to go into this business. My dad and
I love working together. We comple-
ment each other both in the business
sense and in our everyday lives, and
our family is very close, sharing the
same values and goals"

A "Family" Of Stores
The close feeling at the Boardwalk
goes beyond each store's individual
family group, for all the fathers and
daughters know each other and are
friends. The three daughters also
attended North Farmington High
School during the same years.
"For example, Rear Ends asked
me to help out one weekend at their
store," said Jessica from Hersh's, "and
one weekend of work turned into a
two-year job. They treated me like
family then and still do now"
Ariana noted that the stores always
help each other out. "We're always
referring customers to the other stores
on the Boardwalk"
The values of family and commu-
nity so strong in Judaism are evident
in the work ethic displayed at these
stores.
"Not only at our store, but also
all of us on the Boardwalk use these
values on a daily basis" Jessica said.
"It's great fun bringing shoes from
Sundance to our customers at Hersh's,
and they send people to us, too"
Katie from Sundance added, "It's
important in life to be a mentsh. We're
all like family in our shops, and we
show that feeling to our customers as
well"

Tapper's Tradition
Family feeling is also found just a bit
farther north on Orchard Lake Road
at Tapper's, where dad Howard and
daughter Marla Tapper Young also
share common bonds and business
dealings.
"I love working with my daughter"
Howard said. "She's worked full time
at Tapper's for more than 20 years,
since graduating Indiana University,
and has grown into a great business-
woman"
The 66-year-old Howard is no
stranger to the business world, start-
ing in the stockroom at E.L. Rice
Wholesale Jewelers when he was 15,
and progressing to successful sales-
man soon after. He opened his first
store featuring diamonds and fine
jewelry in Southfield in 1977, and fol-
lowing demographic trends, moved
the business to the West Bloomfield
area in 1995. His wife, Susan, has
contributed to the business since its
inception, and Marla, 36, joined the
staff in 2003.
"There are many positives in hav-
ing your children working with you"

he said. "They're fiercely loyal to your
business, always making sure we do
our best to serve our customers. They
keep you young as they look to grow
and manage the business with a fresh
approach"
Sometimes, he said, it's difficult
to keep the boundaries of the fam-
ily intact, but "family comes first.
We try to never make a decision that
negatively impacts the relationships
between family members"
This family bond fosters Marla's
good feelings about working with her
father as well.
"The biggest positive is being able
to see my family every day. Just having
the few minutes to swing by and see
my dad in the office and update him
on my kids or my weekend is very
special. With family, we always know
there will be someone to help us along
the way if we need it."
Sometimes, she said, it's harder to
take constructive criticism from a
parent than from an unrelated boss.
However, she continued, "the nuance
of family really helps in knowing how
to appropriately approach different
topics. This doesn't exist when you
don't work with family."
Jewish values also represent an
important part in the Tappers' ethic,
Marla said, including the idea of giv-
ing back to the community, which is a
large part of their store's mission.
For all of these thriving West
Bloomfield businesses, moving from
the oftentimes complicated father-
daughter dynamic to the rewards of
being successful entrepreneurs shows
the truly special relationship fathers
and daughters enjoy, one that can
build and continue to grow over many
years together. ❑

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October 23 • 2014

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