Avenue of Fashion: Retail Shopping Revived in Detroit’s Historic University District
Story & photos by Malissa Martin
Design by Lindsy Carman
The Avenue of Fashion (located one mile west of Woodward Avenue on Livernois between 7 Mile and 8 Mile) has been revived and is fast becoming, again, one of Detroit’s shopping hotspots. Although some retailers have long been a staple in the area, new businesses have been flocking to the area even more in the last few years.
Rufus Bartell has been instrumental in recruiting businesses to the historic district. Bartell opened Simply Casual, a boutique that sells both women’s and men’s clothing, in 1996. He says Simply Casual is a lifestyle store “for people who work hard and play hard.” He believes Detroit’s fashion has a unique style, and though he sells Detroit style clothing, he pushes the limits to bring new ideas to the city. “We have a style very unique on its own, with very different kinds of pockets. Weather influences how a lot of Detroiters dress and their simple style and taste,” Bartell explained. He collaborates with local designers and international designers from all over the world, including London, Italy, and Turkey, to name a few. Bartell says Detroit fashion is all over the place, and considers it a dress-up town. “We’ve always had a very stylish caché, dating back to our late, great Mayor Coleman Young, who was always dressed to the nines anytime you saw him,” Bartell said. In addition to clothing, Simply Casual sells bath and body products and candles made by Detroit companies.
Other boutique owners on the Avenue of Fashion have also been influenced by Detroit’s creative style. Jackie Terry, owner of The Style Gallery, also pushes to the bar on what she considers Detroit fashion. “I don’t conform to what is expected from an inner city boutique. I pride myself on doing cutting edge designs, not the norm.” Terry said. She opened The Style Gallery in 2002, shortly before graduating from Wayne State University with a B.A. in fashion design and merchandising. The posh boutique’s first location was in the New Center One Building. Terry decided to relocate to Avenue of Fashion in 2011 after friends who own salons there convinced her to move. Terry says she’s happy with the area and feels there’s a good camaraderie amongst business owners. She’s also seen an increase in sales and is excited about growing her clientele. Terry creates outfits with two other designers, and works with manufactures from all over the U.S., including New York and California. The Style Gallery predominately sells women’s clothing, but also offers custom ordered men’s pieces such as shirts, suits, blazers, and hats.
There are also stores on the Avenue of Fashion that exclusively sell men’s clothing, for example Flagship Boutique, owned by Tarik Haygood and Joseph Lawton. The pair opened the boutique almost four years ago, and make all their t-shirts on location. Haygood owns the brand District 81 and Lawton owns the brand Joe’s Coney Island, both of which are sold at the boutique. In addition to selling t-shirts, sweatshirts, blue jeans, and jackets, the store also sells CDs by Detroit artists.
Other clothing stores in the area include Teasers Boutique, Times Square Men’s Clothing, Mitchell’s on the Ave, Destiny’s Closet, E.X. Change Apparel and many, many more. As the Avenue of Fashion continues to make its way back to being a shopping staple in Detroit, more businesses will flock to the area. Check it out, because there’s something for everyone!
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