The newest national chain making a splash in Midtown also causes predictable waves about the neighborhood change it represents.

Will Leather Goods, open since Wednesday at 4120 W. 2nd Ave. near Alexandrine, is drawing shots already -- partly because of ostentatious merchandise and partly because it sits where a neighborhood market did.


A men's duffel, wallet and hat are among pricey items offered on 2nd Avenue.
(Photo by Will Leather Goods)

The seventh site of a Portland-based company carries garments, accessories, housewares and even pet leashes and collars. Oddities at the Detroit site, its largest, include a full-size cowhide teepee. (Don't ask -- we have no idea.) There's also a $1,200 "vintage mail bag."

"Will Leather Goods reminds me of too many businesses opening that are not catering to the actual needs of those living nearby," former Detroit firefighter Bill Rayburn comments Thursday on Facebook. "We all know how 'trendy' Detroit has become -- selling goods designed for anyone but the actual citizenry." 

He reacts to a Curbed Detroit write-up by Rebecca Golden, who gushes: "The new space is a complete 180 from the decrepit-looking storefront" it replaces. 

The shop sells a full line of leather goods—belts, wallets, purses, even hats—as well as home accessories that retail for $95-$1,500.

Curbed's effusive promotion welcome has 29 photos of the newcomer and its wares, plus two of its predecessor -- Tomboy Supermarket, which shut in October 2014. Golden describes what was and what is with words that are a case study of how language choices mark a shift from Cass Corridor to Midtown:

Tomboy is characterized, accurately, as "the decrepit storefront" and "a bit of an eyesore" with "its tatty awning."

Will Leather is tagged with terms that include "nearly overwhelming . . . amazing . . . chi chi" and "a huge, gorgeous art deco sign."

Fair enough on both counts, but the froth overflows onto Curbed Detroit's Facebook page. A link to Golden's four paragraphs is introduced this way, in part:

It’s kind of amazing. The 9,000-square foot “experience” store has a coffee bar, tons of Detroit signage, and we’re pretty sure it beat the hell out of the rundown grocery it replaced. Also, there’s a full-on cowhide teepee. 

Ah yes, there's that pesky cultural appropriation. "Really loving the white people teepee," Detroit designer Dylan Box posts on his Facebook page.


Curbed Detroit covers the debut.

Back at Curbed's site, a reader commenting as Zissou says: "Awesome space, but the prices on some of the items make Shinola look like a thrift store. I hope their market can sustain a place like this."

Other readers echo that observation and recall Tomboy at the development news site's Facebook thread:

  • "This space is beautiful, but who is going to buy vintage leather soccer balls and cowhide teepees? I honestly hope they do well, but . . . I'm not sure who this is for." -- Maxwell Howard 
  • "You know what would have beat a rundown grocery store? A nice grocery store." -- Amy Lou
  • "That rundown grocery store once served a great purpose and fed a multitude of families, as well as being the only store in existence in the 60s , 70s, until the 80s. Before you go bashing history, do your background checks." -- Diane Farida
  • "I was actually hoping for something useful and relevant in my neighborhood. This is beyond disappointing. Who wants to play over/under? I give this bullshit one year before it closes." -- Frank Kove (two posts)
  • "I need a leather bow tie about as much as I need expired lunch meat. . . . I'll find my 'experience' somewhere else." -- Jeff Myers
  • "What's going to replace the rundown leather goods store in a year?" -- Hughie MacLennan
  • "Gross in every possible way." -- Michael Ross
  • "Who is the audience for this? Fucking dumb." -- Brandon Bumstead
  • "Ridiculous." -- Rosemary Sheppard
  • "Just what Detroit needs. Less produce. More high-end trinkets." -- Anthony Franchina
  • "Least awaited grand opening in Midtown." -- Daniel Patton
  • "Just like that great 'high-end' barber shop next to shinola. How long were they open?" -- Debbie Parker
  • "Actually, that 'rundown' grocery store provided a needed service for poor students and families in the area. I'm sure they'll love a leather store's reasonable coffee bar and pointless signage! Yeehaw!" -- Mark Pants

This week's opening also is covered at Detroit Unspun, a blog of the Detroit Regional News Hub, where business journalist-author Karen Dybis presents a more balanced, sensitive approach:

You can moan about the loss of a neighborhood grocery store; I get that. You can rightly wonder who is going to buy these fine leather goods in a city where the median income is still significantly less than its neighbors in Oakland County and elsewhere. You can debate the differences between “old” and “new” Detroit until you pass out. I will listen. I will nod along. I’ll agree – for the most part.

But I also appreciate what . . . the Will Leather Detroit team did to open this new location. . . .

They not only kept some of Detroit’s history, they thought about how to enhance the store, the neighborhood, the city. They didn’t just slap up another version of their other stores; this location says Detroit. It isn’t gritty; it’s eclectic, beautiful, stylish, sophisticated, smart.

So there it is -- another swanky newcomer that reflects the complexity, the dichotomies, the challenges and the potential of post-bankruptcy Detroit.