NEWSPAPERS Special Edition
Oakland Mall Macy’s expected to close at the end of March
BY SARAH WRIGHT swright@candgnews.com
TROY — The Macy’s store at Oakland Mall is included among 65 other Macy’s stores across the country that are expected to close by the end of the first quarter this year.
Macy’s is a department store chain that carries items such as clothing, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, homegoods, toys and furniture.
On Jan. 9, the New York City-based retail titan announced its intention to close 66 locations across the country.
“Closing any store is never easy, but as part of our Bold New Chapter strategy, we are closing underproductive Macy’s stores to allow us to
focus our resources and prioritize investments in our go-forward stores, where customers are already responding positively to better product offerings and elevated service,” Tony Spring, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s, Inc., said in a press release.
The closure of the Oakland Mall location came as a surprise to staff members, as they hadn’t expected the store to close.
“They had three one-year options to renew, and we didn’t find out until right before the holiday that they were not (going to) exercise their option to renew and … leave the property,” Mario Kiezi, the president of MKiezi Investments and owner of the Oakland Mall, said.
See MACY’S on page 6A
Habatat Galleries shines the light on women artists
BY TAYLOR CHRISTENSEN tchristensen@candgnews.com
ROYAL OAK — Habatat Galleries is shining a light on women artists in the Matriarchs of Mastery: Women Shaping the Future of Glass Art exhibit that opened Feb. 14.
Twenty women who have “pushed the boundaries” of glass art will have their work on display for one month at Habatat Galleries, 4400 Fernlee Ave. in Royal Oak, according to a press release sent by Habatat Galleries.
The pieces on display feature the innovation and vision of women artists redefining contemporary glass, according to Aaron Schey, owner of Habatat Galleries Detroit.
“In order to be a successful artist, you have
See ART on page 4A
from near right, “Circumsteller Primavera,” by Claire Kelly, “Ecco to the Bridesmaid,” by Amber Cowan, and “Traveling Man,”by Lucy Lyon, will be on display until March 15 during the Matriarchs of Mastery: Women Shaping the Future of Glass Art exhibit at Habatat Galleries, 4400 Fernlee Ave. in Royal Oak.
Macy’s store at the Oakland Mall is expected to close March 31. Along with that store, 65 other Macy’s locations across the country are expected to close this year.
Photos by Donna Dalziel Clockwise
The
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
ABOVE: Terri Cooper owns the Village Boutique which was recently moved from its previous location in Franklin to Bloomfield Hills. “I walked into a little shop in Franklin to return something my sister had bought me, and I looked around and I thought, ‘Oh, I’d love to have this,’ and I somehow got around to asking the nice ladies who owned it if they were interested in selling, and they were, eventually,” Cooper said. LEFT: “I think it’s very important to have that work/family life balance but at the same time I would tell all women entrepreneurs to just don’t give up,” said Shivani Sharma, owner of Right Food Choice in Troy.
Photos by Patricia O’Blenes
LOCAL WOMEN IN BUSINESS OFFER
INSIGHT INTO SUCCESS, STRUGGLES
BY SARAH WRIGHT swright@candgnews.com
According to a report from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy citing business ownership statistics for 2024, more than 12 million small businesses in the U.S. are owned by women, with a total of $2.1 trillion in sales.
The metro Detroit area is home to a wide variety of women-owned businesses offering a diverse array of merchandise and services.
At the request of C & G Newspapers, a group of owners recently reflected on their achievements and stresses and also provided insight for other potential entrepreneurs.
Follow the dream
Terri Cooper owns the Village Boutique at 6457 Inkster Road, which was recently moved from its previous location in Franklin to Bloomfield Hills. Cooper took over ownership of the business in June 2015
“I walked into a little shop in Franklin to return
something my sister had bought me, and I looked around and I thought, ‘Oh, I’d love to have this,’ and I somehow got around to asking the nice ladies who owned it if they were interested in selling and they were eventually,” Cooper said.
