ECONOMY

HOME BREW

PROFESSIONALS

Social Network Becomes Founder's
Mission After Family Tragedy

Detroit real estate scion eschews the family business
to propel his start-up, which reaffirms family ties.

By Jackie Headapohl

amily has always been the cornerstone of Ryan
Beale's life. So it may come as little surprise that
the 31-year-old created a business, Chattertree
.com, designed to help families remain connected
in an increasingly fragmented world.
Growing up in a close-knit home as the young-
est of three boys, Beale also has a surname that
has become synonymous with Detroit commercial
real estate. After graduating from Michigan State
University, it seemed natural that he would work
for his father, Jerry, at The Beale Group.
But, like so many of his contemporaries, he
chose to leave Detroit and seek out new adven-
tures; at age 23, he moved to Chicago with the
intent of enrolling in a graduate writing program.
Pragmatic, Beale hedged his bet by earning an
Illinois real estate broker's license; the hedge paid
off when he learned the writing program was full.
Putting his creative aspirations on hold, he fell back
on what he knew best, opening a Chicago broker-
age firm called Beale Group & Associates LLC.

F

_

Michele Saulson created this handmade jade bead and leather bracelet with pewter charm.

Tree-Hugger's Bracelets
Take Detroit by Storm

Jewelry artist Michele Saulson dives headfirst
into the retail world and becomes embraced
for one-of-a-kind designs.

By Stefani Barner

r, yen in a 21 st-century world of dollar stores
and outsourced labor, the demand for local
—,.artisans' work doesn't wane.
At least that's been the experience of Franklin
resident Michele Saulson, 41, whose one-of-a-
kind jewelry pieces continue to gain a follow-
ing despite the flailing economy. Crediting her
mother's encouragement early on to experiment
with different mediums, Saulson also believes
Artist Michele Saulson
artistic passion is a quality gifted by nature.
"I think that there is a genetic tendency toward
creativity;' she says, over the phone. And, while the search for the
elusive"art" gene continues, Saulson has parlayed a hobby, honed
over the past couple of years, into a legitimate business with paying
customers and store orders.
The rise of entrepreneur happened quickly for this stay-at-home
mom to three young kids, ages 8, 6 and 3. But her ability to make it
appear seamless appears, by some measure, a combination of breezy
personality and analytic skill.
It's the personality part that seemingly gets incorporated into the
bracelets she has become known for.
"I pick materials that I am drawn to so I tend to work with an earthy
feel7Saulson says. "But the historic preservation side of me comes out
in my work, too; I find myself drawn to a variety of techniques incorpo-
rating vintage found objects:'
After taking a jewelry-making class at a local bead shop in Frank-
lin, this one-time urban planner began creating bracelets as gifts for
friends and family members. It wasn't long before they were coming to
her, requesting items in specific colors.
Last fall, she started posting pictures of her bracelets on Facebook,
and that's when things exploded.
"Complete strangers were calling me and ordering gifts. It went viral
very quickly," says Saulson, who went from creating holiday gifts for
loved ones to being featured on store shelves in the span of 10 weeks.
Carra Stoller, co-owner of Ecology, an organic and natural beauty
boutique in Birmingham, says that Saulson's bracelets are a featured
item in her store, which prides itself on unique, one-of-a-kind items.
"Our customers love the fact that all of Michele's pieces are one of
a kind;' Stoller says. "We've all fallen in love with her vintage button
bracelets, too:'
Other stores in which Saulson has found homes for her jewelry
include Emery's Jewelers in Farmington Hills and Hope's Chest in
Berkley.
While she may be the new darling of the neo-hippie-chic meets
bohemian moment, Saulson has no plans to abandon her primary
responsibilities as wife and mother or relinquish her role in the com-
munity, which includes her involvement at Yad Ezra, Hillel Day School
and the Jewish Community Archives.
"Being the craftsperson and the salesperson is very time consuming;'
she says."It's difficult to decide where I need to devote my energies
some days." But, recognizing her good fortune, she is quick to add, "It's
fun, and I love doing it!'
Saulson is one of five craftpersons selected to participate in an up-
coming trunk show to benefit the Friendship Circle on March 27.
"It was very inspirational to see how one of our families wanted
to bring more support and was able to reach out to her friends;' says
Bassie Shemtov, director of the Friendship Circle. "(Michele) wants
to get more involved. It was very cool how she jumped right in and
moved to help."
With more and more Michiganders seeking out local businesses and
local artists, Saulson is quick to point out that her work benefits more
than just her bottom line.
"When you purchase locally made items, 50 percent of those monies
go back into the local economy," she says."I'm proof of that because I
make a point of purchasing my supplies and materials locally as well."
And, in keeping with her personality, her pricing reflects her com-
mitment to take what she needs versus as much as she can get. Most
items are priced less than $100. Prices range from $50-$200.
"I want people to be able to buy my work. I don't want to be high-
end and out of range. I want to create something beautiful and attain-
able rather than something people admire and walk right past." RIT

