Saks Fifth Avenue

**Designerguy24** · November-10-10, 09:11 AM

I am curious where this store was located in Detroit. Anyone every work there and can share memories or anyone ever visit the store?

**gazhekwe** · November-10-10, 09:24 AM

It was in New Center, Woodward and the Boulevard. I wen there once or twice, it was too rich for my blood,

**Crew** · November-10-10, 09:59 AM

Albert Kahn building in new Center.

**EastsideAl** · November-10-10, 11:31 AM

As Crew said, it was in the Albert Kahn Building on Second just north of the Blvd., which still was called by its original name of the New Center Building then. My grandmother, who worked at Hudsons for many years, had a close friend who left Hudsons to manage a cosmetics counter at Saks.

I was in there a couple of times with my mother when I was a kid. My folks really didn't have the money to shop there, but I think my mom got a couple of splurge-y special occasion dresses and a coat I remember very well there with the help of my grandmother's friend's employee discount.

It was quite an elegant store. That was a pretty upscale shopping area back then, with the big Dietrich furs store and a number of high end clothing and jewelry stores in the Fisher Building, as well as the crazy ornate Mauna Loa restaurant, of course. I think a lot of GM executives and their wives shopped there.

**d2dyeah** · November-10-10, 11:59 AM

My Grandmother worked for Sak's as the Couture Salon manager for many years. She put together wardrobes for many women in the Ford and Fisher families. She would travel with the New york team and pick out clothing from all the big names in Paris, that her clients were interested in. She would then send small boxes to the clients from the designers, showing the fabric swatches and buttons etc. and they could then make any selection and minor changes they wished. She did this for EACH outfit, and for each client. It was a different world. That store was beautiful and elegant, and had great window displays, but it was always quiet and intimidating. She liked her job at Sak's, but she always said that her training from J.L. Hudson's was what advanced her career to Sak's and later across the street to Milgrim's in the Fisher building.

**D_Town** · November-10-10, 04:03 PM

Wow, the more you know...I didn't know Detroit had a Saks 5th Ave. That's pretty cool, hopefully someone will have some old pics of the store. The only Saks I knew that was close to Detroit was the one at Fairlane.

**D_Town** · November-10-10, 04:12 PM

Found a picture of the store. This is from the book Detroit's New Center By Randall Fogelman

**EastsideAl** · November-10-10, 04:21 PM

I love this picture from the Virtual Motor City site of women dressed in Saks' style for their wartime work.

Ladies, you don't have to give up looking stylish just because you're spending 8 hours a day in a noisy, dirty factory.

**Ray1936** · November-10-10, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by D_Town

Wow, the more you know...I didn't know Detroit had a Saks 5th Ave. That's pretty cool, hopefully someone will have some old pics of the store. The only Saks I knew that was close to Detroit was the one at Fairlane.

D_Town, if you really want to crank off executives from Saks, continue to write Saks 5th Ave. They demand it to appear as Saks Fifth Avenue. Never use 5th. True.

**Gistok** · November-10-10, 06:27 PM

Here's an old post card image of the New Center Building...

**EastsideAl** · November-10-10, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

D_Town, if you really want to crank off executives from Saks, continue to write Saks 5th Ave. They demand it to appear as Saks Fifth Avenue. Never use 5th. True.

Part of that is a branding protection of a protection of Saks' upscale image But part also has to do with NYC addressing conventions. "5th" is a street, as in "5th Street," which is downtown in the East Village. Gentrified now, to be sure, but still hardly a classy retailing district. "Fifth" is an Avenue, as in "Fifth Avenue," world famous Midtown center of high-end retail [[at least around where Saks is located).

**jonathanlivingstonseagull** · November-10-10, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

D_Town, if you really want to crank off executives from Saks, continue to write Saks 5th Ave. They demand it to appear as Saks Fifth Avenue. Never use 5th. True.

That is funny because for awhile during the late '90's they were all about calling themselves S5A. In a way that the 5 looked like an F. If you type S5A into Google Saks comes up as the top search result.

**jonathanlivingstonseagull** · November-10-10, 10:43 PM

And for what it's worth, Saks also had a "resort" store in Petoskey.

**Farrer** · November-11-10, 12:47 AM

That's a bitchin' building. Isn't there a lot of ground floor "cladding" concealing the detailing on that building? I hardly remember looking at the building other than at the street level elevation. NewCen archi rox.

