In the 100 block of West Maple, the leather journals in the window at 157 W. Maple have been on display since August. A few doors down, 243 W. Maple still has no posted hours. Across Old Woodward, 205 N. Old Woodward has a new tenant that was scheduled to open in October. Farther west, 284 W. Maple was still having its interior built out when it was last reported on.
Birmingham's holiday season runs on two clocks this year. The city and the Birmingham Shopping District have published every date from Small Business Saturday through Christmas Eve, down to the hour Santa sits down in Shain Park. The storefronts on Maple and Old Woodward keep their own schedules. Some have opened. Some have only been announced. So you can put the event dates in your calendar now, but check a store before you count on it.
The storefronts that changed hands
Most of downtown's recent retail news is about familiar addresses getting new tenants, more than brand-new space. Here is where each one stood in the latest local reports.
| Address | New tenant | Previous occupant | Status in latest report |
|---|---|---|---|
| 157 W. Maple | Portland Leather | Revive | Open, per Birmingham By Design, Aug. 24 |
| 266 E. Maple | Shoppe Cozette | Barbara Boz | Open, per Downtown Publications, Aug. 26 |
| 205 N. Old Woodward | Greyson Clothiers | Cristions Fine Linens & Downs | Scheduled to open in October |
| 243 W. Maple | Cherry Republic | Detroit Guitar | "Coming Soon," fall 2026 |
| 284 W. Maple | J.Jill | Moosejaw | Interior construction underway, no date announced |
The two stores that are open were already well settled by the time the holiday calendar began. Birmingham By Design's first look at Portland Leather describes a company founded in 2016 in Portland, Oregon. It began as a hobby when founder Curtis Matsko made a leather journal, and it has grown to about 20 retail shops plus an online store. The same piece says the brand's approach is "High quality but reasonably priced premium leather goods." The company owns an artisan workshop in León, Mexico, where its products are made. The Birmingham store is the brand's first in Michigan, and the article calls the space "not the biggest" downtown but "leaning" toward the smaller side.
Downtown Publications reported that Shoppe Cozette opened at 266 E. Maple. It carries women's fashion, home goods, vintage pieces and clean beauty products, so it's one more gift stop on the east side of Maple.
Two Michigan brands, two open questions
The other two newcomers matter most for anyone who wants to buy Michigan-made gifts. Neither had a confirmed opening day as of mid-October.
Greyson Clothiers has the stronger local tie. Downtown Publications' Sept. 30 report says the performance golf, lifestyle and activewear brand was founded in 2015 by Charlie Schaefer, a Bloomfield native and Detroit Country Day graduate. He spent 13 years designing at Ralph Lauren before starting his own company. The Birmingham store will be the brand's 12th location and its fourth in Michigan, after Harbor Springs, Grand Rapids and its Detroit flagship in the Wright & Kay building on Woodward Avenue. The address carries some history of its own. 205 N. Old Woodward was the longtime home of Cristions Fine Linens & Downs. The Sept. 30 report described the opening as scheduled for October, and October ends on Saturday.
Cherry Republic is the Glen Arbor-born chain built on Montmorency cherries. Birmingham By Design broke the news on Aug. 2 that the chain was coming to 243 W. Maple, the former Detroit Guitar space. The same report said it would be the company's first Metro Detroit store and that the space is under 2,000 square feet. At that point the target was "somewhere in October." The company's own Birmingham store page now reads "Coming Soon!" with an opening in "fall of 2026" and store hours listed as "TBA." The target has widened from a month to a season. For anyone hoping to buy a box of cherry treats on Maple instead of driving up north or ordering online, that's the practical difference.
J.Jill has the least specific timeline. Downtown Publications reported on Sept. 30 that interior construction was underway at 284 W. Maple, the former Moosejaw. The retailer planned to open in fall 2026 but hadn't set a date.
Each of these is a single store on its own build-out and permit schedule, and none of them answers to the Shopping District's event calendar. So until these stores open, the holiday-season retail mix on Maple is partly a forecast.
The dates that will not move
The civic calendar doesn't wait for anyone. It starts the Saturday after Thanksgiving and picks up a week later.
