68 | MARCH 30 • 2023 

NEXT DOR

E

mily Kahn spent seven 
years working in the 
fast-paced fashion 
industry in New York City. 
She held sales positions for 
leading brands such as Ralph 
Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Helmut 
Lang and more but never 
anticipated switching career 
paths to real estate.
Kahn, 30, of Birmingham, 
studied apparel merchan-
dising at Indiana University. 

“I always knew I wanted 
to work in fashion,” she 
explains.
As Emily was growing 
up, her mother, Cindy 
Kahn, operated a children’s 
boutique in Birmingham 
called Kiddlywinks that 
introduced her daughters to 
the world of fashion. “I grew 
up working at the store,” 
Kahn says.
Later, her mother 

transitioned to working in 
real estate, and Kahn began 
to learn about the home 
buying and selling process, 
as well. “Sales has always 
been in my blood,” she 
explains.
Still, although her mother 
expressed interest in having 
her children join the real 
estate business, Kahn was 
firm in her desire to pursue a 
field in fashion.
Then, COVID-19 hit.

MOVING TO 
REAL ESTATE
Like many young New 
Yorkers with family in other 
states, Kahn moved home 
to ride out the ongoing 
pandemic with her family.
She worked remotely from 
her parents’ home for eight 
months for Marc Jacobs 
before realizing staying in 
Michigan and remaining in 
the fast-paced fashion world 
of New York City simply 
wasn’t possible.
“Moving back here, I 
knew my career would have 
to change,” Kahn says. “I 
knew my fashion career was 
over, but with sales, it’s so 
transferable with any kind of 
product.
“If you can sell a shirt, you 
can sell a house,” she adds. 
“You have the skill to sell 
anything.”
With her mother’s business 
growing, Kahn decided now 
was the right time to test 
the waters of real estate. She 
took a six-week course to get 
her real estate license and 
never looked back.
“No one can prepare you 
for working with a parent, 
but it’s been so rewarding,” 
Kahn explains. “I’ve learned 

so much from [my mother] 
and I feel so lucky to have 
her as a mentor in the 
business.”
Kahn focuses primarily 
on homes in the Oakland 
County area, particularly 
Birmingham, Bloomfield, 
Franklin and Royal Oak. She 
maintains her own client 
roster while also taking 
on joint projects with her 
mother.
From $250,000 to $6 
million homes, Kahn works 
with a diverse array of 
properties that include both 
sales and leases. “We do it 
all,” she says. “We don’t say 
no to anything.”

MAKING A COMMITMENT
Over two years working in 
the real estate industry that 
have been some of the most 
turbulent times in home 
buying and selling, Kahn has 
learned important lessons 
about what it takes to be a 
successful Realtor in Metro 
Detroit.
“There were so many 
people who, in 2020, went 
and got their license to be a 
part-time real estate agent,” 
Kahn explains. “You have to 
do it full time. It’s a seven-
day-a-week job, and you 
have to be able to put the 
time into it in order to grow 
your business.”
It’s the most challenging, 
but also the most gratifying 
part of the industry, she says.
“You have to be on call and 
ready to jump at whatever,” 
Kahn describes. “It’s fun 
because every day is so 
unpredictable.”
Still, Kahn says the 
adjustment felt natural 
after coming from the fast-

Meet Realtor Emily Kahn, 
back from NYC.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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