 
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 9348
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, November 23, 2008 - 9:10 pm: |    |
Does anyone have any memories of this office supply place? I vaguely remember there used to be one downtown, but I remember the one in the Tel-Twelve Mall more vividly. It was always the place with the chicest of office furniture and was so spacious. I still remember as a kid that it was one of the few places that had rotating window displays that were eye catching. |
Gazhekwe
Member
Username: Gazhekwe
Post Number: 2742
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, November 23, 2008 - 9:13 pm: | |
Definitely, great place for unique gifts and cards, too. And the downtown store in it's later years had Brigitte's Cafe (I think that was the name). |
Ronaldj
Member
Username: Ronaldj
Post Number: 63
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, November 23, 2008 - 10:35 pm: | |
Worked in Standard Federal Building and Renaissance Center, Tower Six. Siver's was a great respite during the lunch hour. Lots of things to look at and the restaurant was an alternative to the usual fast food places. |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 9350
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, November 23, 2008 - 10:44 pm: | |
Funny how you say it was a nice respite Ronaldj, I remember going to the Tel-Twelve location and it was always a nice getaway from all of the hum drum stuff that a mall had to offer. Silver's always seemed like a cut above the rest without being too pretentious. Great high end eye candy for one to soak in. And every now and then, I could even afford a trinket or two from that place. |
Gnome
Member
Username: Gnome
Post Number: 2153
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 8:01 am: | |
In the late '90s Silvers was still downtown. I needed a gift for Mom's birthday and decided on a lower-end Mont Blanc. As time was running short I couldn't get to the Post Office, but Mr. Silver said not to worry he'd take care of it.
The pen arrived the next day at Mom's house.
The day after that, I get a hand-written note from Mr. Silver, thanking me for stopping in to the store.
Jeeze, pretty classy. |
Kathleen
Member
Username: Kathleen
Post Number: 3095
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 9:32 am: | |
That was Britt's Cafe in the Congress Street level of Silver's. And before that, it was Sarah's at Silvers. Have wonderful memories of both restaurants!! Recently ran into Sarah and had a nice chat about those days and the great food!
Silver's did have some nice gift items. And they were convenient for some office supplies (but there was also Gail's Office Supplies in the Penobscot), but I never had a need for the higher-end office furniture. |
Zitro
Member
Username: Zitro
Post Number: 2400
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 9:57 am: | |
My father was a Detroit Fire Fighter for 30 years and like most of them he had a second full time job. He sold drafting supplies for a company called Alvin. Silvers was was of his customers and he my dad were pretty good friends. Unbelievably coincidental enough, I have been working on putting together some papers and pictures of my father's career and ran across his guest book from his retirement party just this past Saturday morning and saw Mr. Silvers signature in it. |
Jiminnm
Member
Username: Jiminnm
Post Number: 1883
Registered: 02-2005
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 11:57 am: | |
I just recently came across one of their bags, silver of course. I spent far too much money in the downtown store as it was great for gifts (as Gnome pointed out). |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 9358
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 1:29 pm: | |
Wow Gnome, that's a heckuva story. The sheer fact that the guy whose name is on the side of the building wrote you a note is pretty ritzy in itself! That's got to be one of the better customer service stories I've heard in a long while.
Dare we ask if mom still has her Mont Blanc? |
Gistok
Member
Username: Gistok
Post Number: 7546
Registered: 08-2004
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 2:15 pm: | |
The Silver's downtown store, located in the former People's State Bank Building, was one of the most palatial stores downtown. Of course that's no surprise when one considers that the building was built by the great late Stanford White... of McKim, Mead & White, the great NYC architectural firm that designed many of the turn of the century great classic NYC buildings.
The 2 story former banking lobby of Silver's is still a beautiful classic marble sight to behold.
The lobby is so sumptuous, that back in the 1980's a study was done to see if the building could support a 15 story hotel tower on top (which it could). But nothing ever became of it.
Back when the first phase of the building (it was built in 2 phases) was being built in 1900, the 2 gigantic marble columns to frame the entrance that were brought to Detroit by boat... they were so heavy that when they were being brought up the street from dockside, they collapsed a sewer line underneath the weight of the trailer. |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 9360
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 3:47 pm: | |
Anyone have pics of this grand building by any chance? |
Zitro
Member
Username: Zitro
Post Number: 2412
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 4:28 pm: | |
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The_rock
Member
Username: The_rock
Post Number: 2472
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 9:00 pm: | |
Nice post, Kathleen. Pleasant memories of both Sarah's and Britt's Cafe. Wonderful take-out sandwiches. Nice folks, too.
Yes, Silver's upstairs was pretty fancy pants--and had beautiful office furniture. ( Only the plaintiff trial lawyers could afford it, defense firms like mine shopped at Buckland VanWald.)
We had a charge account at Gail's Office Supply, and used them a lot. I was very sad when they had to shut down. For a while, they even ran a nice little gift shop across the hall from their office supply store. Not positive, but I think their former space is still vacant. |
Kathleen
Member
Username: Kathleen
Post Number: 3098
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 9:04 pm: | |
Hey, Rock!! Yes, I remember when Gail's closed up and they sold off all the gift items from across the hall. We got some good deals on some very nice items. Both Silver's and Gail's were great places to shop for the office birthdays and other special occasions. And they had some unique Christmas offerings too. |