12 March 2011 I

RED THREAD

Through hard work, and without the benefit
of name recognition, Beale pounded the pave-
ment and grew the firm into a successful venture.
However, a social activist nature and his desire for
something creative were not tamped down.
"Back home people knew my family and our
company's name. In Chicago, I was a 23-year-
old with a baby face trying to compete with the
industry leaders;' Beale said. "I wanted to earn my
living by making a positive difference in the world.
I thought that would be the perfect balance in life."
In 2007, contemplating various options, he
launched a beta-version of the social network-
ing site he conceived for families. Two years in,
his migration from real estate was sidetracked by
personal tragedy when his older brother, Steven,
committed suicide at age 37.
"Those were tough times for my family;' he said.
"We carried a lot of depression. Often it felt like

CHATTERTREE SEE PAGE 14

HERE AND NOW

Concept Shop Gives Shoppers
a Complex; B'ham Mom Makes
Knitting Chic

New local boutiques, businesses and
brands you may not know — but should.

By Lynne Konstantin

KNIT ONE, PEARL TWO HOW CHIC!

About 10 years ago, Bonnie Laker was going to
a party. She looked everywhere for a bag to suit
her outfit but couldn't find what she wanted. And
then, when she did, she said her first thought was,
"I could do that so much better:'
So she headed to a knit shop, picked out some
yarn and needles — and taught herself to knit. She
then produced a "spectacular"fiber confection.
"I knit this bag and made a beaded handle and
thought,'Huh!,," says Laker.
The Birmingham resident says she always had a
creative streak in her, painting here and there and
creating a children's clothing line when her kids
were younger. While going through a divorce at
the same time Michigan's economy began to turn
south, the mom of three turned to her knitting and
has turned a passion for textiles into a business,
BLW Bag and Accessories.
In addition to working for Jewish Hospice and
teaching religious school at Congregation Shaarey
Zedek, Laker produces bags for every mood —
clean-lined, elegant evening bags; funky, furry
creations (like the one shown, made of cotton,
bamboo and alpaca yarns); girly little bat mitzvah
bags; wristlets; and more.
"At parties, I like to have a cocktail in one hand
and food in the other Laker says. "So I always
make a bag you can put on your wrist [to] have
your hands free!"
Laker hand-selects all the yarns then twists and
manipulates them to create the color, pattern and
texture she wants. She knits all her own purses and
embellishes each with various handles, straps and
details of wood, beads, stones and leather. She also
hand-knits kippot, rag rugs, women's tallit, gloves,
scarves and more — hitting art shows, home
parties, synagogue boutiques and showings by ap-
pointment. Bags start at $35 and top at $300.
BLW Bag and Accessories: blwbag.net .

ON THE HEELS OF FRED SEGAL

Downtown Birmingham is slowly but surely work-
ing to restake its claim of being the destination for
edgy, charming and eclectic shopping experiences.
The latest to crop up is a concept mega-boutique
from partners Doug Schwartz and Annie Leblanc,
owners of the former incarnation of Annex, also in
Birmingham.
Their new baby, Complex, just opened at the
end of 2010 and is a 6,000-square-foot, two-level,
gallery-style space that offers eight multiple-con-
cept tastes of the newest and coolest for everyone:
The Lab is a gift and music lounge; Garment Society
offers contemporary women's clothing; David &
Davis Home provides home furnishings and interior
design; and Annex has settled into its new home
here, too, offering the same cool jewelry, accessories
and home decor it did in its previous location.
In addition to the eight static concepts, Complex
will host an exclusive, ever-evolving pop-up shop,
to be filled by anyone Schwartz and Leblanc deem
unique. The coming lineup for the 215-square-foot
space includes wine tastings, book launches, a line
of fedoras and newsboy caps, shoes and private-
label women's clothing and more — ranging from
one-day trunk shows up to 30 days of availability.
Inspired by the retail spaces they've visited in
their travels from Miami to L.A., particularly the Fred
Segal concept, Schwartz, a real-estate developer,
and Leblanc, a former kindergarten teacher, wanted
to bring the Fred Segal "all-in-one" concept to Michi-
gan and be the first of its kind locally. "It's all working
really well together, like a big family,"says Schwartz.
"It's a great energy!'
168 W. Maple Road, Birmingham.
(248) 792-2495; complexmi.com .

www.redthreadmagazine.com