With the holiday season about to begin, shoppers heading to downtown Birmingham will have a number of new stores to explore.
Alex and Ani is set to open Monday, Nov. 24, at 150 W. Maple. Across the street, a West Elm furniture store just opened in October at 215 W. Maple.
“National retailer Alex and Ani has a huge following and they’re going to open with a lot of excitement,” said Julie Fielder, retail consultant for the Principal Shopping District. “It’s jewelry that adorns the body enlightens the mind and empowers the spirit. You can personalize it for the wearer based on the person’s interests and likes. They have a large collection and all of it is hand-crafted jewelry designed and created by the founder, Carolyn Rafaelian.”
Each collection has its own story, such as the Indie Spirit collection or the Eden Equinox collection. There’s even a “Because I Love You” collection.
“The jewelry is designed with positive energy and starts at $28,” Fielder said. “It makes a powerful statement inspiring the person to feel good when they wear it.”
Plus, it’s made in America. Alex and Ani is a family business that originated in Rhode Island. Rafaelian, in fact, is credited with reviving the jewelry manufacturing industry in the New England state.
The West Elm furniture store is its first location in Michigan. The store is part of the Williams Sonoma brand of families and offers an affordable mix of stylish contemporary furniture.
Charles Oglesby, operations manager with West Elm, said the store’s philosophy of partnering with the local community fits perfectly with Birmingham.
“We know our neighborhoods and we know our communities,” he said. “If someone wants to know about a good a place to eat, we can point them in the right direction. Everything at West Elm is about the engagement between our staff and customers.”
A large table toward the front of the stores displays wood carvings, soaps, and artwork produced by local artists in southeast Michigan. It’s another way the store supports the local community.
“Every single West Elm store throughout country will offer an assortment of products that are produced locally,” Oglesby said. “We do a lot in our local community and lot in our global community.”
The nurturing of artists runs deep in the company’s core mission: in 2013, West Elm committed $35 million to the Clinton Global Imitative Commitment to Action. The program supports local artisan communities throughout the world.
West Elm stores have also been known to hold ice cream socials. Or they might bring in a DJ for the weekend.
“Our company did a study of what word was most associated with us, and it was ‘love.’ So it was kind of cool,” Oglesby said.
Fielder noted West Elm and the Paper Source store at 115 W. Maple are two examples of national franchises that picked Birmingham to locate their first stores in Michigan. Paper Source has since opened two additional locations in Ann Arbor and Rochester Hills.
“We have been very successful in getting the word out to the national retail community that Birmingham is a great place to be,” Fielder said.
OPENING SOON
Another store opening soon is Roche Bobois at 394 S. Old Woodward. The company has a reputation as a world leader in offering unique and exclusive European contemporary furniture.
“I think Roche Bobois and West Elm really complement each other well,” Fielder said. “Each offers their own point of view and they both offer unique designs to the shoppers.”
An Eli Tea Bar is set to open soon at 108 S. Old Woodward. Next to that, a new coffee shop called the Roasting Plant is set to open at 112 S. Old Woodward.
“They kind of make theater out of roasting coffee for you,” Fielder said.
Another store coming is a renew Bath and Body store at 172 N. Old Woodward. Fielder views the store as a complement to the Bluemercury store that opened in 2014.
“They are a great place for personal gifts,” she said of the Bluemercury store at 172 W. Maple. “They sell brands like Jo Malone … plus they have great cosmetic lines such as Laura Mercier and Trish McEvoy. They have makeup artists on staff that will make you look special every day or for holiday events.”