The boutique sells different contemporary fashions, accessories and gifts for shoppers of all ages.
“When we first got it, it was in Franklin,” Cooper said. “It was maybe geared toward a slightly older crowd, much more conservative crowd, and we slowly started changing things so that it could appeal to a broader mass of people.”
“We switched it all around. It’s nothing like when the ladies had it, and they’ve been in support of our changes, too,” she added.
Lissa Pietrykowski owns Peak Physique Fitness Training at 1071 E. Long Lake Road in Troy with her husband Nick. They currently have around 140 clients.
“My husband bought Peak Physique Fitness in 2008 and then I came on board in 2014, and in June of this
See WOMEN on page 8A
Stained glass window vandalized at historic Meadow Book Hall
PUBLIC ASKED TO HELP IDENTIFY SUSPECT
BY MARY BETH ALMOND malmond@candgnews.com
ROCHESTER HILLS — Meadow Brook Hall, a historic mansion on the campus of Oakland University, was recently vandalized and police are hoping the public can help identify the suspect.
“This is a very distressing situation for all of us at Meadow Brook Hall — from our staff and dedicated volunteers to the many members of our community who have visited, spent holidays here, gotten married here,” Meadow Brook Hall Executive Director Bill Matt said in a provided statement. “Frankly, it is upsetting to anyone who takes pride in having a remarkably beautiful National Historic Landmark in their community.”
Police were alerted after a Meadow Brook Hall employee noticed damage to a set of stained glass windows the morning of Feb. 4.
Upon checking surveillance footage, university police said the suspect — a white male wearing a dark jacket, gray mask and knit red hat with a hood over it — was captured on video approaching the hall on foot at around 1:25 a.m. Feb. 4.
“He walks by the welcome center of the hall and walks to the front of the building, walking by several other windows, where he appears to pick out this certain window,” Oakland University Police Chief Mark Gordon said.
See WINDOW on page 6A
Photos provided by the Oakland University Police Department Oakland University Police said the suspect pictured was caught on surveillance cameras breaking a set of connected stained glass windows at Meadow Brook Hall with an unknown tool on Feb. 4, 2025. Police are hoping the public can help identify this man, or the markings on his jacket.
to have a unique style,” Schey said. “You are going to see many styles that people know about, but the artists featured have taken it and made it their own.”
This is the first time Habatat Galleries has had a show celebrating women artists, according to Schey, who said that he has wanted to do something like this for a long time.
“I have always wanted to do a show with more of an important topic,” he said. “We wanted to showcase these women who are pushing the boundaries because there are a lot more women working with glass today than there were 30 years ago.”
The show features female artists from around the world. Schey said he and his team found them from the 2025 Habatat Glass Coast Weekend hosted in Sarasota, Florida, that took place Jan. 9-12.
“Many of these artists participated in that show, and we invited a few others from our Habatat family to put the show together and really focus on an important concept,” he said. “To not only show beautiful things, but also to inspire others.”
Amber Cowan, a glass artist from Philadelphia, is showing her work at the Matriarchs of Mastery show.
Cowan creates sculptural glasswork using recycled, upcycled and second-life American pressed glass, according to her website, ambercowan.com.
“I love the material of glass,” Cowan said. “I am telling a story based on old glass mixed with new.”
Cowan’s pieces are created using the process of flameworking, hot-sculpting and glassblowing to create large-scale sculptures.
“Her pieces reference memories, domesticity, and the loss of an industry
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through the re-use of common items from the aesthetic dustbin of American design,” according to her website.
The complexity of glass art is what keeps Cowan motivated to continue her craft.
“Glass is an endlessly challenging material,” she said. “No matter how long you’ve been working with glass, it’s still a constant source of inspiration for me, and also a constant challenge.”
Cowan said she continues to be fascinated by the moldability of glass and its ability to go from a liquid to a solid state.
“You can make such intricate detail with simple tools. My main tool is a pair of bonsai shears,” she said. “So most of the cuts, the shapes that I make in my glass, are just with a pair of bonsai shears. Cutting glass is really one of the most fun things to do, and I kind of built my career around that.”
