Three Jewish
business owners
scythe forerunner
of today's malls is
to shop.
Garry Kappy's Northland store, Jack's Place, features men's suits from Europe.
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DEBBIE SKLAR
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
PHOTOS BY GLENN TR IEST
still a good place
ust like any 40-year-old, it's gone through
a lot of changes and endured its share of
bumps and bruises during the past four
decades.
But Northland Mall in Southfield is dif
ferent, too. When it opened on March 22,
1954, on what was a tract of farmland, it
became the first commercial shopping cen-
ter in the country to feature what archi-
tects called an urban "market town" plan.
It was the prototype for today's malls.
Northland was enclosed in 1975, and
it's now one of more than 1,000 regional
enclosed malls in the country. It has 152
tenants today, including Hudson's largest
branch store, and it occupies 1,785,000
square feet.
Three of Northland's most established
businesses are Jewish-owned. Max Green,
Stuart Stein and Garry Kappy say there
are good reasons why they've stayed
where they are for many years.
Mr. Green, owner of Max Green's and
Max's, has been at Northland since 1962.
Max Green's is Northland's oldest men's
clothing store.
"Northland has always been a good
place for my business," Mr. Green said.
"I've tried other malls, but I haven't been
as successful as I've been at Northland.
"I've noticed when people come
to Northland, they come to buy. In
other places, it's much more social. Peo-
ple walk around all day, but they don't
spend as much as they seem to at North-
land."
Another plus for Northland, according
to Mr. Green, are its independent mer-
chants.
"I'm not sure why, but Northland has
more independents than most
malls," he said. "I think the cus-
tomer enjoys independent stores
more than the chains."
In 1956, Benjamin Stein opened
his first optometry office in North-
land. He died in 1985 and the busi-
ness has moved to different
locations in Northland four times,
but his sons Stuart, 47, and Robert,
36, both opticians, have kept the
practice going.
"We're staying here because the
business has always been very vi-
able. Northland has put three of us
in our family through school," Stu-
art Stein said. "We're starting to
see the third and fourth generations
of the patients my father used to
see."
Mr. Kappy, who owns Jack's
Place with his sister, Leah Zuker,
has been in the fashion business for
35 years. He's been at Northland for 19.
His store specializes in men's suits from
Europe. Among his customers are former
University of Michigan basketball star
Chris Webber, who was named NBA
Rookie of the Year last week, and ex-De-
troit Pistons player John Salley.
"Even though Northland has changed
over the years, business is still really
good," said Mr. Kappy, who recently re-
newed his lease for eight years. "I like the
fact that the main office is close and the
stores are all unionized."
Mr. Green and Stuart Stein say North-
land has gotten a bad rap as a place which
has more crime than other area malls.
"It's an unfair rap and a bad rap," Mr.
Green said. "Half the things you hear
NORTHLAND page 54