SEPTEMBER 3 • 2020 | 27
I
t might be easy to shop
with just a single click on
Amazon, but why not help
Michigan’
s economy as much
as possible by shopping locally
instead? When that’
s the united
call of many customers, then
the impact can be huge.
That’
s what’
s behind the
#MichiganStrong masks you
might be seeing on people
around town.
The Suit Depot in Oak
Park is behind the masks. But
according to owner Mordy
Babayov, it’
s not about his com-
pany — it’
s about the initiative.
“Everyone’
s struggling right
now,
” Babayov said. “Many
small businesses had merchan-
dise that went stale in the three
months they were closed. Our
goal is to create a whole culture
of supporting each other.
”
The Suit Depot made 2,500
simple black masks with the
#MichiganStrong hashtag.
They donated 500 to Macomb
County, 500 to Oakland County
and another 500 to the city of
Oak Park. Anyone can come
into The Suit Depot in Oak
Park and ask for and receive a
free mask.
Small businesses are invited
to walk in and pick up masks
for their employees, whatever
the number. They pose for
pictures, masked, and tell The
Suit Depot about their business
and how they’
ve tweaked their
services to suit the times. Then
the Suit Depot profiles these
businesses on all their social
media — Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, LinkedIn — and
encourages their followers to
help spread the word.
Their goal is for follow-
ers to share the posts, with
Michiganders turning their
resources inwards and support-
ing local businesses in any way
they can.
Babayov said he used to
purchase supplies for his store
online but has now started
buying them from a local com-
pany instead. It might be more
expensive, but the knowledge
that he’
s helping his own com-
munity more than makes up
for the few dollars he would
have saved.
Babayov recently brought
a stack of masks to his sister’
s
wedding, in case people didn’
t
come with their own. He
noticed that the masks sparked
a conversation; he was thrilled
to see how enthusiastic people
were about the initiative.
It’
s the hope that if every-
one’
s talking about it and
supporting #MichiganStrong,
it will benefit everyone in the
long run, he said.
27 | SEPTEMBER 3 • 2020
#MichiganStrong
The Suit Depot gives away free masks to
help support local businesses.
ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A Suit Depot employee
with a customer who
runs an urgent care in
Hamtramck
COURTESY OF THE SUITE DEPOT
Dementia Friendly
Kol Nidre/Yom Kippur Service
Invites you to join in its 4th Annual Award-Winning
The Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program
This special service will include familiar prayers and melodies led by Cantor Pamela Schiffer within a
45-minute timeframe created for families and their loved ones living with Dementia.
Open to the Community – No charge
Registration by September 14 preferred to ensure delivery of your High Holy Day gift bag.
This event has generously been underwritten by a friend of The Brown Center
Sunday, September 27 at 11 a.m.
Zoom link and holiday gift bag with prayer book
will be provided with registration
For online registration: https://bit.ly/BCservice2020
For questions or to register by phone call (248) 592-5031, leave
a message with your name, address, phone number and email.