Friday at the store's grand opening.
During the Christmas season of 2012, Moosejaw, an upscale outdoor outfitter based in Madison Heights, opened a pop-up store at 1275 Woodward in downtown Detroit. It was supposed to shut on Dec. 22 of that year, but in March of 2013, it became a permanent fixture on the block.
Then last October, Moosejaw opened a "seasonal shop" for the holidays at 1441 Woodward Avenue , just one block north of its permanent shop, where it featured an assortment of North Face and Patagonia brand clothing.
“The dedicated space will allow us to carry many more styles in these brands than we could in a regular store that has 40 or 50 brands,” Nick Rau, Moosejaw’s Director of Retail, said in a statement at the time. “Fans of The North Face and Patagonia will be able to see special, hard-to-find styles rarely seen in stores.”
The store stayed open until Feb. 7 and then closed in March. Now, it too, has become a permanent shop.
On Friday, the same day as Tigers' Opening Day, the store, Moosejaw Brand Faves Showcase, had its grand opening as a permanent shop on Woodward. (It actually first opened on Thursday).
To catch the attention of the hordes of Tigers fans walking down Woodward, the store put out a sign on the sidewalk advertising free Mimosas and Bloody Marys. It worked. Plenty people poured in and lined up for a free drink.
Manager Max Witzke said it was nice to see al the Tigers fans coming in.
"I have yet to see a Yankees' fan," he said with a smile.
Witzke said that Moosejaw saw that the first store had done so well it wanted to try another one. He said it was also heartening to see that the John Varvatos clothing shop opened nearby on Woodward and Nike is planing to open a store.
He said for Moosejaw, Detroit has obviously become "a viable option."
