BUSINESS
VIII tge
e
Cinderella's Attic
dresses Detroit
in collectible
clothing.
LESLEY PEARL
Jewish News Intern
ith the new-
found popu-
larity of the
Grateful Dead,
the influence of
1940s style on pop culture in
Dick Tracy and the resur-
gence of disco music, fashion
designers and clothing stores
are jumping on the nostalgia
bandwagon with creations of
their own.
Heidi Lichtenstein touts
the originals.
The 33-year-old owner of
Cinderella's Attic in Royal
Oak has been visiting flea
markets and flocking to
estate sales for 12 years,
selling quality second-hand
clothing, jewelry and toys to
her captive audience.
Ms. Lichtenstein entered
the fashion merchandising
world after two years of
criminal justice studies at
Michigan State University.
At that 'time, she bid
farewell to criminal justice
and entered a fashion mer-
chandising program.
With one year left to
graduate, Ms. Lichtenstein
left the world of academia
and opened a vintage
clothing and jewelry shop in
Dearborn. The decision
followed a three-month stint
as a management trainee for
The Limited stores.
Inexpensive rent and fami-
ly money made this lark
possible.
In 1986, Ms. Lichtenstein
opened the Royal Oak shop
and for five years, managed
both locations. But six mon-
ths ago, Ms. Lichtenstein
decided Royal Oak held the
most potential and closed
the Dearborn operation.
When the busines -s
originated, Ms. Lichtenstein
and her partner, Jim Shaw,
were strong on innovation
and short on business sense.
"We (Ms. Lichtenstein and
her partner) didn't even
have a name for our shop the
night before we went to get
our sales tax license," Ms.
Lichtenstein said. "We
didn't know where we would
get our merchandise from
Photo by Glenn Triest
week to week and we were
on a total shoestring
budget."
She got a break. In addi-
tion to hitting garage sales,
flea markets and estate
sales, Ms. Lichtenstein was
introduced to a vintage
wholesaler.
Surrounded in her Main
Street shop since 1986 by
'60s style suede fringe
jackets, silk blouses and
cashmere sweaters from the
1950s and spangled evening
gowns circa 1927, Ms.
Lichtenstein appears more
of a friend than a business
owner to her customers.
"I want this to be a fun
place to shop. That's why I'm
always here," she said.
"People tell me they come in
here depressed and leave
feeling good because they
bought something fun."
The green-and-black leop-
ard storefront and a purple
wall add to the humor of the
shopping experience.
Ms. Lichtenstein said she
purchases items for
Cinderella's Attic with her
own taste in mind. So when
she tells customers she loves
the garments they consider,
she means it. •
Ms. Lichtenstein's passion
for another time's fashion
carries over into her per-
sonal life. In addition to her
own collection of one-of-a-
kind clothing, Ms. Lichtens-
tein has decorated her home
with art deco furniture.
"My mother cried when
Heidi Lichtenstein
shows off the clothes
which have made
Cinderella's Attic
a second-hand
success.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
59