that has the look of precious metal. 

Zifkin, who designs his own pieces, using his background as an engineer to create, said a jeweler will be on site to complete repairs in house, something the store previously had to send out.

“Our tagline is ‘affordable elegance every day,’” Zifkin said. 

Until the building is complete, the store is having a moving sale in Oak Park.

“We are going to be working with them on a facade grant and facade design services also,” said Vivian Carmody of the Berkley Downtown Development Authority. “They have already put in new windows on the front area where they were previously covered up. It’s fabulous to see these buildings coming to life again.” 

It will be Berkley’s first full-scale jewelry store. MHG Jewelry Studio at 2689 Coolidge Highway has been in Berkley for 23 years but it specializes in custom designs, appraisals and repairs.

Surprises abound inside Alco Glass & Mirror Inc., 4195 W. 12 Mile Road, which celebrates its 50th year in business this year. It recently underwent a remodel of its two-story showroom, adding a line of accent furniture, home décor, men’s and women’s accessories, and gifts, in addition to the mirrors, shower doors, windows, glass and screen repair, and hardware. 

While the footprint and square footage of the building are unchanged, the shop expanded its showroom from approximately 4,000 square feet to 6,000 square feet by reducing its storage and employee spaces, said president John Jeffrey Kalajian. 

He and sister Kim Duguanno, Alco Glass’s secretary and treasurer, own the family business founded by their father, who retired but continues to come in.

“The merchandise evolution has positively impacted our business. Our initial motivation was to meet our ever-changing customer demands,” he said. “Clients now spend more time shopping in our two-story showroom.”

To mark its 50th anniversary, the store planned to host a party last month with a celebration sale with refreshments, hors d’oeuvres and a custom cake from Edible Art by Gisha Puceta. 

It’s a thank you to the community, said Duguanno.

“Berkley has been a great place to do business,” she said. “Besides the physical location of being on the corner of the main intersection entering Berkley, we appreciate the loyalty of Berkley residents and businesses to shop small and local.”

Right Moves Consignment, at 3116 W. 12 Mile Road and Griffith Ave., closed when building owner Linda Hiller Novak’s business partner retired. Now she is looking to lease the 8,600-square-foot corner lot, which has a basement, a partial upper level and sits in the middle of Berkley’s central shopping district, she said.

“It’s a special spot in the central district waiting for the right tenant,” said Hiller Novak, who is also a residential real estate broker for Max Broock Realtors in Birmingham.

Hiller Novak said she is hoping a micro grocer with carryout food and wines would consider leasing it. 

And she knows grocers. Hiller Novak’s father founded the now defunct high-end Hiller’s Markets, which was purchased by The Kroger Co. of Michigan in 2015.

“I love downtown Berkley and feel so very strongly about helping them create a strong and sustainable downtown,” she said. “It is exciting to be a part of their renaissance.” 

Berkley’s DDA is helping market the building.

The Lunch Café, which is attached to the consignment shop, remains open. 

Gate Keeper Games, 3127 Twelve Mile Road, is moving a quarter mile west to breathe new life into the beloved Doll Hospital & Toy Soldier Shop, which closed in March after repeated hits from online retailers.

Gate Keeper Games in Berkley will nearly double its space when it moves into the old Doll Hospital & Toy Soldier Shop on 12 Mile Road, allowing it to host more gaming tournaments and social events like this one. (Photo: Timothy Barnes)

Additionally, it will host tournaments and other events, said owner Timothy Barnes.

Barnes, who said a good portion of his business comes from the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, is also applying for a tavern license that would allow him to serve beer and wine during game nights. He’s also exploring hosting food trucks outside, behind the building, where the Doll Hospital’s playsets once were displayed.

“The new building has a lot of space and a much-loved history,” said Barnes, whose footprint will be going from 2,900 square feet to 7,200 square feet.

The Doll Hospital includes two buildings with five separate spaces. Barnes is buying three of the spaces at 3961 Twelve Mile Road and Thomas Avenue. The second building remains vacant.

Ferndale

Owners Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas, who moved from Colorado a year ago and opened NINE in September, specialize in repurposing and custom making furniture. 

NINE Furniture & Design owners Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas, who moved from Colorado a year ago, specialize in repurposing and custom making furniture. (Photo: Evan Thomas)

“We love turning old forgotten pieces into fashionably functional items,” Thomas said. “In addition to refurbishing, we also love to build new furniture pieces that have a strong sense of style. We are constantly inspired by the Mid-century modern and Art Deco history of the Detroit area.” 

