moved their businesses up from
Hamilton Avenue, near Six Mile?'
Many of those same antique shops
are slowly being replaced with
restaurants that offer about every type
of cuisine imaginable. "We've had more
restaurants come in here in the last ,six
months than I can ever remember?'
Dubrow believes Royal Oak is
becoming a shopping alternative to
Birmingham and West Bloomfield,
where rents have sky-rocketed.
"Royal Oak is a good area that
hasn't changed a lot over the years. It's
remained safe, and clean," he said.
"Even though Royal Oak hasn't ever
been a heavily populated Jewish area,
I've always had a good stream of
clientele. There's all sorts of na-
tionalities that work and shop in the
city?'
According to one Royal Oak tenant,
the downtown shoping area isn't the
only section of the city to experience a
rebirth. Al Beigler and wife Ruth have
owned and operated Northwood
Jewelers on Woodward Avenue for 33
years.
"Frankly, I'm pleased about all of
the growth going on in this city;' Al
said. "Up until a few years ago, the
Woodward Avenue properties were get-
ting pretty shabby, but then they got
rid of all the chazzerei. It's a nice,
homey town. Once the 1-696 ex-
pressway is finished it will certainly
bring other area residents out this
way!'
Across the street from his jewelry
store, construction on a major strip
mall is already underway. "Merchants
up on the Avenue were always left out
in the cold. It's nice to see that's not
the case anymore," he said.
Although business has remained
steady for the past few years, Beigler
said this year's sales were slower than
normal.
Beigler's business was once located
in the Metropolitan Building in
Detroit. In 1955, he decided to move
out to Royal Oak where a new mall
was being constructed.
"The Northwood Mall seemed like
a great place to try, but at the time I

Dan Davis of Alex Davis Clothier.

was just a young kid with no money;'
he said.
Instead of Northwood, at 13 Mile
and Woodward, he opened his store, at
121/2 Mile Road, where he caters to
mostly local clients.
"At one time I sold to all the hub-
bies, way back when, and let me tell
you I wish they'd all come back. Jewish
people are the best clients?'
Opthalmologist Dr. Eugene Baron
does not have many Jewish patients,
but enjoys practicing in downtown
Royal Oak. "My office is in a great loca-
tion," he said. "The building, the
Belmor, used to be home to Mont-
gomery Ward?'
"I think this city is getting a se-
cond life," Dr. Baron said. "It's cheaper
in rent than most other suburbs, and
I consider it to be more of a picture of
American life. It caters to middle class
America, and I personally think in
another 10 or 15 years it will be a real
success. But it's a long haul?'
Baron said he has remained in
Royal Oak because "the city has life,
vitality and character. It's nice to see
the young people mix with the old
here."
Although Larry Kritzer, owner of
Speedy Office Supply on Main, doesn't
maintain a heavy retail trade, he's re-
mained in Royal Oak since 1981
because of the location.
"Other than the rent being low, the
location is terrific," he said. "I can get
to every other suburb I need to in about
10 to 15 minutes, and once the ex-
pressway is completed more people will
be passing through this city."
Kritzer's store, several others and
the Royal Oak Senior Community
Center have been sold to Jim Fresard
Chevrolet, but Kritzer plans to remain
in Royal Oak.

Many of the business people believe
that once the 1-696 and Woodward
Avenue interchange in the city's
southwest corner is completed this
year, more newcomers will discover
Royal Oak. City planners expect to see
200,000 vehicles a day using the inter-
change that is less than a mile from
Royal Oak's central business district.
The interchange is also expected to
spawn a new era of development that
will include a hotel, office and apart-
ment complex by Burton-Katzman. But
major development and change is not
favored by everyone.
"I moved into Royal Oak over three
years ago because the location was nice
and close to my home:' said Gayle
Steinhart, founder and owner of
Gayle's Chocolates on Washingotn

Royal Oak's resurgence
makes it a shopping
alternative to more
expensive areas.

Avenue and a Huntington Woods resi-
dent. "I guess you could say that I was
one of the first newer businesses to
come in here. The rent was low, but I
had to put a lot of money into
renovating the building?'
Steinhart believes there is too
much hype going on. "Royal Oak isn't
going to be the next Birmingham. But
that's all right because the merchants
here don't want it to be. We don't want
chain stores coming in here:' she said.
"It's not an intimidating place to
come, and it's a swell place to be?'
As Royal Oak's business character
changes, newer merchants are flocking
in. The owners of the four-month-old
Renoir Woman, Rima Parker and

Rosalie Beck, decided to locate their
store on W. Third Street. Neither
woman had been business owners
before, but loved the area's atmosphere.
"This is an exciting place. People
are walking, parking their cars, going
into the restaurants. There's a real
flavor here that's missing from the
Malls," Parker said.
"You can have a beer at Maxis, din-
ner at Les Auteurs, shop . in the anti-
que stores or spend time in an art
gallery:' she said. "It isn't mall shop-
ing; you get a sense of a downtown
area. We have everything from punk
rockers with green spiked hair to pe-
ple driving Porsches?'
Renoir, which caters to the full-
figured woman, has a Jewish clientele
of about 80 percent. Parker said they
come from West Bloomfield, Franklin,
Birmingham and Southfield.
"Many of our clients complain that
they have to drive all the way to Royal
Oak, but they're coming consistently:'
she said.
Susan Turtsky of Franklin said she
doesn't mind traveling to Royal Oak t6
do her shopping several times a month.
"It's a fun place to come and walk
around," she said. "I think Royal. Oak
is like a Greenwich Village, and I don't
think it should be compared to another
Birmingham. It has it's own unique
qualities?
In addition to new restaurants and
retail shops, landmark buildings like
the Washington Square Plaza and the
Belmor Town center are being
revamped as part of multi-million
dollar renovation projects.
Tenants of Washington Square in-
clude the Willow Tree, the
Metropolitan Music Cafe, and Moni-
que's Shoetique.
Another newcomer is the Swidler
Gallery, owned by Allan and Dulcy
Swidler. The former owners of a health
and beauty aid store moved into the
Plaza in early December.
"We could have, and probably
should have, gone to Birmingham like
all of the other art galleries?' Dulcy
said. "We chose to go to Royal Oak
because of all the renovation taking
place?' ❑

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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