Where do women of many hues and many sizes go to shop to look smashing?

The first answer from a fashionista is “The Peacock Room,” owned and delightfully stocked by Rachel Lutz.

Lutz delivers on price, fashion-forward style and ambiance in her store inside the Park Shelton, next door to the Detroit Institute of Arts. Instead of haunting the malls or plinking the computer keys, customers can come to a convivial place where salespeople actually work the floor and hunt racks to find the ideal outfit for you. In an age when so much shopping is done by price and popularity, Lutz’s team looks to make customers look fit and fabulous.

Now she’s bringing that same style to the two new stores she’s opening in the venerated Fisher Building, down the hall from the Fisher Theater. One is another Peacock Room. The second is a new store called YAMA, named for Minoru Yamasaki who designed the World Trade Center and lit up Detroit’s architectural scene.

Lutz is a part of Detroit’s fastest growing business sector, women-owned businesses, which number nearly 40,000.

Entrepreneurs like Lutz and her cohorts are  driving force behind the improvement in Detroit’s revenue growth, which is inching up from down over 4 percent in early 2014 to up 4 percent in mid-2016.

With two new store opening planned during the key, make-it-or-break-it holiday sales season, Lutz hopes to win big.

YAMA appeals to the modern, streamlined shopper, with an eye for clean architectural detailing. The store will feature simple but well-tailored clothing and modern accessories for women.

With the extra space in the Fisher Building, the new Peacock Room will feature a small bridal boutique for the non-traditional bride who is looking for a vintage-inspired look. It will also have a larger selection of high end costume jewelry and handbags.

“Our success has been built on customer loyalty and customer recommendations,” says Lutz. “Customers told us they wanted more options for bridal and vintage, and they also showed that there’s a real need for a streamlined, modern style in retail.”

Look for a grand opening of a second Peacock Room and YAMA, on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“The Peacock Room has always strived to be a part of the conversation about Detroit,” says Lutz. “We know that there are still a lot of challenges here, but we’re excited to use our gorgeous new space in the Fisher Building to draw attention to some vital topics and give back to the community.”

On Nov. 20 the Peacock Room will host a panel discussion called “State of the City: Women and Children in Detroit,” which will address the health and safety in Detroit and the most pressing needs to sustain and protect women and children. The event benefits Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation and Enough SAID.

The panel features:

• Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, whose commitment to ending the backlog of untested rape kits in Detroit led to the founding of the Enough SAID campaign by Michigan Women’s Foundation
• Carolyn Cassin, Michigan Women’s Foundation president and CEO
• Lawrence J. Burns, president and CEO, Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation

The panel runs from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the foundation’s new second-floor Fisher Building office space.

VIP tickets for the panel and reception are $150. Tickets for The Peacock Room’s opening reception and shopping evening only are $75. Food and Lot 40 signature cocktails will be served from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Antique cars from Detroit Classic Car Rentals will be on display on Second Avenue. For more information please click here.

The next night, Nov. 21, YAMA’s preview event will benefit THAW (The Heat and Warmth Fund), which provides utility assistance for Detroit residents in desperate need. From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., guests can browse YAMA’s modern clothing and jewelry inspired by modernist Detroit architect Minoru Yamasaki. Tickets for the benefit opening are $50, including food and drink.

Lutz’s store joins Pure Detroit, an emporium of clothing, posters, books and photographs of the city we love; Vera Jane, a lingerie store, and the Detroit Gallery of Contemporary Crafts. There is also a coffee shop and a showcase for reclaimed wood from abandoned houses called The Workshop.

Luring the Peacock Room to the Fisher Building was part of a strategy underway by The Platform, a development group that acquired the Fisher Building in 2015. It has also started a $100 million restoration of the art deco masterpiece and restoration is underway on the ceiling. Pure Detroit holds weekly tours of the building and art events have sprung up in the lobby.

Editor’s Note: This Small Shops feature is sponsored by Bank of America.

To learn more about Bank of America’s many programs and resources for small business owners visit: https://www.bankofamerica.com/smallbusiness/business-financing.go

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