Saturday, Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday. The Downtown Birmingham listing starts the day at 9:30 a.m.
- Parking is free in all five municipal structures
- Participating retailers offer shopping incentives
- The county's Local Gems Sweepstakes offers prizes of up to $1,000, under Oakland County's official rules
- Families can register for the Santa Walk, which starts at 9:30 a.m.
- Horse-drawn carriage rides run in Shain Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Santa House in Shain Park is open from noon to 3 p.m.
The free garage parking is the detail that changes the math. Five structures at no cost on the busiest shopping Saturday of the season makes it easier to stop at several stores on both Maple and Old Woodward in one trip.
Friday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 6: Winter Markt and the tree lighting. The Winter Markt listing calls it an annual event in and around Shain Park. It lists local vendors, European food, holiday lights, ice sculptures, live entertainment, carriage rides, the Santa House, children's activities and warming stations. The tree lighting is Friday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. The 41-foot tree carries more than 40,000 LED lights, and Santa and carolers will be there.
The weekends after that. The Downtown Birmingham calendar brings back the Santa House and the Shain Park carriage rides on Nov. 28–29, Dec. 4–6, Dec. 12–13, Dec. 19–20 and Dec. 24.
That gives four weekends of fixed programming, plus Christmas Eve. Any store that opens by early December gets at least the Winter Markt crowd, and one that opens by Nov. 28 gets the whole run.
North Old Woodward's own deadline
The street itself has a deadline too, and Greyson's new address sits right on it. In a June 2 presentation to property owners, the City of Birmingham laid out the North Old Woodward reconstruction from Oak Street to Woodward Avenue. The work covers a new water main, sewer improvements, new curbs, asphalt pavement and concrete approaches, plus a mill-and-overlay on Oak Street between North Old Woodward and Woodward Avenue.
The presentation targeted substantial completion and reopening to traffic for Oct. 9, with final completion on Friday, Oct. 30. The city's current construction projects page gives a different start, after the August Woodward Dream Cruise, and doesn't list a finish date. Treat Oct. 30 as the city's target, not a promise. During construction, the presentation said the road would be closed to through traffic with detours, local access would stay open, and some driveways would lose access for seven to 10 days while concrete cured.
The same projects page set Oct. 30 as the planned completion date, restoration included, for the S. Eton water main work between Humphrey Avenue and E. Lincoln Street. Farther south, the city's South Old Woodward Phase 3 page lists the avenue as open, with new sewers, water main, utility conduit, sidewalks, decorative concrete, medians and added crosswalks.
If the Oct. 30 targets hold, downtown heads into November with its major fall street work done, about four weeks before Small Business Saturday. If they slip, the North Old Woodward blocks will be the ones to check before you drive in.
Skating keeps its own hours
Families who want ice time between Santa visits will find it at Kenning Park, not downtown. The Birmingham Ice Sports Arena page lists fall and winter public skating hours from Sept. 8, 2026 through Jan. 9, 2027. Admission is $5 for skaters 17 and under and for seniors, and $6 for adults. The arena also lists a Saturday Aspire Bridge skating program, labeled new. The posted public hours run past the holidays, so a skating session fits between the Dec. 4 tree lighting and the last Santa House visit on Dec. 24.
How the season lines up
Thanksgiving week is the dividing line. Before Nov. 28, the variables are which storefronts open and whether the October street targets hold. From Nov. 28 on, the calendar takes over, with free garages, the sweepstakes, Shain Park every weekend and the Winter Markt Dec. 4–6. Plan your shopping around the fixed dates. Before you go, check the five addresses above, Greyson at 205 N. Old Woodward and Cherry Republic at 243 W. Maple in particular, since a scheduled opening isn't the same as being open.
Storefront turnover on Maple and Old Woodward shapes what a downtown Birmingham address is like to live near, from the walk to the shops to the weekend crowds in Shain Park. If you're thinking about how this season's changes affect your own home's value, Antwuan Hawkins and the Five Star Luxury Realty team follow these blocks closely. Ask us for a free home valuation based on what's happening on your street right now.
