Left:
Harold Rothenberg
of Hersh's
Right:
Rob Wolk of
Sundance Shoes
On The Boardwalk from page A35
Place in Berkley and at Applegate.
"There is no hard-sell here; we try
to make things pleasant for customers
and we have an easy return policy," said
Blumenfeld. "Being in business for 30
years, we're seeing the third generation
of some families. The work has taken me
more and more to the 'back room' office
now but I still enjoy giving women a
man's perception of the fit and look of the
clothing. I keep an eye on how thin the ice
can be out there."
Joining Blumenfeld in the business is
his wife, Elaine, a former teacher, and
his daughter, Ariana, who studied mer-
chandising/marketing at Michigan State
University. "Mark is a jean maven and car-
ries them from more than 20 jean design-
ers:' said Siegal. "Blue jeans are espe-
cially very important to the well-dressed
woman.
Hersh's
And women who want to be well dressed
and look "new and fresh" know they'll also
get an honest assessment at Hersh's (a
slang version of Harold Rothenberg's first
name). The son of Marilyn Rothenberg,
who operated Just Marilyn's in Southfield
for many years, he graduated from
Birmingham Groves High School and
worked part-time as a teenager in several
popular clothes stores.
Rothenberg, 48, of Farmington Hills
came to what he calls the "College of
Boardwalk" in 1984 and quickly built a
following of clientele that thrives on his
personal service; they even love to talk to
him about restaurants and movies. "We
get a lot of 'vocational' shoppers in here,
A36
November 8 v 2007
sometimes three or four times a week:' he
said. "If it doesn't look right, I tell them
to take it off. I know many customers by
name and even their sizes. "Sometimes, I'll
take them next door to Sundance to show
them the perfect shoes for an outfit. That's
personalized customer service. Regular
customers call me from New York for
advice on what to buy there."
Despite Michigan's economic woes,
Hersh's sales have been "very strong" and
he predicts sizeable increases for the rest
of the year. The store carries a $500,000
inventory, including hand-loomed sweat-
ers at $200-$500, cashmeres, leathers,
suedes and cottons from Duna, Bernetta,
Conte, Amelia Torro, Margaret O'Leary,
Ball of Cotton, Womyn, Thalian and
Magaschoni.
Sundance
When new styles come in, it's practically
"standing room only" at Sundance Shoes,
named by Rob Wolk after a movie he
loved, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Wolk, 58, of Farmington Hills also says
sales have been "good" and "we're ahead
on a year-to-year basis despite the state's
economy situation. Our per-square-foot
volume here is greater than about 90 per-
cent of the country's shoe stores, and we
keep a $400,000 inventory." Top boot price
is $525 a pair.
A graduate of Oak Park High School,
Wolk spent two years in college and
learned the shoe business from his father's
old Village Cobbler emporium, then vari-
ous mall shoe stores, giving him 35 years
in the business.
"We're devoted to personalized cus-
tomer attention, and our customer base
has followed me around so that three gen-
erations of the same family shop here. But
we also keep up with new brands to help
reach out to new patrons," Wolk said.
Sundance carries polished leather
boots, logging boots, high heels, flafties
and loafers from firms like Donald Pliner,
Via Spiga, Anne Klein, Steve Madden,
Colehaan, Stuart Weitzman and Ugg, plus
purses and jewelry. The store is open
extra hours for trunk shows from some of
these companies. Seven employees include
Wolk's daughter, Katie Ray Johnston. His
mother, Shirley Wolk, 85, often is a cashier
in the store. Robin Cohen has been store
manager for 10 years.
Rear Ends, Sundance and Hersh's often
advertise and do special promotions
together, as well as with the total center.
And they say they're not holding back ad
funds because of the economy. Up and
down the rest of The Boardwalk, their fel-
low merchants continue to be optimistic.
"Our sales are up 5 percent over last year;'
beamed Neale Stone of Stone's Jewelry.
On The Boardwalk
Boardwalk facts:
Opened:1981
Value: $6,164, 094
West Bloomfield taxes paid for 2006: $138,000
(excluding inventories and furniture)
Rent: Average $30 per square foot
(Store rent and co-op advertising costs based on square footage).
Stores:
Acorn, women's wear, manager Kathie Flanigan
Chico's, women's wear, manager Par Morrison
Dakota Bread, breads and pastries, Jennifer and Tom Wilson
Frames Unlimited, framing, home decor, manager Danielle Garmon
Hersh's, women's wear, Harold Rothenberg
Marguerite, evening wear, Marguerite Paulus
New York Bagel, bagels, sandwiches, Howard Goldsmith
Port City Java, hot and cold drinks, snacks, J.R. Rayes
Rear Ends, jeans, T-shirts, casuals, Mark and Elaine Blumenfeld
Ruby's Balm, skin products, Sheryl Freedland
Running Fit, running shoes, clothes, Randy Step
Stage Deli, dining, cocktails, takeout, Steven Goldberg
Steven Franklin Optics, eyewear, Steven Franklin
Stone's, jewelry, Neale Stone
Sundance, high-fashion shoes, Rob Wolk
Zoe's Lace, intimate apparel, Sheryl Freedland (opening this month)
Current vacancies: Five