They’ll take those custom pieces and design a room with the new furniture as the stars, said store manager Maisha Drew. 

Their handmade creations share space with a generous collection of vintage décor items, Drew said. 

“We have a lot of knickknacks that are reasonably priced, too,” she said.  

Lucky Star Salon has four chairs set up so that the clients and the stylists may chit chat. The team offers cuts, color, highlights, blow outs, keratin treatments and wedding styling. (Photo: Kyle Krzeszak)

“I saw a clip of a movie and the song in the background from it was Madonna’s ‘Lucky Star’,” Krzeszak said. “As a present to me a couple of years ago, my wife registered the name for me.”

The salon has four chairs and they’re set up so that the clients and the stylists may chit-chat.

“I wanted it to be comfortable and feel like a happy place,” he said.

His team offers cuts, color, highlights, blow outs, keratin treatments and wedding styling. 

He’s open Tuesday through Saturday in the former Detroit Comics building at 23333 Woodward Ave.

More: New tower in downtown Royal Oak to house major Henry Ford Health center

Looking for a statement piece of jewelry or a handbag? Check out Bags ‘n Beads. 

Owner Metari Harris Johnson is passionate about finding bold, unusual pieces to put in her 650-square-foot shop at 22750 Woodward Ave., Suite 200, in a former hair salon.

While Bags ‘n Beads has been open more than a year, it was previously open by appointment only. Now guests may wander in Wednesday-Saturday 12:30-7 p.m. or by appointment. (Photo: Metari Harris Johnson)

Customers often build an outfit around her merchandise, Harris Johnson said.

“I love for people to look fabulous,” she said.

The shop also carries bags from Mary Frances, an award-winning accessories designer whose whimsical pieces include a watering can-shaped purse and a Cinderella-esque princess carriage.

While the store has been open more than a year, it was previously open by appointment only. Now guests may wander in Wednesday-Saturday 12:30-7 p.m. or by appointment. Purchases can also be made online.

Hazel Park

The renovated building more than triples its space from 1,800 square feet to 5,800 square feet, said Eric Law, a commercial photographer who co-owns the business with wife Candace Law, a mixed-media artist. 

The renovated building more than triples Color & Ink’s space from 1,800 square feet to 5,800 square feet, said Eric Law, a commercial photographer who co-owns the business with wife Candace Law, a mixed-media artist. (Photo: Eric Law)

“We have a working studio for photography and visual art, as well as space for workshops in encaustic (hot wax), mixed media and photography,” Eric Law said.

Not only did the bigger building speak to the duo, but they were attracted to the Hazel Park community as a whole.

“Hazel Park is getting a bit of a reputation as a place for young, creative people to move in,” Eric Law said. “They also have an active arts council and that was part of the attraction.”

Need a haircut or some new duds? Youngbloods, at 24918 John R, has both.

The barber and menswear boutique, which opened in July, boasts its cheeky tagline — “cuts and stitches.”  

Youngbloods, barber and menswear boutique, opened in July. (Photo: Angie Yaldoo)

Housed in the former Phoenix Café, barber Lyle Hayman Jr. and wife Angie Yaldoo renovated the building themselves to give it an edgy, sophisticated vibe with masculine touches that include a leather couch and dark chocolate-colored walls.

A set of French doors separate the four-chair barber area from the boutique, said Yaldoo, who once managed the now-closed Incognito clothing store in Royal Oak.  Youngbloods carries everything from leather jackets to Levis, much of it with a rock star feel, she said.

“There is something for everyone, even a businessman,” said Yaldoo.

Birmingham

Petite Cabane expects to open in March 2019 in downtown Birmingham and offer children’s clothing from Europe. (Photo: Petite Cabane)

Birmingham residents Carrie Martin and Samantha Foster said they have personally curated a collection of classic children’s clothing that has timeless appeal from France, London, Denmark and other countries.

“I used to live in Europe and they have a different sense of dressing there,” Martin said. “I wouldn’t call it sophisticated because they’re still dressed like kids but it’s more in a classic sense.”

Even after returning to Michigan nearly 20 years ago, Martin’s children receive compliments on their clothes. That’s because she flies to Paris every year to shop for them, she said.

Now she’ll be shopping for the boutique as well.

“I’m going to concentrate on offering items that are unique,” she said. “You’re not going to find these at the mall or places like Nordstrom or Saks.”

Eventually, the shop will sell items online, Martin said.

Petite Cabane is located in the former Barbara Boz Boutique, which relocated across the street to 266 E. Maple Road.

