Life Changes Bring New Business to Downtown Northville

After an unfortunate job loss for Cheryl Greig’s husband two years ago, her family needed to re-evaluate. Greig took a job at a local consignment shop. She quickly realized she'd discovered a new passion.

She had always wanted to open a business of her own and realized she'd found her niche.

“I figured at this time in my life, I’m not getting any younger. So I thought it would be nice to open my own shop,” Greig said. “I really like home décor. I’ve always been into redecorating rooms, which my husband hates because like every six months, I’m like, 'I’m tired of that. I want to do this now.' So it’s something I really enjoy.”  

With 20 years of retail under her belt, she took that experience and turned it into in downtown Northville.

“I always felt like I wanted to open my own business, but when you’re younger, your main focus is your kids and family” Greig said. “Because my husband lost his full time job and now that the kids are older, I was just like; I’m going to do it. I’m going to go for it. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

As a resident of Northville, it was an obvious choice to stay in the city. But finding the perfect space in the location you want is usually easier said than done.

“We found this spot and it was perfect” Greig said. “It was like it was meant to be. It just happened really quickly. I even said to myself, 'this is too easy. Is something going to go wrong?'” she said with a laugh. “In a matter of a month, we were ready for business.”

With a "when life gives you lemons" attitude and a keen knowledge of customer service, Greig has the determination and know-how to keep her new store growing.

“It’s very scary opening your own business when you don’t know what to expect,” Grieg said. “You hear good stories, but you hear some bad stories too, but so far, it’s just been great.”

In recent years, consignment has evolved into a popular way to shop, bringing more resale businesses to the area. With several shops in Northville alone, as well as surrounding cities, Greig’s one small worry was that the market might get too saturated. As she talks with her customers, she realizes a " the more the merrier" approach is actually good for business.

“They tell me they like to hop from one to another,” Greig said. “People that like garage sales usually don’t go to just one. It’s the same for resale shoppers. There’s [consignment stores] in Novi, Northville and Plymouth. It’s sometimes the same group of shoppers. They’ll go to all the shops. One great thing about consignment is the inventory is always changing and you never know what you’re going to find.”

Being in downtown, but not on Main or Center streets, is a bit more challenging, but so far, the first five weeks have been great for Greig’s business. She couldn’t have asked for a better turn out. Something she plans to build on and keep customers walking in her door. Holding the condition of the items she accepts to a high standard is one way to stay unique.

“I’ve actually had people come in here and didn’t know it was a consignment shop,” Greig said. “So that kind of makes me feel good. That’s what I was going for.”