y the year 2000, the
U.S. Department of
Commerce expects
women to own half
the nation's busi-
nesses. In Royal
Oak, women already
are ahead of the projections.
Many Jewish women are
joining in the boom, too.
They own art galleries and
clothing boutiques, fabric
stores and gift shops.
They include galleries
owned by Andy Sharkey,
whose store is filled with
painted furniture and other
crafts; Carol Foster, co-owner
of Carol/James Gallery,
known for its ceramics, glass
and wood; Miriam Feldman
of the Troy Art Gallery;
Deborah Roberts of Deborah
Roberts Design Room; and
Arlene Selik and Linda Ross
of Sybaris Gallery.
Jewish women also are
prominent in other Royal
Oak businesses. Clothing
retailers Rima Parker,
Rosalie Beck and Lynn
Portnoy sell a variety of ele-
gant and creative women's
clothing, and Haberman
Fabrics co-owner Toby
Haberman specializes in
bridal and designer fabrics.
Truly Gifted proprietors
Beverly Dovitz and Annie
Cohen round out the mix
with a shop full of original
gift items.
"We think we have an
unusually large concentra-
tion of women business own-
ers," says Anita DeMarco
Goor, executive manager of
the Greater Royal Oak/Oak
Park Chamber of Commerce.
The past five years have
seen an explosion of galleries
and specialty stores in the
downtown shopping district,
Ms. DeMarco Goor says. Tim
Thwing, a city planner with
the Royal Oak Community
Development Department,
concurs.
"There's very little vacant
space," Mr. Thwing says.
"The occupancy rate has
increased to the point where
we're 99 percent filled."
Women thrive
with single-store,
specialty
operations.
A recent study prepared
for the Downtown Develop-
ment Authority notes that at
least half the area's business-
es have been established or
relocated to downtown with-
in the past 10 years. In total,
Royal Oak is home to 884
businesses, including retail
outlets, restaurants, gas sta-
tions and galleries. This
number does not include ser-
vice operations, such as
repair shops.
Although figures are not
available for the number of
Deborah Roberts at her Royal Oak gallery.
women in business, city offi-
cials and business owners
agree that women have made
their mark on Royal Oak.
Donald Nahat, of Donald
Nahat and Associates, has
been a commercial realtor in
the city since 1985. "We're
virtually 100 percent occu-
pied," he says, echoing the
figures cited in Mr. Thwing's
downtown development
report.
Downtown properties cost
between $11 and $14 a
square foot, Mr. Nahat says.
While this is a jump from the
$7 to $8 a square foot of five
years ago, Royal Oak rents
are still less expensive than
those in downtown Birming-
ham, where retailers can
spend between $18 and $22 a
square foot.
The affordable rents Mr.
Nahat describes, coupled
with Royal Oak's eclectic rep-
utation, has encouraged the
downtown area's growth,
says Fred Marx, a local retail
consultant.
"The premise of Royal
Oak goes beyond retailing,"
Mr. Marx says, citing the
area's emphasis on enter-
tainment and restaurants.
Unlike Grosse Pointe or
Birmingham, whose down-
town areas are primarily for
shoppers only, "Royal Oak
has a very cosmopolitan
atmosphere," he says. "These
are businesses that are an
extension of (the owner's)
personality."
Mr. Marx believes women
thrive in Royal Oak because
it encourages single-store,
specialty operations — the
types of businesses women
tend to open. "The personali-
ty of the area lends itself to
start-up ventures."
Lynn Portnoy, a 30-year
veteran of the retail clothing
industry, enjoys that person-
ality. Her namesake store,
which she ran from Detroit
for more than 10 years before
moving to Royal Oak, is not
among the start-up ventures
Mr. Marx describes. But she
is new to the area.
Two years ago, Royal Oak
appealed to her because of its
proximity to 1-696. The move
SUSAN KNOPPOW SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Across the country, women are catching up with men in the numbers of businesses owned.
In Royal Oak, women already have made their mark.