■ four questions

Who's thinking what — and why?

PHOTO BY ANGI E

A kaleidoscope of lustrous fabric,
from silks to laces to brocades, col-
ors TOBY HABERMAN's world. The
owner of and buyer for Royal Oak's
Haberman Fabrics outfits profession-
al designers and dressmakers with a
wide range of fabrics including bridal,
fine fashion and home decorating,
plus unique buttons, trims and more.
"I thrive on being surrounded by color
and texture," says Haberman, who lives in Birmingham with her
husband, Sam, with whom she has two grown children, Dan and
Jeremy. "I could never live in a house with white walls!"
Haberman has spent the last 30-plus years running the family
business started in 1958 by her in-laws, Pearl and David Haberman.
What began as a small "mom and pop" shop in northwest Detroit
has become one of Michigan's finest fabric stores. "I set out to be
a schoolteacher," says Haberman. "I envisioned a life as an aca-
demic." But, she says, she fell in love with the fabric industry and
never looked back. This year, Haberman is helping mark the store's
50th anniversary by donating fabric to the Michigan Opera Theatre
for the production of Cyrano, a new opera composed by the theater's
general director, David DiChiera. More than 150 period costumes
from the 17th century are being crafted from the velvets, tapestries,
wools and trims Haberman provides (for details regarding a costume
preview, see "Platinum Planner" in this issue). It's a donation Haber-
man calls "our anniversary gift to the city of Detroit." Here, we ask
Toby Haberman our version of the Four Questions.
— Robin Schwartz

WHAT BOOK, CD, MOVIE OR
OTHER MEDIA ARE YOU LONGING
TO SHARE?

I'd like to share my love of opera, from the techni-
cal and design perspective as well as the musical. It's
often thought of as stuff-y, but that's just not so. I
view opera as an incredible performance art, where
you can see the depth and interaction of amazing
scenic, lighting and costume design, even before a
note is sung. It's like watching a live painting with
surtitles over the stage to translate the lyrics. Vocal
artists are actors on today's stages. And the glorious
music provides a palette from which artists paint
the stories they sing — stories that can range from
deeply romantic, like Cyrano, to totally silly. Suspend
reality when attending an opera, and allow your
mind to explore the riches of the creative technical
side, the talent of the vocal artists and the beauty of
the music.

2

IF YOU COULD HAVE BRUNCH WITH
A BIBLICAL OR HISTORICAL JEWISH
FIGURE, WHO WOULD IT BE?

Beverly Sills, the American opera superstar who died
in July at the age of 78. She popularized opera with
charismatic appearances on TV shows from Johnny
Carson to The Muppets and most recently, The View.

Sills embodied the American "rags to riches" story.
She rose from very humble beginnings in Brooklyn,
a child performing on amateur-hour radio shows,
studied and struggled for years, endured family
tragedies, enjoyed almost 50 years of marriage until
her husband's death last year, achieved a triumphant
career, devoted herself to the New York City Opera,
gave her considerable talent and energy to charities
(like the March of Dimes) and later in retirement
from the stage, became the first chairwoman of
Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Opera.

3

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE
JEWISH FOOD?

I love noodle kugel and make two versions.
My mom taught me her favorite, a delicious dairy
version. My family prefers my Aunt Queenie's sweet
kugel, with lots of cinnamon, brown sugar, apples,
nuts and raisins.

4

WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE
SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?

Until so much of my free time was absorbed
by the planning and opening of our beautiful new
store in 2002 [on Royal Oak's Main Street], I rode
"Purple Passion," my Harley-Davidson motorcycle,
for R.R. That sure blows away the cobwebs! ❑

:),tess

Creative post-weddii -ig portraiture

Jo. r Bar Mitzvahs, Bat Mitzvahs, lieddiiigs
and other Special Life Celebrations

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3 8 •

SEPTEMBER 2007 •

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