 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.

