June 11, 2007
BIRMINGHAM - Our breakfast meeting at the Pancake
House in Birmingham was the best so far. I had the help of three long-time
retailers as co-hosts: Larry Sherman, retired owner of the former Sherman
Shoes in Birmingham; Ross Kogel, of Tire Wholesalers, Inc. in Troy and
Parts Wholesalers, Inc. in Madison Heights; and Doug Schubot, of Schubot
Jewelers in Troy.
The
high regard that Michigan’s jewelry community feels for Doug was
evident by the high number of jewelers who came, including Richard Astrein,
Jeffrey Nest, Richard Austin and Alexander Bongiorno.
One thing I’ve noticed on this tour is how similar
the concerns are in different types of cities. In Birmingham, the most
densely populated part of the state I’ve visited so far, we talked
about the importance of downtown development—just as it had been
the main topic in Escanaba, one of the smallest cities I’ve visited.
Doesn’t matter what size town or city, retailers understand that
strong downtowns are absolutely essential to strong retail, not to mention
strong communities.
And the MRA
Foundation and its scholarship program came up, as it had in Sault
Ste Marie. Jeffrey Nest, of The Source Ltd. in Southfield, was thankful
for the MRA scholarship his daughter Lauren received last year. I’m
gratified to hear from members that they value the Foundation Scholarships,
because I remember when it was much smaller program and all we had were
ideas about how to grow it.
Larry
Sherman’s work on the Foundation has been invaluable, and I loved
having the chance to talk with him about what it’s become over
the years. (In addition to contributing enough to fund two annual Legacy
Scholarships, Larry chaired the fundraising drive, “Links to a
Legacy,” that helped push the Foundation’s assets up past
$1 million.) It’s hard to believe we can now fund 40 MRA scholarships
this year. Amazing.
Thanks also to Ken
Kowalski, MRA’s marketing rep for southeastern Michigan, who
was my right-hand man at the breakfast, distributing and collecting
referral cards.
I’m looking forward to seeing more southeastern Michigan retailers in Wyandotte next week. And I get to draw a name for a $25 prize to one lucky retailer who has taken part in this month’s Retail Index Survey! (Submit your survey online by June 15 to be eligible.)
For additional information about a breakfast near you, contact Kammy Johns at 517.372.5656 or kjohns@retailers.com.
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SCHEDULE
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April
23: Ann Arbor |
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July
16: Midland 30: Kalamazoo |
August
6: Alpena 7: Traverse City 15: Port Huron |
September
10: Grand Rapids 17: Bay City or Saginaw 20: St. Joseph 24: Brighton |
