Oft guide

Ale ph-Bet Boutiques

Around town,

synagogue

shopping

ranges from

small

showcases to

contemporary

boutiques.

SUSAN R. POLLACK

SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

THE D ETRO IT J E WI SH NEWS

Margo Goldman,
Marilyn Weisberg
and Sherri Stern
display items
from the Temple
Israel Sisterhood
Gift Shop.

4

arbara Grant is among the
`regulars" at Temple Beth
El's sisterhood gift shop.
Her children move fre-
quently and, each time
they do, she stops in to
buy a mezuzah to hang
on the doors of their new
,S?
homes.
"The shop has an incredible
number of mezuzot, ranging from
little ceramic ones for a baby's
door to beautiful wood pieces,"
says Grant, who at last count had
purchased six mezuzot. "I always
find something new. It's a com-
fortable place to shop."
And, she observes, "the nice
part is knowing that the money
you spend underwrites activities
and benefits the congregation.
There's a little different feeling

than shopping at a regular store."
From a small lighted showcase
packed with merchandise to con-
thnr . ant boutiques reminiscent
oc. Jtels or cruise ships, gift shops
–1 several metro Detroit temples
and synagogues offer an alter-
native shopping experience for
those seeking Judaica products.
Currently brimming with Ju-
daica and other holiday items,
the shops are stocked year-round
with a wide array — and price
range — of unusual gifts and
hand-crafted objets d'art, both
contemporary and traditional.
Merchandise includes everything
from car mezuzot and Star of
David slinkies to gorgeous cut-
crystal menorahs and lovely ar-
tisan-made kiddush cups and
seder plates. Not to men ti on drei-

dels, dreidels, dreidels, in every
medium imaginable. Shop coor-
dinators say they can special-or-
der items, too.
Profits benefit a variety of sis-
terhood projects, including Yad
Ezra, the Jewish Braille Insti-
tute, Jewish Family and Jewish
Vocational Services, youth schol-
arships, camp programs and var-
ious other charitable endeavors.
Here's a look inside some of the
synagogue and temple shops in
metro Detroit:
At the Temple Israel Sisterhood
Gift Shop, shoppers can order
themed or family mezuzot custom-
designed to include a mustache
on the man of the house or red
hair on the baby. "We even had
one with a dog put on, an Irish set-
ter," says shopkeeper Margo Gold-

man, who discovered the artist
who creates the terra cotta mezu-
zot at a Florida art fair.
Goldman and Sherrie Stem, co-
director, pride themselves on
knowing the tastes of their clien-
tele and are always on the lookout
for unusi inl items, both in Judaica
and regular gift lines. Currently
pop, nr are zipper pulls and mini-
folding reading glasses, perfect for
slipping into stylish black leather
evening bags — which the shop
also carries. Another favorite is
the fourth edition of The Fruit of
Her Hands, the Temple Israel Sis-
terhood cookbook.
"And since I became a grand-
mother," Goldman says with a
laugh, "we also cany .a lot of chil-
dren's items," such as toys in pri-
mary colors, sports-themed and