Schey said that women artists cannot be put into one category, as each artist is unique.
“A lot of women care about the earth and how we treat it, about family, home, children. There are a lot of male artists that also do the same kind of things, but there is a feminine touch that separates the men’s work from the women’s work,” Schey said. “A lot of the time it has more of that feeling of sensitivity in nature and sensitivity in topics of what they are discussing.”
Everything in the show will be up for purchase, but Schey encourages anybody to come through and enjoy the many different pieces on display.
The Matriarchs of Mastery: Women Shaping the Future of Glass Art exhibit will be available to look at until March 15. The exhibit is free of charge, and there is no ticket required for entry. Habatat is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
For more information on the show and the artists participating, visit habatat.com.
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Troy High bowling goes from coaching vacancy to top-end program
BY SCOTT BENTLEY sbentley@candgnews.com
TROY — Heading into the school year, Troy High School was prepared to not have a bowling season at all. Now, the school is ranked in both its boys and girls programs, with regionals looming.
Michigan. Going into the school year, there was a real worry he wouldn’t have any way of showcasing his talent.
“Three to four weeks before the season even started my athletic director called me in,” Kondratyev said. “She said, ‘We have no one lined up right now.’ I’m under this impression that I may not even have a season.”
The program’s boys and girls teams are set to participate in a regional
Head coach Dave Harris was hired in October, well after the school year began, and yet Troy’s bowling program is in fantastic shape. The boys team has one of the better bowlers in the state and was ranked just outside the top five in the January Michigan High School Interscholastic Bowling Coaches Association Division 1 rankings, with the girls also ranked among the top-10 teams.
“It’s been a little bit of controlled chaos,” Harris said. “I graduated from Troy High School in 1993… When Jacob said, ‘We don’t have a coach; we’re not going to have a season,’ I said, ‘Let me see if I can help out.’… So I took on the role.”
Jacob Kondratyev, the student who reached out, is also one of the best bowlers in
From Kondratyev’s perspective, the way things have turned out is “truly a blessing.”
Kondratyev is committed to bowl at Lawrence Tech next year, which, according to Harris, is the No. 1 bowling team in the country.
Harris stated that Kondratyev led the Oakland Activities Association with a 218 average score last season. He is over 220 this year, according to Harris.
Troy’s season has allowed Kondratyev to not only showcase his talent, but also be a leader and bond with the team outside of the lanes.
“When I’m at a match or a tournament, if I need somebody to mark out or strike out to win it, I want the ball in his hands. There’s
See BOWLING on page 7A
ABOVE: Troy High’s boys bowling team poses with the LCN Bakers Dozen trophy at Imperial Lanes in Clinton Township earlier this year.
RIGHT: Troy High’s girls bowling team poses at Imperial Lanes in Clinton Township earlier this year.
tournament.
Photos provided by Troy High School bowling
The suspect, he said, was captured on video kicking the lower portion of the connected stained glass windows and reportedly using his hand, or a tool in his hand, to smash the upper portion, before running away.
“We’re hoping that somebody might be able to identify the little bit of the facial features that we can see, or the unique logo on the front and back of his jacket. If anybody knows what that logo is to — maybe it’s a company, maybe it’s an organization, or a club — we’re hoping they can (let us know),” said Gordon.
The connected stained-glass windows, located toward the front of the building, are original to the historic mansion, which is 95 years old.
Located at the top of Meadow Brook’s two-story gothic-inspired ballroom, the stained glass was created specifically for
Macy’s
from page 1A
The Macy’s store at the Oakland Mall, located at 412 W. 14 Mile Road, is expected to officially close on March 31.
Shoppers can expect multiple “going out of business” sales before then.
“Macy’s represents about 8% of our foot traffic,” Kiezi said. “We receive about 5 million visitors at Oakland Mall every year and Macy’s represents 365,000 of those, according to the data we have. So as of right now, Macy’s is a little bit busier because they are closing and there are sales going on, but aside from that it’s business as usual here.”
