Business & Professional
Avocation
Judy Weiner finds tutoring and antiquing
more a love affair than work.
Judy Weiner at her House on
Main: It's like a lottery. Can I
make it successful?"
Judith Doner Berne
Special to the Jewish News
alking into the House
on Main is an adven-
ture — you never
know what you will find.
Various pieces of antique silver
are featured in a glassed-in
breakfront. A basket holds
brightly colored scatter rugs. An
assortment of vintage dishes,
pottery and vases lines shelves,
spilling over onto nearby tables
and chests. Modern art takes up
an entire room. A medley of chil-
dren's toys and clothes fills up
another.
And then there's owner Judith
Weiner, letting you browse, ask-
ing whether she can help, then
wrapping your item and ringing
up your sale.
At the age of 65, when many
people are retired or are consid-
ering it, this wife, mother of four
and grandmother of 11 has not
W
40
February 2 ^ 2006
one, but two careers.
Well, yes, she "retired" in 1995
after 20 years of teaching English
and film at Lawrence
Technological University in
Southfield.
But she continued the SAT,
ACT and college essay tutoring
she had been doing from her
Huntington Woods home, putting
in about 20 hours per week.
And she fell in love with a
1920s-vintage building at 803 N.
Main Street in Royal Oak that
had once been a residence and
more recently a flower shop. It
became the House on Main soon
after husband, Sam, a dentist,
suggested, "Why don't you open
up an antique store? You have so
much stuff."
After a lifetime of collecting
art and antiques for their home,
that's just what Weiner did.
She devoted the heart of the
"House" to antiques she gathered
on her travels. "I try to shop out-
side the city," she says.
And, originally, she sublet one
room to a photography gallery
and another to a woman who
sold stationery.
But her growing number of
grandchildren, for whom she
makes time to baby sit, moved
her to take over the stationery
area in favor of the simple, soft
children's clothing and classic
toys she enjoys giving them.
And a strong background in
art history made it only natural
to assume the gallery space,
mounting approximately six
shows a year featuring area
artists.
"So far," she says, "the artists
have picked me."
So have others who think they
have a unique product or home-
made ware. "I tell them, `Leave a
few pieces and we'll see how they
do: It's the same as I say to a stu-
dent who wants to get into the
University of Michigan, but has
only a 3.4 GPA. `You can try ..'"
She frequents gift and toys
shows, leaning toward products
made in the United States. "If I
like it, I figure someone else is
going to like it, too. I'm not
always right."
Neither, she said, is Sam, who
"loves to go shopping for things
for the store. When he sees the
things here for two or three
years, he thinks he might have
made a mistake."
Unlike her tutoring, House on
Main "isn't a money-making
proposition. It's a love affair. It's
like a lottery: Can I make it suc-
cessful?"
She can find happiness even
when things don't sell: Last sum-
mer's leftover children's clothes
became a windfall for Katrina
victims.
Her initial vision that she
would be a "Mom" store, appeal-
ing primarily to Royal Oakers
who don't like mall shopping,
hasn't been borne out. But, "the
people who do come in are very
faithful," she adds.
One of these is Sheryl Wolberg,
a Huntington Woods mom of
three, who says House on Main
"is a nice getaway. I'm always
looking for gifts and kids' stuff.
"Judy makes me feel like I'm
her most important customer:'
Wolberg says. "She's got a great
sense of style and flair. She's like
a renaissance woman. She does it
all."
Randie Federman, an interior
designer from Bloomfield
Township, wandered into House
on Main some years back. "She
has phenomenal taste says
Federman, who picks up eclectic
items for her customers and
sometimes for her own design
store, Maxwell-Ross, in the
Michigan Design Center in Troy
"She somehow always comes up
with the perfect thing."
Their relationship grew to the
extent that "I sent my boys
(Maxwell and Ross) to her for
help with their college essays:'
Federman says. "I'm in awe of
her level of energy. She's 'Judy of
all trades:"
Although House on Main's
stated hours are noon to 4 p.m.,
Wednesday-Saturday Weiner is
happy to open on request and
gallery openings are evening
affairs. Two employees each put
in four hours a week alongside
her 12.
"It's almost a private affair:'
Weiner says, "with individualized
attention. It's a good feeling to
make people happy."
She foresees continuing this
life for at least three to five more
years. "I don't know what else I
would do," she says. "I love the
fact that I'm doing art exhibi-
tions. These are people (gallery
owners) Suzanne Hilberry and
David Klein aren't going to show.
I think it's fun."
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