Have an old cell phone, tablet or MP3 lying around? Recycle it and turn it in for cash at an ecoATM kiosk that collects electronics destined for landfills. The kiosk is inside Kroger at 685 E. Maple Road. 

The automated kiosk does an appraisal on the item, determines the condition of both its exterior and interior, and makes a cash offer. Eventually, the company refurbishes them for resale or recycles them.

Oak Park

Two cultures are celebrated at Buena Fe Restaurant, which means “good fate.” Mexican pairs well with the menu’s other star, Salvadoran food.

Co-owner and chef Oscar Garcia hails from El Salvador and said he wanted to share some of his favorite dishes that nourished his soul.

He said pupusas, a corn dough filled with cheese, are popular with customers. Other available fillings include pumpkin, beans and pork rinds. All versions are served with tomato sauce and a spicy cabbage salad. 

“It’s like pizza but the filling is on the inside rather than the top,” Garcia said.

Salvadoran food takes longer to prepare than the Mexican dishes, Garcia explained, so often diners order both and the staff serves them at different times, with the Mexican food, particularly the tacos, acting as an appetizer. 

The sit-down spot seats 21 diners and is at 10116 W. Nine Mile Road.

“I looked for a location for three years and this building has room for me to grow,” he said.

Kroger is finalizing details with Oak Park to open at 26200 Greenfield Road, a former Kmart, according to a city-issued press release.

The opening of the store would make Kroger the first major grocer of its kind to operate in Oak Park in more than 10 years.

The deal is contingent on the finalization of state tax incentives, Kroger’s purchase of the property, and site plan approvals, the release points out.

Royal Oak

Handmade premium brittles are the heartbeat of Mrs. Mason’s Co. at 619 S. Washington Ave. 

Owner Margi Mason, who sold the candy nearly 14 years ago at 11 Mile Road near the train tracks in Royal Oak, revived the business online last year. Customers begging for a chance to pop in again for a sample helped persuade her to open a storefront, this time at 619 S. Washington, she said.

Mrs. Mason’s Co. brittle is available to sample once again at a new shop in Royal Oak (Photo: Maxwell Mason)

“I returned to Royal Oak because I like the feel of it, I like the vibe,” she said.

Mason, who uses dried fruits in her brittle, offers an apple crisp brittle, for instance, that has dried apples and walnuts topped with white chocolate, brown sugar and cinnamon.

The chocolate covered cherry brittle is another customer favorite. Prices for both begin at $3.95 for a 2-ounce box. A one-pound decorative box is $28.95.

An onsite design studio is part of the 500-square-foot shop. It allows Mason to offer custom packaging and consulting for weddings, special events or corporate giving.

“I’m known for my exquisite packaging,” Mason said.

Mrs. Mason’s Co. has regular hours Friday-Sunday.

This Royal Oak service center also acts as one of the Atlanta-headquartered chain’s “ship to” locations, accepting repairs from around the country, said Chief Executive Officer Brian Hutto, in a news release.

“With the Royal Oak flagship service center, Staymobile provides expanded capabilities that allow us to provide world class turn-around time and great local service,” Hutto said. “We will have greater concentration of certified technicians at this location and have the absolute latest repair technologies. We’re excited to create a presence in Royal Oak.”

Coming soon to 515 S. Washington Ave., Mathnasiumconcentrates on teaching math skills to children in grades K-12 and helping put an end to homework frustration. 

It’s moving into the previous home of Five15 Media Mojo & More — the brainchild of Drag Queen Bingo – which moved across the street to share a building with Pronto.  

Mathnasium’s building is undergoing construction and a target opening date is unknown, according to its website.

The Saranay Motel at 28202 Woodward Ave. may soon be demolished to make way for an AutoZone, a memo to the Royal Oak Planning Commission said.

The timing is unpredictable. There have been multiple delays on the project, including zoning questions and vacating right-of-ways, said Todd Fenton, economic development manager for Royal Oak. 

Qdoba, the quick service Tex-Mex chain restaurant, permanently closed at 301 S. Main St., Suite 100, according to its Facebook page.

Drought, known for its organic, cold-pressed raw juice, was to close its most northern Royal Oak location at 32823 Woodward Ave. Nov. 2, its website reports. 

Drought, knowns for its organic, cold-pressed raw juice, will close its most northern Royal Oak location at 32823 Woodward Ave. Nov. 2, its website reports. (Photo: Drought)

The Berkley-based business moved into a 15,000-square-foot refrigerated production facility in May to take its healthy juices nationwide, a strategy that requires staffers’ full attention, so it is consolidating its storefronts, its website states.

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