RETAIL WATCH

•

Continued from page 29

A view of the Poggenpohl showroom at

the Somerset Collection.

Most important, because the bagged
soil used for container gardening has
been decontaminated — that is, bugs
and weeds have been removed, creat-
ing what's called clean dirt — there'll
be little or no weeding to be done.
Lately, I'm seeing artificial flowers
planted outside — in containers, and
otherwise.
Bad taste or budding trend?
To my surprise, Calcaterra gives the
idea a green thumbs up, although he
recommends using look-alikes sparing-
ly, mostly in spots with little or no
shade or areas difficult to water.
He also advises mixing the
imposters among the real things, like
silk ivy surrounded by fresh gerani-
ums. Just make sure the manmade
petals can withstand an occasional
watering so as not to lose shape — and
that any eagle-eyed friends keep their
distance. Better they admire your
secret from afar.

❑

The Checkout

T

here's nothing artificial about
our thriving and well-tended
retail landscape, what with
stores expanding, shops opening and
merchants marking milestones at quite
a clip.
• At Somerset Collection South in
Troy, Bang & Olufsen, famous for its

highly stylized home entertainment
and communication systems, moved to
a larger space on the second level,
adding a showroom for the equally
stylish kitchen designs by
Poggenpohl, whose local owner, Janice
Morse, also is president of Designs
Unlimited, a custom kitchen cabinet

design showroom and factory in West
Bloomfield.
• Downstairs, Dr. Herman Bennett
took the wraps off his newly expanded
and renovated store, Au Courant
Optical Fashions, which, by the way, is
Somerset's only remaining original ten-
ant; it welcomed its first customer in
1968. With the extra space, find new
collections from Prada and Mosley
Tribe by Oliver Peoples and jeweled
eyewear by French designer Frances
Klein.
• Just passing Dr. Bennett by a few
years is Bernie Moray, celebrating 40
years at the helm of Gorman's Furniture,
itself marking its 65th anniversary. In
1965, Moray left his job as general mer-
chandise manager of the now-defunct
Robinson's Furniture, purchasing the
one-store Gorman's operation. Today,
that single location is now four —
Southfield, Troy, Shelby Township and
Novi — and the firm is considered a
"powerhouse regional chain."

❑

Ed Nakfoor is a Birmingham-based freelance writer and retail consultant. Each month, he writes about retail news and trends. E-mail suggestions or comments
to him at ednakfoor@comcast.net.

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magazine

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