As a hairstylist and a self-employed vendor of boutique-style clothing to her salon clients, their friends and her friends, Letise Eaton has decided it's time to go the brick-and-mortar way.
Until opening a storefront at 23236 Woodward Avenue in Ferndale in November, Eaton had sold her goods from the trunk of her car.
"I had been keeping my eye on this spot for a long time," she says. "I had looked at leasing places in other cities, but this was the most affordable, and the longer I'm here I see how the city is always busy."
Her
Letise Collections took over a long-vacant spot and now she's hoping her presence in one of metro Detroit's most pedestrian-heavy business districts will bring her more connections.
Though her sales method has changed, her philosophy on style and keeping it individual has not, so her store will sell only up to six of the same item.
"When it's sold, I buy something different," she says. "No one wants to buy something they love and them bump into someone on the street who's wearing the same thing."
It's a philosophy she hopes will set her store apart.
"Most stores buy 12 to 24 of each item," she says. "What I have to do is make sure people know that will not be our approach at Letise."
Source: Letise Eaton, owner, Letise Collections
Writer: Kim North Shine
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.