ECONOMY
HERE AND NOW
Innovative Apothecary and Novel Artists' Market Enter the Retail Scene
New local boutiques, businesses and brands you may not know — but should.
By Lynne Konstantin
SKIP THE BRICKS AND ENTER OZ
AT YELLOW DOOR ART MARKET
ECOLOGY IS
ORGANIC-CHIC
Love browsing the handmade wares at seasonal artists' markets? Artist April Mc-
Crumb and her husband/business partner Steve do, too — but didn't care to wait for
the next traveling fair to arrive in town.
The pair, owners of the whimsical gift boutique Catching Fireflies, with locations in
Berkley and Rochester, recently opened the Yellow Door Art Market, a 3,600-square-
foot space in downtown
Berkley, where they rent
space to 70, mostly local,
artisans to create their
own permanent"mini-
shops."
The individual spaces
at Yellow Door are inno-
vatively divided amongst
the sellers through use
of vintage cabinets and
doors — and the occa-
sional bathtub or kitchen
sink, too. Look for aprons
and bags by Barb Witt
(shown), hand-embel-
lished burlap bags by Te-
resa Rodgers, photograph
collages from Clifton
Henri, pottery, clothing,
jewelry, children's hair
accessories and tees, and
much more. All offerings
are handmade, and all
artists are juried to ensure
a solid mix.
3141 West 12 Mile,
Berkley. (248) 336-2038;
yellowdoorartmarket.
com .
MORE THAN MY CV
When Marla Shapiro,
40, was diagnosed with
breast cancer last year,
it was — at minimum —
an eye opener for this
West Bloomfield mom.
To re-imagine her fate,
Shapiro teamed up with
her sister-in-law/fantastic
friend, Carra Stoller, 33,
for support. From that
fateful diagnosis came
more than strengthened
family bonds; a new
business also was born.
When doctors advised Shapiro to eliminate chemical additives and pesticides
from her diet, including those in her beauty products, her sister-in-law saw a
unique opportunity — beyond a healthy lifestyle adjustment — for both of
them.
Stoller, a former corporate attorney, says she had secretly nursed a long-held
desire to open a beauty boutique. "Our skin is our largest organ, and it takes
seconds for the harmful chemicals in mainstream cosmetics to enter our blood-
stream once applied," she says.
Researching organic beauty products, the pair was pleasantly surprised by
the vast array of merchandise available, yet not in Michigan. So last fall, Shapiro,
a former auto dealership manager, and Stoller opened Ecology in downtown
Birmingham.
Presenting the credo, "Green is Glamorous,"the Birmingham storefront
is fresh, clean, hip — and healthy. Luxe jewelry and accessories and comfy
couches conducive to lounging with Shapiro and Stoller like they're your own
long-lost sisters are the cozy chic backdrop to the serious business of teaching
clients — both women and men — that beauty shouldn't be bad for you.
Products from around the globe, most of which aren't sold elsewhere in Mich-
igan, line the whitewashed shelves. "I'm doing well;' says Shapiro. "I'm a fighter"
239 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham. (248) 792-6295; ecologybeauty.com .
PROFESSIONALS
The Art of the Follow-Up
GM Thinks Big, Fuels Growth Online
Straddling the line between assertive and aggressive
when trying to remain on the radar is a multi-pronged
effort that yields results.
A New York-based marketing firm, tapped by
General Motors to execute its social media campaign,
opens.an office in Detroit with plans for rapid growth.
By Jackie Headapohl
By Gabriella Burman
here's a deliciously satisfying feeling
you get when you complete a success-
„ ful job interview — you nailed every
question, felt a rapport with the interview-
er and fully expect a call any day asking
you to come back for round two.
So you wait. And you wait. Nothing. The
phone never rings, leaving you second-
guessing and wondering what went
wrong. Actually, you may have sabotaged
your candidacy by not effectively following
up on the interview.
"Many people think of the interview as
an end to the job application process, but
it's not,” said Bonnie Ellis, a professor at the
University of Phoenix Detroit Campus and
CEO of executive search
firm Management
Dimensions."It's the
person who follows
up after the interview
that usually gets the
job."
Plan your follow-up
strategy before you
leave the interview.
Ask about the tim-
ing of a decision.
Collect business
cards from everyone
you meet, and then
as soon as you get
home, send thank-you
notes.
Erinn O'Connor, former
executive recruiter and
founder and CEO of job
search site HiredMyway.
com , advises sending a hand-
T
written note to each person with whom
you met."Society is so Internet-driven;' she
said."A handwritten note is personal. It
makes an impression."
Your thank you note also gives you an-
other opportunity to highlight your high
points and skills. You could even include a
link to a personal/professional profile, such
as those found on business networking
sites like Linkedln.
"This gives the hiring manager an-
other view of you and your qualifications;'
O'Connor said. "They'll get to see who
you're linked to and the kinds of groups
you belong to.That kind of information
helps them see the whole person you are."
It goes without saying that your thank-
you note should be well-written and
error-free. "A poorly written follow-up
can do more harm than good," Ellis said,
cautioning interviewees to double-
check the spelling of people's names.
Experts advise candidates to wait
approximately five days after
the interview before calling
to check on the status of your
standing. O'Connor advises
politely asking if the person
is still in the process of
interviewing candidates and
if you're still in the running
for the job. If the answer is
yes, ask when you should call
back for another status update
— and then do it.
"Once a week isn't too often to
call," O'Connor said."Be mindful
of the person's time. Call first
FOLI OW up SEE PAGE 16
-
14 January 2011
I RED THREAD
uper bowl fans may see something during the February
telecast that they haven't seen in awhile: an advertisement
from General Motors.
It's all part of a strategy to reintroduce the automaker to
the public in the wake of the federal government's bailout
and subsequent financial reorganization of the world's former
No. 1 automaker.
Since returning to the New York
Stock Exchange last Novem-
ber, when GM raised
Avi Savar,
more than $20 billion
Big Fuel's CEO
from the largest ini-
tial public offering
in U.S. history, the news out of Detroit has
increasingly been more positive than
negative.
But to really succeed, industry
experts caution, GM needs to shelve its
long-held approach of touting individ-
ual brands to re-engage consumers in
a more unified message, returning to the
days when one's first car was a Chevrolet
then, as one became more upwardly mobile,
traded up until a Cadillac was parked in the
garage.
It seems, too, that the long-held ways of
exclusive communication through television and print have
been eschewed to include a more direct-dial approach. Joel
Ewanick, GM's new chief marketing officer, recently drove the
company's Chevrolet Volt from Detroit to the Los Angeles Auto
Show, "tweeting" his experience driving the electric hybrid along.
the way.
Avi Savar, the CEO of New York-based Big Fuel, the social
media agency hired to manage the automaker's image in cyber-
space, is emerging as a key player as the strategy unfolds inside GM
headquarters at the Renaissance Center.
Where in the past, marketers sold consumers on product features
and benefits, Big Fuel's challenge is to turn GM into a powerhouse
BIG FUEL SEE PAGE 16
www.redthreadmagazine.com