32 | DECEMBER 10 • 2020 

A

fter nearly 43 years of 
owning and running 
Rear Ends, a women’s 
casual apparel boutique, Mark 
and Elaine Blumenfeld will be 
handing over the reins to their 
daughter, Ariana Carps. 
Due to the pandemic and 
personal reasons, a decision was 
also made to consolidate Rear 
Ends into its Bloomfield Hills 
store and to shutter the West 
Bloomfield location. 
The closing date for the West 
Bloomfield store is Dec. 12. 
Merchandise is on sale with 
most things well under $100, 
with the goal of clearing out the 
inventory. 
“It’s the times we live in; you 
have to be smart about it,
” said 
Elaine Blumenfeld. 
According to her, about 50% 
of their orders had been can-
celed by vendors because of the 
pandemic, and they didn’t feel 
they could effectively merchan-
dise two stores.
The consolidation is a positive 
move for Carps. 
“I’ll be able to leave a little 
early to pick my kids up from 
school,
” Carps tells the JN. “I 
think it’ll give me a work-life 
balance. COVID has shown me 
how important that is.
“It allows me to be the busi-
nesswoman I’
d love to be, and it 

allows me to be the mom I want 
to be who’s present when I’m 
with my kids.
”
Carps has worked in the store 
since she was just a kid. In 2005, 
Ariana became a full-time man-
ager and buyer, and by 2012, she 
was given a stake in the business.
“This is the only thing I’ve 
ever wanted to do, and the only 
job I’ve ever had,
” Carps said. 
“I can’t imagine doing anything 
else.
”
The plan was always for the 
Blumenfeld’s to hand the busi-
ness off to their daughter, but 
the pandemic accelerated that 
decision. 
“My daughter is unbelievable,
” 
Blumenfeld said. “She grew up 
here, she was doing stock when 
she was 10 years old.
”
It won’t be a full retirement 
for the Blumenfeld’s though. 
In-season, they’ll be at the store 
more often. They’ll step away a 
bit more when it’s not as busy.
“It’s comforting to say we’re 
going to step back, and we’ll 
come in when she needs us. We 
might come in a little bit when 
she doesn’t need us,
” she added.
“It’s been a good run,
” Mark 
Blumenfeld said. “I’m leaving 
this location with my head held 
high, and everything’s good in 
life. How much more can I ask 
than that?” 

RESTRICTIONS ARE 
“DEVASTATING” 
President Jeremy Sasson of 
the Heirloom Hospitality 
Group, whose restau-
rants include Townhouse 
Birmingham, Townhouse 
Detroit and Prime + Proper in 
Detroit, argues that the coro-
navirus restrictions have been 
devastating for the restaurant 
industry. 
Summing up his company’s 
experience, Sasson said, “In 
the last eight or nine months, 
we’ve had catastrophic layoffs 
of employees. We’ve gone 
from 350 employees to 15, 
rehired to about 300, and now 
we’re back to eight employees 
at our organization. ... This 
time around, there’s no eco-
nomic stimulus to support 
workers on unemployment. 
After 20 weeks from the first 
shutdown, there’s not a lot of 
time left for laid-off workers 
to get unemployment money. 
“The hidden issue in this 
situation is that some employ-
ees are going to be forced to 
look for other jobs,” he added. 
“We’re the only industry sin-
gled out twice in this entire 
year, with two shutdowns now 
tied specifically to restaurants. 
I can’t blame employees for 
not betting on the restaurant 
industry for their livelihood. 
There will be a gap for finding 
restaurant and hospitality pro-
fessionals when things have 
come back.”
Catering has been import-
ant during the pandemic, 
according to partner and 
Executive Chef Matt Prentice 
at Three Cats Restaurant
in Clawson. “Thankfully, 
because I’ve been around for 
a long time, we’re doing an 
incredible volume.” 
His location in a suburban 
neighborhood is an advantage 
he does not see for many of 
his colleagues starting out “or 

located in areas like Detroit 
that have seen a huge number 
of restaurants open but are 
now struggling.” 
Prentice is concerned about 
restaurant staff, including 
his own 22 employees on 
furlough. “Shutting down 
restaurants and bars is an 
unwinnable hand for a lot of 
people,” he said. “How do you 
survive on $360 a week at the 
max for unemployment to pay 
for things at Chanukah and 
Christmas? People are hurt-
ing. No financial relief is in 
sight either.” 
Bill Roberts of the Roberts 
Restaurant Group, whose 
restaurants include Beverly 
Hills Grill, Bill’s, Cafe 
ML, Roadhouse B&G and 
Streetside Seafood said, “The 
uncertainty is awful.
“Our team stuck with us 
through the (initial) three-
month shutdown and worked 
hard to rebuild our business 
and their lives. Now their 
reward is to have their jobs 
and our business (shut down) 
just before the holidays.”
As a past-president of 
the Michigan Restaurant & 
Lodging Association, Roberts 
said he was “thrilled that our 
Association sued the state 
to ask for our industry to be 
reopened” (a ruling is expect-
ed Monday).
His feeling is that most 
of the (virus) transmissions 
occur at home gatherings, 
“where people are not distanc-
ing, nor wearing masks, like 
they are in our restaurants.”
With outdoor dining not 
going in earnest until May 1, 
“one needs to have a strong 
financial situation or govern-
ment help to make it until 
spring,” Roberts said. “Please 
ask your state government to 
reinstate dining. And, please, 
support your neighborhood 
restaurants.” 

BUSINESS
continued from page 30

Owners handing reins to daughter, 
closing West Bloomfi
 eld Store.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Changes at 
Rear Ends

Elaine and Mark 

Blumenfeld and 

Ariana Carps

REAR ENDS FACEBOOK

