75 Years of
Section C October 13-19, 2010
Growth Green giant:
Eastern Market offers whole foods at half price
By G. Strand SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
To satisfy a taste for the alterna-
tive, shoppers should head to where Detroit’s many cultures happily col- lide.
Celebrating its 120th year of opera-
Lawrence Zienert has been sell- ing eggs at the Eastern Market since Calvin Coolidge was presi- dent. Affectionately known as “the Egg Man,” hundreds of market visitors rely on Mr. Zienert each week for their farm fresh eggs and a bit of friendly conversation. Mr. Zienert calls the south wing of Shed 2 home (except during the winter months) and is often assisted by either a member of the family or a young person that he is patiently teaching proper customer service and all impor- tant math skills (giving correct change).
tion, Eastern Market is a global mar- ketplace, where you can buy every- thing from fruits and vegetables to fine European pas- tries to fish just off the boat. It’s every- thing your average supermarket isn’t: cheap, fresh and alive with flavor. And don’t even think of looking over at those 12 limes you’re just about to spend a buck on.
“You wanna get a taste for this?”
one watermelon man cajoles a would- be customer trying to get a feel for his fruit. You just don’t see prices like this in the supermarket. And just as you’re congratulating yourself on get- ting eight ears of corn for a dollar, you walk a few feet and see, if only you’d waited, you could have gotten a dozen a for a “dolla.”
Often imitated, never duplicated,
the Eastern Market offers a welcome respite from the bland flavor-of-the- day fare served up at big box retailers
See Eastern Market page C-2 Generations of
knowledge, that’s what 120-year-old Roma Café’ brings to Detroit’s Eastern Market. Third- generation Roma owner Janet Sossi Belcoure runs the restaurant, known for its unique Detroit history and clas- sic Italian fare.
The restaurant
Janet Sossi Belcoure (left), Dan Mahan and Michelle Deleeuw.
serves second and third generation patrons who consider the Roma “family.”
Profile: Henry the Hatter
By Patrick Keating CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Henry the Hatter has been a De-
troit institution since 1893, and while sartorial tastes have changed over the years — fedoras as everyday wear and top hats as formal wear are no longer commonplace — Henry the Hatter remains. One reason, as Henry the Hatter President Paul Wasserman told the Chronicle last spring, is that people want to look good.
He also said the haberdashery in-
dustry is much different than it was 40 or 50 years ago, when most men wore hats with their suits.
“Most of what’s happening today THE HENRY the Hatter storefront
is being entertainment and music driven,” Wasserman said in April. “People like Kid Rock, Ne-Yo, Usher, Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt. It’s a whole differ- ent ballgame. Stuff is a lot edgier and trendier. In all truth, it’s become a lot of fun.”
He compared it to the old Oldsmo-
bile commercials: “This is not your father’s old gray hat.”
The store has adapted in other
ways, too. According to the store’s website, in the 1960s, with the decline of hat purchases, Henry the Hatter fo- cused on repairs and renovations to existing hats. Customers could also get custom hats within a few hours.
Founded by Henry Komrofsky, who
had previously worked as a hatter at the John C. Hartz store, Henry the Hatter’s first location was on Gra- tiot Avenue. The store subsequently moved to Gratiot and Library and set up shop in the Library Park Hotel. By 1923, the store had expanded to in- clude a branch in the Lafayette Build- ing on Michigan Avenue. In 1937, con- struction of the high-rise Crowley’s Department Store caused Henry the Hatter to relocate to 217 Gratiot. That store was demolished in 1952, and Henry The Hatter moved into its cur- rent location at 1307 Broadway.
A branch store opened in Ham- tramck in 1985. Wasserman closed it
See Henry the Hatter page C-2
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