Kiezi is looking into filling the space with other businesses after Macy’s officially closes.
“It opens up a world of opportunities, including the land along the highway,” Kiezi said. “It’s not your typical department store that closes down. This is in the heart of metro Detroit and it has billboard-type highway exposure in a market that has a lot of real estate and scarcity.”
There are also short-term plans to utilize the space for events as permanent options are considered.
According to Kiezi, the plan is to utilize the land to host events and have festivals.
“And (for) what we call ‘Oakland Market MKT,’ which we’re hoping to launch immediately,” he said.
Kiezi described it as an artisan-style
the room by J. Scott Williams and depicts scenes of the arts, including music, literature and entertainment, and drama. The glass was designed to be viewed without distortion from both inside and outside, which the hall’s staff said is “slightly unusual” because stained glass is “typically viewed best from the inside.”
“I don’t have a dollar amount on what it’s going to cost to fix them,” Gordon added. “Meadow Brook Hall was working on that, because it is such a unique, specialized window. There’s only a handful of companies that can actually do the work to fix it, I’ve been told.”
The fact that someone would damage something of historical significance is upsetting to Brian Bierley, the director of media relations for Oakland University.
“Those are windows that Matilda Dodge Wilson looked out of all those years ago,” he said. “It is not so much the dollar amount of damage, but more that it is hard to replace 90-plus year-old original windows.”
marketplace that will be open on Saturdays and Sundays.
“So we’re looking to activate the department store immediately,” he said.
Although Troy city officials have expressed some sadness about the closure, there is also hope for what’s to come for the space.
“While it is always difficult to hear the news of a major retailer closing, I am confident The Oakland Mall will continue to evolve and ultimately succeed without Macy’s,” Troy Mayor Ethan Baker said in an email. “The City of Troy attracts the best and brightest across all economic sectors and I have no doubt Mario Kiezi is working very hard to take the mall into the next generation. I am excited to see what comes next and am committed to ensuring the City provides any support needed.”
Tara Tomcsik-Husak, who is the president and CEO of the Troy Chamber of Commerce, also shared some thoughts.
“While many of us are very sad to see the closure of Macy’s at Oakland Mall, I actually toured the space yesterday with the owner, Mario, and he had some great ideas and exciting opportunities for that space already in the works, which will include many job opportunities and new products and services for our community,” TomcsikHusak stated via email.
For more information, visit oakland mall.com.
Staff Writer Dean Vaglia contributed to this report.
Luckily, Matt noted that Meadow Brook Hall had already secured a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to restore the stained glass windows this spring, using as much of the original windows as possible.
In preparation for the work, the windows and casings were recently photographed and sketched.
At press time, the windows had already been removed and temporarily replaced with plexiglass in preparation for the restoration.
Anyone who can identify the suspect or the logo on the suspect’s jacket, should call the Oakland University Police Department at 248-370-3331 or send an email to info@ oupolice.com. Officials said people have the option to remain anonymous.
Photo provided by the Oakland University Police Department
connected stained-glass windows, located toward the front of the building, are original to the historic mansion, which is 95 years old.
Bowling
from page 5A
nobody else that I want to throw a shot that matters,” Harris said. “Not only is he the best bowler, but he’s able to lead… He’s just a phenomenal leader.”
The girls program has also been producing at an incredible rate this year. According to Harris, four of the team’s five girls have bowled a 200 this season, with Peytyn Herron up for Bowler of the Year.
“Highest scorer (for the girls team) is 236 by Peytyn,” Harris said. “She’s got, I think, a 175 average. She’s having a really solid year and is our anchor bowler. Then I’ve got three seniors to help carry us a little bit… like Ellie Pfauth, who does bowl anchor sometimes.”
Regionals are coming up this weekend and the Troy program is preparing by bowling as much as it possibly can. The team has topto-bottom talent, with other contributors like Adeline Alex, Joey Lindholm, Ethan Fischer, and more.
