BUSINESS

On the Move

Businesses follow the population shifts.

LESLEY PEARL

-

Jewish News Intern

I

n 1969, Sylvia Alpert
took her life savings of
$10,000 and moved her
small costume jewelry
outfit to a shop at the
previously unchartered ter-
ritory at 12 Mile and. North-
western Highway.
"People - thought she was
crazy," Gary Alpert said of
his late mother, who
originated the shop in the
basement of her Detroit
home. "There was nothing
but a flashing light at that
corner. People didn't even
know where 12 and Nor-
thwestern. was."
Then in the 1970s, Gary
Alpert's parents moved
Sylvia's out to West Bloom-
field Plaza at Orchard Lake
Road and 15 Mile Road — one
of the Jewish businesses
that lead an exodus to the
northwest suburbs.
"My parents felt this
would be the area of the
future. They were right,"
Mr. Alpert said.
In the last 15 years, many
Jewish family-owned stores
and restaurants followed the
trend along Northwestern
Highway to West Bloom-
field; among those are
Brody's Boys and Young
Men's Wear, Mr. Alan's
Shoes, the Detroit Bagel
Factory and The Stage and
Co.
"The day of the small
retailer is drawing to a close.
We're over-retailed in this
area with not enough people
around with the time, money
and knowledge to make it
go," Mr. Alpert said. "But I
think there will always be a
few of us around."
Richard Steinik is one of
those people.
Originally trained by his
father-in-law in New York to
make handmade pastry, Mr.
Steinik moved 24 years ago
from Cleveland, Ohio, to Oak
Park for increased business

,

Lester Shindler of
Brody's Boys and
Young Men's Wear
watches over his
son's business.

LYS

Photos by Glenn Triest

Owner of Detroit
Bagel Factory,
Richard Steinek,
boasts the only
authentic bialys in
town.

72

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 1991

opportunities in the highly
concentrated Jewish area.
In 1967, he invested in
Sam Anbender's Detroit
Bagel Factory, which had
locations at 10 Mile and
Coolidge and 7 Mile and
Middlebelt.
Mr. Steinik now owns five
operations, and he has
expanded his . business to
Farmington Hills, Bloom-
field Hills and Mt. Clemens.
"The main bagel-eating
population has spread out
through the entire nor-
thwest suburbs," Mr.
Steinik said, referring to
his 14 Mile and Orchard
Lake Road and Square Lake
Road and Woodward stores.
"But bagels have become a
lot less ethnic in the last 15
years. Everybody eats
bagels."
Proof of this statement is
the continued business at
the Oak Park store.
Although he said the
clientele at that location has
changed from primarily
Jewish to a mix of Jewish,
black and Arabic, Mr.
Steinik said the 10 Mile and
Coolidge store remains busy.
Just as others who have
moved their businesses nor-
thwest in the past few
decades have noticed, Mr.
Steinik sees his biggest
money-makers these days in
his Bloomfield Hills and Far-
mington Hills stores.
"Our old customers from
the 10 and Coolidge store are
shopping out here (the nor-
thwest suburbs) now," Mr.
Steinik said. "So are their
children."
Although only the Detroit
Bagel Factory and Mr.
Alan's Shoes maintain shops
in their former locations, all
five businesses remain loyal
to their original clientele.
Mark Shindler, owner of
Brody's Boys and Young
Men's Wear, opened the
West Bloomfield location in
1979. He still makes
deliveries to customers in
the Oak Park, Southfield