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ROYAL REVIVAL

An area that had fallen on lean times is
making a commercial comeback.

DEBBIE L. SKLAR

Special to The Jewish News

It

oyal Oak — a city once
known for its rebellious
punk rockers, resale bar-
gains and an over-abun-
dance of antique shops —
these days is billed as one of the hot-
test commercial spots in Oakland
County.
Today there are more than 200
retail shops in the central business
district along Main and Washington,
south of 11 Mile. The city, once known
for the Depression era anti-Semitic
diatribes of Father Charles Coughlin
now attracts many Jewish merchants
and shoppers. In fact, two Birming-
ham-based Jewish developers, Peter
Burton and Robert Katzman, are plan-
ning a $100 million office-shopping-
apartment complex on the northwest
corner of Woodward and 1-696.
Former merchants in Royal Oak
say that throughout the 1940s, 1950s
and 1960s the city flourished, but by
the late 1970s the city fell upon hard
times. -
Many businesses were forced to
either close or relocate. But the city's
business rebirth began in the last 4-5
years.
"I think a lot of the businesses clos-
ed up because of the recession in the
late 1970s and because of all of the
malls that were popping up
everywhere," said Dan Davis, co-owner
of the Alex Davis Tailors and Clothiers,
which has been in Royal Oak since
1972.
"Northland and Oakland Mall took
a lot away from Royal Oak. This city
has definitely had its ups and downs."
Davis' father, Alex, launched the
business in Detroit in the late 1950s,
and later moved to a small shop in the
heart of downtown Royal Oak because
it provided good opportunities. They've
since moved three times, but opted to
remain in Royal Oak.
Royal Oak's roots date to the 19th
century. A towering oak tree near the
intersection of Main, Crooks, and
Rochester roads marked a trail which
led northward into the wilderness of
Oakland County.
Legend has it that Michigan
Governor Lewis Cass, on an expedition Three views of Royal Oak's Main Street downtown.

to explore the area for settlement, stop-
ped in 1818 to eat lunch under the oak.
Cass is said to have remarked, "Now
this is a royal oak."
A village slowly emerged in the
shade of the area's stately oaks. Nestl-
ed on the road between Detroit, Birm-
ingham and Pontiac, Royal Oak soon
became a bustling trade center and
lively railroad town with a smattering
of hotels, a general store and a post
office.

-

24

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1989

an Davis believes the city
is making a comeback, but
"there still isn't really
anything to draw people down here.
Everyone is so into hyping this place
up, but I don't see that much of a
change other than more restaurants."
Davis said he would like to see
more retailers move into the city —
more "family-style establishments."
Near Davis' shop along Main
Street is Field's, a women's clothier.
Owner Harry Dubrow has been in the
same location for 50 years.
At one time Cunningham Drug,
Kresge's, Montgomery Ward, the
Washington Theater and the Grand
Leader department store were all ma-
jor tenants in the downtown area.
"It was wonderful," Dubrow recall-
ed. "It was a bustling, busy city until
the late 1970s, and things just started
going down hill. I suppose it was
because of the malls and the hard
times businesses fell under.
"I think principally the revival
started with the renovation of two of
the city's largest buildings, Washington
Square and the Belmor," he said.
"Now Royal Oak is an active little
town. People love to come down here
and shop."
The city government helped spur
the revival, building parking struc-
tures, changing sidewalks, street lights
and planting trees in the last decade.
But until recently, Dubrow said,
the downtown area was mostly oc-
cupied by antique stores that had
relocated from Detroit. "When all the
major stores left town, there were a lot
of empty spaces," he said. "It was the
antique dealers that found them, and

D

Marsha Sundquist