“The expectation right now is that we go to regionals, we get that top-two spot, and we go to states at Thunderbowl,” Kondratyev said. “It’s not something we came into the season thinking, but I think that’s something that’s truly reality now.”
In a program that’s filled with talent, one of the most noticeable distinctions of Troy’s teams is the attitude of the program’s bowlers. Perhaps it’s due to being grateful that the teams even exist, but everyone is rooting for each other and putting the team first.
“The thing that’s really different about our team, at Troy High, specifically, is that we’re all so close,” Kondratyev said. “We all talk to each other and come up with different ideas. I think that’s something that’s very different about our team… That’s what helped us become really successful this year.”
For a season that wasn’t even supposed to happen, aside from merely being able to participate, Troy has become a dangerous team that’s on the rise. Although no one would have expected it back in September, both the boys and girls will head to Regional 5 and attempt to make a run at states.
“This season has gone way above not only mine, but I think everybody else’s expectations,” Kondratyev said. “Troy bowling right now just has a lot going for them. It’s just awesome.”
Boys and girls regionals are being held Feb. 19-22, with both Troy teams playing at Century Lanes in Waterford Township. The Division 1 bowling state finals are February 28-March 1 at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park.
Women
year I started kind of a sister business called Peak Women,” Pietrykowski said. “We’re a personal training studio only.”
The studios provide a wide range of personal training services online and in their studio space that can be open for one-on-one and shared training sessions. This includes prenatal and postpartum training, sport-specific training, corporate training, and senior training among other services with personal trainers.
“I think that women suffer from mental health (issues) as men do. However, I think sometimes women are a little bit more intimidated to go to a gym, and exercise is good for mental health in so many different ways,” Pietrykowski said. “Just getting out of the house, releasing endorphins or just accomplishing something, all those different things. But sometimes I think that when you’re in that state or even for other reasons, you just feel intimidated going to the gym.”
“Our gym is very welcoming and loving. If you were there, you would never feel (intimidated) that way. However, just getting some people to walk through the door is the first step. So I wanted to open up an opportunity for people to benefit from exercise that wouldn’t normally do something like that,” Pietrykowski added.
On top of being a nutritionist, a registered dietitian and certified Lifestyle Eating and Performance therapist, Shivani Sharma is the owner of Right Food Choice at 1380 Coolidge Hwy. in Troy.
Right Food Choice provides patients with one-on-one nutrition consultation,
They currently have around 140 clients. “My husband bought Peak Physique Fitness in 2008, and then I came on board in 2014, and in June of this year I started kind of a sister business called Peak Women,” Pietrykowski said.
group coaching and nutrition-related courses.
“I had been practicing dietetics for over two decades now,” Sharma said. “I studied here in Wayne State and then I moved to Texas for some time and that’s where I started the company Right Food Choice.”
“Right Food Choice is nutrition and wellness consulting for kids and adults where we provide nutritional counseling or medical nutrition therapy for diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, high cholesterol,” Sharma said. “So we serve wherever the nutritional need is, and we are a team of three dietitians right now.”
Weight management, gut health treatment, food allergies and gluten free options,
metabolic disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, sports nutrition, nutritional options for female-related health concerns, and meal and diet plans are among the services offered.
“We have a weight loss program running right now which is a 12-week transformation program,” Sharma said.
She said the program focuses on “improving gut health, reducing inflammation and feeding your gut microbiome good bacteria really while balancing your blood sugar, balancing your hormones, focusing on how to improve your stress and sleep and how to conquer your sugar cravings, and how to have a total behavior modification.”
“We provide ongoing coaching calls for
medication, exercise, and behavior modification,” Sharma said.
Living the dream
All three women discussed their personal and professional struggles as business owners.
“I’m one of those people who prefer to work 24 hours a day and when you have your own business that’s exactly what you do,” Cooper said. “This is not my first business. I owned a cheerleading camp for 20 years and I was a teacher and a coach and a counsellor before this, so I knew what I was in for, and I make the sacrifices really happily.”