While we're on upscale defunct D-retail AGAIN, where was Brooks Bros.? Penobscot? Feeling the yen for some Indian Madras slacks and shirts...and maybe an alligator belt and some Bass penny loafers before heading to Flaarida.

Originally Posted by Gistok

Here's an old post card image of the New Center Building...

**DetroitPlanner** · November-11-10, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by Farrer

While we're on upscale defunct D-retail AGAIN, where was Brooks Bros.? Penobscot? Feeling the yen for some Indian Madras slacks and shirts...and maybe an alligator belt and some Bass penny loafers before heading to Flaarida.

Brooks Bros was in the Penobscot in the spot where the Post office currently is the leaseholder. BB also had a store in the RenCen that closed as soon as GM started to hit the rough patch [[2006?).

**jonathanlivingstonseagull** · November-11-10, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Brooks Bros was in the Penobscot in the spot where the Post office currently is the leaseholder. BB also had a store in the RenCen that closed as soon as GM started to hit the rough patch [[2006?).

The BB in Ren Cen was technically a Brooks Brothers 346 which is more mid-tier than a flat out BB. BB 346 is still higher quality though than BB Factory store, like in GPF.

**dtowncitylover** · July-12-11, 05:31 PM

Does anyone know the last day of business of Saks at this location? Does anyone have any good photos of the exterior of the Kahn Building when it was still a Saks?

**MidTownMs** · July-12-11, 08:40 PM

I was the last customer to shop at Saks before they closed the store for good in 1980.

**detroitbob** · July-12-11, 08:44 PM

There was also a Sak's "prep" outlet, a tiny store on State St. in Ann Arbor. Sold lots of preppy styles for men and women. Closed in the late 70's...about the time BATUS bought the chain.

**dtowncitylover** · July-12-11, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by MidTownMs

I was the last customer to shop at Saks before they closed the store for good in 1980.

Wow. What a cool [[kinda sad though) claim to fame. Don't have the receipt that shows the date do ya?

**dtowncitylover** · April-18-13, 03:59 PM

So I recently found out that Saks ran a University Shop in Arbor. From what I gathered, it probably closed sometime in the 70s. Anyone have memories of that store? Of course, I assume patrons to that store were wealthy students and wealthy profs. I can't believe Michigan supported 4 stores at one time [[Detroit/Fairlane, Troy, Petoskey resort, and Ann Arbor's University Shop). Now there's 1 full line store and an outlet store.

**douglasm** · April-18-13, 05:36 PM

A couple of idle thoughts.....

If I remember correctly, you could walk from the New Center Building to the G.M. Building without going outside. There is [[was?) a subway from New Center to the Fisher Bldg., and one from the Fisher to the G.M. Building.

Someone mentioned G.M. executives. Memory says Lothrop, between Woodward and Second [[the NCB is on the corner of 2nd and Lothrop) had 2 or 3 dining establishments tht catered to the executive trade.

**canuck** · April-18-13, 05:50 PM

Excellent thread. Think of what a goldmine of information a novel writer can glean from this thread. You should all be unashamed.

**Bham1982** · April-18-13, 07:35 PM

Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

I can't believe Michigan supported 4 stores at one time [[Detroit/Fairlane, Troy, Petoskey resort, and Ann Arbor's University Shop). Now there's 1 full line store and an outlet store.

True, though I'm not sure if their presence has shrunk that much. The Petoskey "resort" store and Ann Arbor "prep" stores were basically boutiques, and maybe [[combined) amounted to a single department in a regular Saks store. It's possible they even had five stores for a very short period, as I think the Somerset and Fairlane Stores both opened before the New Center one closed. The one remaining Saks has expanded twice; once in the early 90's, [[basically total reconstruction in tandem with Somerset South expansion) and then again maybe 5 years ago [[additional floor).

**Bham1982** · April-18-13, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by douglasm

A couple of idle thoughts.....

If I remember correctly, you could walk from the New Center Building to the G.M. Building without going outside. There is [[was?) a subway from New Center to the Fisher Bldg., and one from the Fisher to the G.M. Building.

There still is. You can walk from the Fisher to the GM through an underground walkway. I've done it a number of times, though on business, and forget if it's publicly accessible [[I think technically no, but kinda yes, because security on the Fisher side is nonexistent, so you can stroll in if you know where you're going).