s hop p i ng

Something For

Everyone

Susan Peck | Special to the Jewish News

Terri Cassels Cooper,

owner of the Franklin

Village Boutique,

wants customers to

feel good at her shop.

details

Contact Franklin Village Boutique
at (248) 851-0055 or visit
franklinvillageboutique.com.

T

erri Cassels Cooper had a
dream.
“For years I would
walk into cozy and charming
boutiques when I was travel-
ing and think to myself ‘I want
to own one like this myself one
day,’” she says of the clothing
and gift shops one sees in quaint
vacation towns in Northern
Michigan and on the East Coast.
That day finally came about
a year ago. Stopping in at the
Franklin Boutique with her sister,
Susan, she ended up speaking to
the shop’s longtime owners about
buying it from them.
“Timing is everything,” says
Cooper, 59. “The owners didn’t
have the store for sale at the
time, but were ready to move on
to another chapter in their lives.
The stars aligned when I bought
it and everything has been per-
fect. One of the former owners,
Jane Roberts, still comes in and
helps out, my sister has always
been a huge help, and we have
assembled the finest little sales
team, so we’re all one big, happy
family.”
The stars, however, took their
time aligning: Cooper, a former
high-school health-ed teacher
and school counselor, then

Terri Cassels Cooper

Brett Mountain | Photographer

owned Cheer Michigan cheer-
leading camps for 20 years.
“I not only loved the coaching
and leadership aspect of my for-
mer career, but I loved the busi-
ness side of it equally, so I knew
I would enjoy my new role as
business owner of the boutique,”
Coopers says. She spent months
researching brands for the store
as well as POS systems (“point
of sale — a merchandising term
I knew nothing about”) while
exploring other clothing shops
to get a feel for what she wanted
to offer.
After taking over, she did a
sweeping renovation of the store,
along with creating a new store
motto: “New look, new vibe, new
styles, new you.”
“While we want to respect and
honor the loyal clientele Franklin
Village Boutique already had,
we also want to be known as the
boutique with something for
everyone,” Cooper says. “Right
now, we have stunning pieces for
graduation, showers and wed-
dings for teenagers up to women
of every age.” Her goal is to be
known as a destination boutique
in the area, for standout pieces
you can’t get anywhere else.
The store is filled with sought-

after designers including the
tailored yet flowing pieces by
French line Lauren Vidal; fun
and sophisticated pieces that
travel beautifully by Joseph
Ribkoff from Montreal; and the
fabulous edgy and architectural
stylings by Alena Bika, an on-
trend Israeli designer.
Casualwear offerings, including
made-in-America brands Tribal,
Insight, 209 and Sidestitch, pro-
vide one-of-a-kind pieces that are
comfortably fashionable with a
great fit. “These lines flatter the
body and aren’t a big one-size-
fits-all look,” says Lorrie Keila,
one of the boutique’s salespeople.
“One popular item that women
love is the Slim-Sation compres-
sion slacks that come in khaki,
black and denim, and look abso-
lutely great on everyone.”
The price range for clothing
typically ranges between $70
to $300. “We really try to keep
everything under $300,” Cooper
says.
Franklin Village Boutique also
showcases unique jewelry by arti-
san designers like Calendar Girl
by Wendy Nelson, Carol Unites
Daydreamer’s from South Haven
and Franklin’s own Michele
Saulson Designs.

Relationships are a priority to
Cooper so it’s natural that becom-
ing friends with the customers
is the biggest perk about being a
part of the Franklin downtown
shopping district. “I knew I want-
ed to be a part of this community
because of the wonderful people
in the area,” she said. “Every per-
son that walks in the door has a
story and we love to know them
all personally. I am so grateful to
our loyal following.”
Giving back to the community
is important to Cooper, who lives
in Bloomfield Hills. She’s on the
board at Temple Shir Shalom in
West Bloomfield and volunteers
for the Alzheimer’s Association.
“My husband and I want to
teach Ben [their 15-year-old son]
how important it is to do good
for others,” she says. “We have
on-going benefits at the boutique
for organizations like Detroit
Dog Rescue, Karmanos, Almost
Home, Hadassah and Rodan &
Fields.
“We have regular Sip and Shop
benefit events — they are a fun
night that usually includes get-
ting together to have treats, wine
and shopping for a good cause.
That’s what you call the best
retail therapy of all.”

*

June 2 • 2016

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