Dani Katsir displays
--)t Thing-a-ma-jigs
for Kids in
Franklin,
Chanukah shop-
pers will not en-
counter Barney,
Sega computer games or
Wrestlemania.
Instead, Alise Citrin's almost
six-month-old shop is like a trip
back in time for many parents
and grandparents.
Set in an old red farmhouse
— complete with upper-level
loft — Thing-a-ma-jigs stocks
games and projects aimed at
making children think and use
their innate creativity. A dog
named Lance, the occasional
rabbit or guinea pig and Ms.
Citrin's preteen sons can be
found helping out or adding im-
promptu entertainment at any
given time.
Like more and more mer-
chants, Ms. Citrin is developing
her own niche, making creative,
pirate, magician, flapper or bal-
one-stop shopping a little easi-
lerina. Reproductions of antique
er for many this holiday season.
story books are also selling well.
Specialization and personal
"Half the people who come in
service is key for many area
here get really excited; the oth-
businesses.
er half are disappointed when
While fruit baskets will sure-
they discover there
ly continue to maintain popu-
larity among corporate gift
givers, many businesses are
opting for more personalized
chocolate and candy novel-
ties and baskets from Sweet
Success in Farmington Hills.
Alicia Nelson, owner of
Tradition! Tradition! in
Southfield, has been watch-
ing people leave her home-
based store with more and
more Judaica for the holiday
season each year. And local
fine-glass artist Dani Katsir
can barely keep up with orders
for his one-of-a-kind mezuzot
and dreidels.
But back at Thing-a-ma-jigs,
markers and clay sets sit side
by side on whimsically painted Danl Katsir at wort on a glass dreldel.
shelves and walls, the handi-
are no electronics. That's OK,"
work of Ms. Citrin, a former
Ms. Citrin said. "Kids are cre-
Royal Oak gallery owner.
ative by nature, but you've got
New for the season are dress-
to give them the tools to work
up bags, large shopping parcels
with. I know it's easier to hand
packed with pint-sized cos-
them a video, but we have to try
tumes and accessories to cre-
and make a greater effort."
ate the fantasy for the ultimate
6
Suburban merchants offer creative solutions for
Chanukah gift giving.
LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER
Extravagant shoppers can
even opt to buy a party at
Thing-a-ma-jigs. A tiled room
surrounded by mirrors serves
as birthday central.
Ms. Citrin will plan a party
for kids any age with any
theme, tying in an arts-and-
crafts activity, decorations and
goody bags. All the host needs
to bring is a cake.
Karen Cohen and partner
Cheryl Casini, both of Farm-
ington Hills, have set up a dis-
play trying to represent the
variety of their Sweet Success
products. It isn't easy.
Since opening in September
of 1992, Sweet Success has cre-
ated edible items for every hol-
iday, theme or occasion
imaginable — from a golf bag
and balls to carpenter tools sent
out by a builder to each new
homeowner.
Their goal is to personalize
"We don't take no for an an-
swer," Ms. Cohen said.
So when research and fancy
footwork don't locate a particu-
lar mold for their chocolates,
they will create one. Purple di-
nosaurs and gun bullets have
been among their tougher re-
quests.
.
Baskets, candies and dipped
fruits are mostly created by Ms.
Cohen and Ms. Casini; other
unique products come directly
from California. A chocolate
business card is often enclosed.
"It's just real festive," Ms.
Casini said.
Chocolate making was a hob-
by for Ms. Cohen. When her
children were younger, she used
to create chocolate Jewish stars
and other specialty items for
classroom parties. Ms. Casini
fancied the idea of creating gift
baskets.
When the two merged con-
cepts, they thought of a part-
time diversion that might bring
in a few extra dollars. Little did
they know the holiday season
would consist of 18-hour days
and hefty orders for chocolate
suckers, some on clear, acrylic
sticks, from Hudson's, Neiman
Marcus and the Village Barn in
Franklin.
"Sometimes we feel like Lucy
and Ethel from the "I Love
Lucy" TV show, Ms. Casini said.
Delivery is available and
Sweet Success prides itself on
flexibility and quality.
"We go out of our way to
make it perfect. It has to look
a sampling of his
artwork,
good enough to be served at one
of our own parties," Ms. Cohen
said.
Like Ms. Casini and Ms. Co-
hen, Dani Katsir also elevated
a hobby to avocation.
Following 20 years in the Is-
raeli military, Mr. Katsir de-
cided to make a change. He
wanted to move away from the
structure of having superiors
and inferiors and decided to be-
come his own boss in making
stained glass art — mostly Ju-
daica. He calls his company
Danika Designs.
Working out of his basement
in West Bloomfield, Mr. Katsir
uses fine and often hand-blown
glass to create mezuzot, drei-
dels, tzedakah boxes and hang-
ing mosaics.
"I grew up completely secu-
lar," Mr. Katsir said. "But in Is-
rael, people don't ask you every
day why you are Jewish. For
me, it's about heritage."
A mezuzah made by Mr. Kat-
sir, which takes 8-12 hours to
create, comes complete with his-
tory.
Following the 1967 war, Mr.
Katsir wandered about
Jerusalem, taking pictures of
buildings. Many of his mezuzot
are artistic reproductions of the
architecture. A printed histo-
ry is included with each piece.
"I spend less than 50 percent
of my time on actual production.
So much of my effort goes into
research," Mr. Katsir said.
"Each piece is an actual ad-
dress, floor, mosaic and struc-
ture somewhere in the world."
His dreidels, ranging from
tiny tops to large art pieces held
on clear acrylic stands, are dec-
orated with replicas of ancient
Jewish coins on each side, dat-
ing back to the wars of the Mac-
cabees.
Mr. Katsir's work is available
at local fine arts and Judaica
stores, and it is sold at art
shows. His collectors are far-
reaching, including astronaut
Jeffrey Hoffinan of Houston. He
took a Katsir mezuzah into
space.
"I think we're all beginning
WRAPPING page 31