Which Downtown Birmingham Storefronts Changed Hands This Year, and Which Doors Are Actually Open

Seven downtown Birmingham addresses have new tenants this year, counting PopUp Bagels just south of the core on Woodward. By the first week of October, only two of the seven were confirmed open. The other five had all announced openings for September, October or "this fall." Most of them have announced plans and taken no firm date. If those plans hold, downtown in early December will look noticeably different from downtown in early October.

That timing is the real story of Birmingham retail in 2026. Last spring a run of long-established shops stepped away from their addresses. Their replacements are lining up to open in the weeks before the holidays. Here is where each address stands as of October 4.

The shops that left had decades on the block

The vacancies didn't come from short-lived tenants. Cristions had been at 205 N. Old Woodward for more than 29 years when owner Steve Coval announced the closing in April. He described the decision as one made after "deep reflection and even deeper gratitude" and said it was simply time to "enjoy life." Over those years the store sold European bed linens and Michigan-made down comforters, and Hour Detroit named it Best Luxury Linens more than once. Coval kept a smaller piece of the business going. He continues his online linen shop, Vero Linens, at verolinens.com on a much reduced schedule.

Barbara Boz on East Maple announced its closing in February after 14 years. Detroit Guitar closed its doors at 243 W. Maple on May 1 after 15 years. That was a move, not a retirement. Owners Charlie Lorenzi and Eric Wolfe took the shop to 32302 Woodward Ave. in Royal Oak, a space three times the size of the Birmingham storefront, where they still sell new and used guitars and offer lessons and repairs.

The oldest gap belongs to 284 W. Maple. The Detroit Free Press reported in August 2024 that the last remaining Moosejaw stores were set to close. That address is now the one where the newest construction is happening.

What has already filled in

Two of the new tenants arrived in late summer. Shoppe Cozette opened at 266 E. Maple Rd. in the former Barbara Boz shop and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Portland Leather moved into 157 W. Maple, the former home of Revive, and Birmingham By Design profiled the open store on August 24. Founder Curtis Matsko started the company in Portland, Oregon, in 2016 by making a leather journal. It has since grown to about 20 retail shops plus an online store. Its pitch is high-quality leather goods at reasonable prices, and the company runs its own artisan workshop in León, Mexico. Birmingham By Design described the West Maple shop as leaning toward the smaller end of downtown storefronts, with a wide variety of styles packed inside.

October through the holidays: the stretch that matters

Three of the biggest changes are due between now and the start of the holiday season, and each has moved a little as it got closer.

Greyson Clothiers is scheduled to open in October at 205 N. Old Woodward, the old Cristions space. It will be the performance golf and lifestyle brand's 12th store and its fourth in Michigan. The Detroit flagship sits on Woodward Avenue in the historic Wright & Kay building. The founder has deep local roots. Charlie Schaefer started Greyson in 2015. He is a Bloomfield native and a Detroit Country Day graduate, played golf on scholarship at Duke, and spent 13 years designing at Ralph Lauren before launching the company.

Cherry Republic's opening date has slipped twice in public. A July report had the 243 W. Maple store opening in late September. By August the company was aiming for October, before the fourth-quarter holiday season picks up speed. As of early October, the company's own Birmingham page still says "Coming Soon!" and "Opening fall of 2026," with hours listed as TBA. Once it opens, the plan is seven days a week, roughly 9 or 10 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m. with slightly shorter winter hours, and a staff of about five full-time and ten part-time employees.

"Birmingham seems to have a pulse to it that's just uniquely its own. We've come to really appreciate what Birmingham's got going on."

That was the company's Homa speaking to Birmingham By Design in August, explaining the choice of West Maple.

J.Jill has interior construction underway at 284 W. Maple and is planning a fall opening without a firm date. Once it opens, the 200 block of West Maple will have new tenants at both 243 and 284. Portland Leather is already open at 157, a block east.

Two bagel counters, one of them a homecoming

The food side of this year's turnover centers on two bagel shops with almost opposite approaches.

Bev's Bagels is taking 283 Hamilton Row for a second location, after the original opened in Detroit's Core City in the summer of 2025. Chef-owner Max Sussman is a James Beard Award semifinalist and grew up in Huntington Woods. He recalls going to Birmingham for lunch with his grandparents. The Birmingham menu adds items the Detroit shop doesn't have. These include open-faced bagel sandwiches with Michigan heirloom tomatoes, a chopped salad aimed at the lunch rush, gluten-free plain and everything bagels, and weekday pastries. The shop will also put more weight on catering for office lunches and family celebrations. Hours are set at 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The opening was forecast for September. Metro Times reported on September 1 that no exact date had been announced.

PopUp Bagels picked Birmingham for its first Michigan store, at 34400 Woodward Ave. in the former T-Mobile space just outside the downtown core. As of October 1, signs were up and no opening date or timeline had been announced. Adam Goldberg founded the chain in 2020 in Westport, Connecticut. It sells hot, whole bagels meant to be torn open and dipped into flavored schmears or butters, with no pre-made sandwiches. The company runs 49 stores in 18 states and is aiming for 100 locations by the end of 2027. Crain's Detroit Business included the Birmingham store in its October 2 restaurant roundup.

The dates that will walk you past these doors

Downtown's fall and winter calendar maps neatly onto the turnover. Each event below draws foot traffic past a different set of addresses, and the later the date, the more of the new tenants are likely to be open.

1. BirminghamBURGER, October 1 to 31. Diners rate participating restaurants' limited-edition burgers all month. Greyson's and Cherry Republic's October targets fall inside this window.
2. Birmingham Pumpkin Patch, Saturday, October 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free Halloween activities return to Shain Park for a second year.
3. Farmers Market End-of-Season Celebration, Sunday, October 25, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It takes place at Public Parking Lot 6, 660 N. Old Woodward Ave., at the north end of the same street as the old Cristions space.
4. Small Business Saturday, November 28, starting at 9:30 a.m. Parking is free in all five municipal structures, and the day includes a Santa Walk, carriage rides and Santa visits in Shain Park.
5. Winter Markt, December 4 to 6. Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Every confirmed date above was in place as of early October. The opening dates for Greyson, Cherry Republic, J.Jill and both bagel shops weren't, and the stores' own announcements will be the place to watch.

If you own a home near Maple or Old Woodward and want to understand what a downtown in this much motion means for your property, Crain Homes is based right here in Birmingham and follows these storefronts week by week. Request a Confidential Valuation, and we'll walk you through it in person.