Shopping
Life is made up of everyday moments, and Bob Kupfer wants to make sure each one is celebrated – with flowers. Lots of fresh and colorful flowers.
“We do a lot of everyday events,” says Kupfer, co-owner of Tiffany Flowers in Birmingham. “Whatever happens in a life, we’re happy to be a part of it.”
Tiffany Flowers has been beautifying people’s lives since 1972, when it opened at the corner of Old Woodward and George Street in downtown Birmingham. In a world in which you can order flowers with the click of a button or a call to a 1-800 number, Tiffany Flowers is a rarity. It remains fiercely committed to the concept of integrity – both in its professional expertise and its attentive and personal customer service.
“By dealing with a professional florist, you’re dealing with someone who cares about their reputation,” says Kupfer. “We want you to come back to us.”
And they have kept coming back, from all over, and for more than four decades. The shop is one of the landmarks in a dynamic shopping scene that sees a vibrant mix of the old and the new.
“Downtown Birmingham continues to be a thriving downtown that offers a wide selection of retailers offering women’s, men’s, and children’s apparel,” says Ingrid Tighe, executive director of the Birmingham Shopping District. “We also have a large number of jewelry, furniture and home decor stores.”
She adds that the overall charm and appeal of Birmingham enhance the shopping experience.
“The wonderful aspect of downtown Birmingham is the whole experience customers have when they visit,” says Tighe. “Visitors can shop at our wide variety of stores, dine at one of our many fine dining restaurants, get their hair or nails done, and relax or walk around one of our beautiful parks.”
In addition to the long-time businesses, there are several newcomers gracing the downtown. Willow and Fernn is a lifestyle boutique on North Old Woodward that sells apparel, jewelry, gifts and bath and body products. It even has a bath salt and aromatherapy bar with an aromatherapist on site. Another new business, Petite Cabane at 205 East Maple, caters to the younger crowd.
Tighe says the Birmingham Shopping District’s proactive approach to attracting national retailers is what led to the popular boutique fab’rik to open its first location in Michigan. Fab’rik, the mission of which is “High Style With Heart,” sells high-quality women’s clothing for affordable prices. It is slated to open in fall 2019. Another new addition, Drybar, specializes in blowouts and dry hair styling. Like fab’rik, it’s also the first and thus far only location in Michigan.
The new storefronts join long-standing venerable ones like Tender and Astrein’s Creative Jewelers. With old and new intermingling downtown shopping district is a deliberate balance of national retailers and independently owned shops, notes Tighe.
“We have a three-tiered approach to attract national, regional, and local merchants,” she says. “National chains help bring in customers with brand name recognition, while independently owned and operated retailers offers consumers unique fashion and products that they can’t buy everywhere.”
Despite customer demand for online purchasing options, brick-and-mortar storefronts still provide a distinct advantage.
“Stores that have a strong e-commerce platform and also a brick-and-mortar location have a distinct advantage over just pure online stores,” says Tighe. “For example, customers have more options to make purchases such as ordering online and picking up their product or having the item delivered the same day.”
For Tiffany Flowers, which offers online purchasing options, business has been steady. Kupfer says that despite the prevalence of Internet commerce, there’s nothing like having a storefront in a thriving community.
“Being part of the community … is really important, and being in Birmingham is great,” says Kupfer. “There’s a big sense of community here and there’s a sense of loyalty here.”
For more information about Tiffany Flowers, visit www.tiffanyflorist.net. For more information about Birmingham businesses, visit www.AllinBirmingham.com.
Dining
It happens at least twice a day. People will approach Dominic Vicari and relate the fond memories they have of going to the original Joe Muer restaurant in Detroit.
Vicari, the operating partner of Joe Muer Seafood in Bloomfield Hills, isn’t surprised. He knows the name Joe Muer brings with it nostalgia for a lot of Detroit area diners. Since its first location opened in 1929, Joe Muer Seafood has been a venerable Detroit area institution that continues to attract those with the most discerning palates who expect first-class service.
Bloomfield Hills is home to one of two Joe Muer Seafood locations in Michigan (the other is in Detroit), and since it opened here in 2017, it’s made a, well, splash.
“It’s been busy for the last two years,” Vicari says of Joe Muer Seafood, which is owned by the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group. “I think the name is iconic.”
He adds that unlike the Detroit location, which has a more transitory clientele, the Bloomfield Hills restaurant has a dedicated following among loyal diners. “We do a lot of neighborhood business,” says Vicari. “We get a lot of regulars a couple times a week.”
That’s due in large part to the experience that comes with dining at Joe Muer Seafood. The famously top-rated service and quality of the dishes has been a constant for nine decades.
Joe Muer is just one of the fine dining establishments you’ll find around Birmingham/Bloomfield. The area is home to some of the most gourmet, innovative and one-of-a-kind restaurants in the region.
Bloomfield Township, for example, has a number of options from lunch spots to gourmet, says Bloomfield Township Director of Community Relations Greg Kowalski.
“Bloomfield Township has a wide assortment of restaurants ranging from fast food to fine dining,” he says. “Several restaurants have opened fairly recently: Roadside, Eddie Merlot’s, Zao Jun.”
Over in Birmingham, there’s 220 Merrill and Streetside Seafood, which have been long-time fine dining destinations. For those who want something more casual, there’s Dick O’Dow’s and Sidecar Slider Bar. New restaurants that have come on the scene include Adachi. The Morrie, which serves cocktails and live music, is coming soon to downtown.
“The city is fortunate to have an array of options for diners,” says Birmingham City Manager Joe Valentine, “whether one is looking for a dining experience or to have a sandwich or get a latte.”
For a list of restaurants in Birmingham, visit www.allinbirmingham.com. The list provides links to restaurant websites. For
more information on Joe Muer Seafood, visit www.joemuer.com.