For Immediate Release
November 15, 2004

LANSING — Cloth Encounters, a specialty retailer in Ann Arbor, has opened shop in the Mall of Michigan, an Internet retailing and shopping service operated by the Michigan Retailers Association (MRA).

Shoppers can access Cloth Encounters online through the Mall of Michigan at www.mallofmichigan.com. The site is listed in the Clothing section.

Cloth Encounters is a fabric boutique offering imported and domestic cottons, linens, silks and wools, as well as an extensive assortment of ribbons and buttons from around the world. The store holds classes and workshops on topics such as "Adornaments: Lace Scarves" or the "Clone Yourself Workshop."

The store’s website offers links to suppliers’ websites for more product information. Visitors to the site can also sign up for the store’s e-mail newsletter and check the schedule of classes, workshops and sales.

The Mall of Michigan is a collection of unique specialty shops—all of them MRA members—offering distinctive products online. More than 140 Michigan businesses now participate in e-commerce through this website.

The Michigan Retailers Association is the unified voice of retailing in Michigan and the nation's largest state trade association of general merchandise retailers. MRA's more than 5,500 retail business members operate more than 12,000 stores across the state.