She added, “I have one son, and he is graduated from school and is off to Chicago, so I don’t have those responsibilities like I once did. I have five animals at home, so that’s the only thing, and my husband’s really helpful. So it’s a balance but it’s a really fun balance and I’m in the age group I can do this.”
Pietrykowski said running a business, and a household, is both rewarding and a lot of work.
“I think that if you don’t own a business or work for yourself that sometimes people don’t understand we work every day,” Pietrykowski said. “I train during the day. I’ve got four kids as well and then I get home, pick everybody up and make dinner, and then usually sit down and work for another couple hours. Then I take one day on the weekend, work for a couple hours but I love it. It’s not necessarily a hard thing to do but it does require some sacrifice.”
Sharma said she never worked full time until she started her own business.
“This is the first time that I am like all
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
Lissa Pietrykowski owns Peak Physique Fitness Training in Troy with her husband, Nick.
in right now,” Sharma said. “I have two kids. I have one son who is working, and I have a daughter who will be going to college this year. So right now, I feel now is the right time for me to go full in because I personally never worked full time before for the last 20 years.”
She said the biggest struggle she has encountered professionally is the lack of dietician credentialing in Michigan.
“Michigan is one of the only states that does not credential dieticians,” Sharma said. “So it is very hard for me to accept insurance in Michigan and because you have to pay for the service out of pocket. I think sometimes it becomes less reachable for people who just want to go through their insurance, who don’t want to pay up front.”
She said that Right Food Choice does accept Medicare, which covers nutrition counseling for diabetes and chronic kidney disease but not for weight loss.
Growing the dream
All of these local business owners are considering their goals as their work con-
tinues.
“We’re always looking to grow it,” Cooper said. “It was hard to grow it in such a little village like Franklin where a lot wasn’t going on, so we’re just looking to grow it as much as we can, and I think our customers are hoping to help us in that process.”
“Our goal right now is to make Peak Women have its own space near Peak Physique and have that running separately,” Pietrykowski said. “We also are hoping, longterm, to be able to start our own certification process and train trainers to do our type of training.”
“I think what I see as a practice, because now we have three dietitians, I really want to be able to see more and more people who we can help change their life with food, especially diabetes and chronic kidney disease and high cholesterol because those are the things that can be easily fixed by a diet,” Sharma said. “Also (to) see if we can reach more kids and moms who are stressed out if the child cannot have gluten for some reason, if (the child) cannot have dairy, or what if you are a vegetarian or a vegan, if you need help with a high protein diet. So we would like to cater to a big area of (the) population with nutrition and the best thing is we are in house as much as we are virtual.”
Advice for other entrepreneurs
Cooper, Pietrykowski and Sharma also shared a few tips for potential entrepreneurs looking to pursue their own endeavors
“My first thing is I don’t consider myself a woman business owner. I’m just a business owner,” Cooper said. “I don’t take stock in any of that stuff. I want to be successful as anyone could be in this business and I would say if you are willing to think about it and work for it 24/7, then it’s for you. If that doesn’t appeal to you, being an entrepreneur probably isn’t your thing.
“I would say just do it, I mean abso-
lutely give it a shot,” Pietrykowski said. “I had this idea for a while but kind of went back and forth about even bringing it up because I was scared, I didn’t want it not to work and then it got to the point where the worst thing that can happen is that it doesn’t work and if it doesn’t work, that’s okay.”
“I think it’s very important to have that work/family life balance but at the same time I would tell all women entrepreneurs to just don’t give up,” Sharma said. “Start wherever you can and if it requires you to work only part time, don’t give up hope, don’t give up on your dreams.”
The Clawson community gathers at Clawson City Park Feb. 13 to honor and remember Alexandria Verner on the second anniversary of her death. A tree was planted in her honor by Clawson High School’s class of 1983, the graduating class of Verner’s father, Ted. Photos by Patricia O’Blenes
