The interior of Somerset North is pedestrian friendly and aesthetically dazzling.

omerset North will round out
a shopping center known for
its exclusive offerings and well-
to-do clientele.
But the new 120-store
addition, scheduled to open
Aug. 16, will be home to many
stores that can be found in
nearby shopping meccas like
Twelve Oaks, Oakland Mall
and downtown Birmingham. The Gap,
The Limited, Victoria's Secret and Banana
Republic are just a few of them, according
to sources.
Neither Birmingham merchants nor re-
tailers at Twelve Oaks in Novi or Oakland
Mall in Troy are bothered by the compe-
tition.
"I imagine that right after Somerset
opens, there will be a curiosity factor to
check out the center because it's new to

The specter of Somerset North
doesn't worry area malls and shopping districts,
even though they'll all share the same stores.
They say there's enough business to go around.

JULIE EDGAR STAFF WRITER

the area. But after a period of time, we'll
get back to normal," said Phil Morosco,
general manager of Twelve Oaks.
Studies show that most shoppers at
the Novi mall come from west and south
Oakland County, he said, while cus-
tomers at Somerset Collection, located in
Troy, come from the east and north parts
of the county. Oakland Mall's primary

market is within a 15-mile radius of the
mall.
"We've already got a dozen tenants that
we share with the existing Somerset. A lot
of our business is geographically split.
They're getting a certain portion of the
market and so are we. The market is
around us and that pattern should con-
tinue," Mr. Morosco said.

But if a shopper is looking for a vacu-
um cleaner to go with her Gap T-shirt, she
might choose Twelve Oaks rather than
Somerset, he said.
Plus, Somerset's Gap, Limited and Vic-
toria's Secret "are virtually the same size
we are," he added, and are categorized as
"A" stores, as are the versions in Twelve
Oaks.
"Somerset will get 'A' stores, but they'll
have the same merchandise, the same
depth. What will make a difference is what
else I'm shopping for," Mr. Morosco said.
The average anniisl income of a Twelve
Oaks shopper is about $60,000, Mr. Mo-
rosco said, whereas the average for a Som-
erset shopper is estimated at over
$100,000.
Gail Gotthelf, head of Birmingham's
Principal Shopping District, a coalition of

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