Fond of Fondue

Winter cold begets at-home entertaining, and what is more wintry than an evening of fondue and wine with friends?

Vintage fondue sets at Hugh, like this Swiss fondue set with French porcelain ramekins, are a thoughtful winter purchase, as a gift for others or yourself.

Fox 2 Loves Hugh

Fox 2 Detroit took a moment to chat with us about some exceptional guy gift ideas this morning.  Here's the video.

A Smart Idea

Some more great press for Hugh - this time from Crain's Business Detroit Small Business reporter Nancy Kaffer's blog.  "Retail happenings, building your brand online and the social media marketing melange" talks about the strategies and challenges of building a niche business in Detroit, and it mentions fellow new retailers City Bird and Leopold's Books.

It's a great read, check it out!

This Just In

Exciting news!  We didn't get a chance to mention on here that there is a Hugh Holiday Bash this Tuesday night (there is, it starts at 7, you should follow us on Facebook for breaking news), but we're excited to announce that The Kwame Sutra authors M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaeffer will be on hand to autograph their smutty little book for you! 

Buy lots of them, get them signed, give them to friends, be a star!

Stocking Stuffer takes on a whole new meaning

Hot off the presses and available exclusively (for the moment) at Hugh, it's The Kwame Sutra!

The Kwame Sutra is a "one-stop shop for all of Kwame's best BS."  It's a brand-new book by Pulitzer-winning journalists M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaefer that's a perfect holiday gift for casual Detroit fans and ardent Detroit political junkies alike.  It's Kwame's reign, in his own words. 

It's only $7.99 and it's here at Hugh today!  Combine it with The Quotations of Mayor Coleman A. Young ($5.95) for the perfect literary gift!

Happy Hanukkah from Hugh

(Vintage modernist menorah in cast aluminum  $29)

Everything you ever wanted to know about temporary retail but were afraid to ask.

Mark Maynard is a friend I  met in my Ann Arbor days, and he writes a fantastic blog about living in Ypsilanti.  Ypsi is a community close to my heart, partially because of its parallels with Detroit, and partially because it has its own brand of cool.

Mark stopped into Hugh this past weekend, and we talked about the retail scene in Detroit, and I shared some thoughts on temporary retail as a phenomenon.

Read the blog entry on markmaynard.com !

Scandinavian Modern

Simple forms, honest materials.  Those are the calling cards of classic Scandinavian design. 

Vintage serving pieces in stainless steel and teak are masculine and classy.  Load up to do your entertaining right.  (Stainless $6-$18, Teak $36-$65).

Match Game

Who needs a business card when you can have a matchbook?

The Hugh matches have arrived.  Pick some up at Hugh or at your favorite local watering hole.  (Local watering hole doesn't have 'em?  Ask if they'll put some out, we'll provide them for free!)

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing

A lot of you have complimented Hugh on the wall system used for display.  You have excellent taste.

The Cado System was designed by Danish interior architect Poul Cadovius in the 1960s and is a modular series of cabinets and shelves that are mounted using a simple dowel system. It's really pretty ingenius in its simplicity and flexibility. This particular set consists of Brazilian rosewood cabinets and teak shelves, and came from the boardroom at the Detroit Institute of Arts. 

The boardroom was in the Gunnar Birkerts-designed northern wing of the museum (circa 1970), which was easy to dislike until the Michael Graves renovation was completed and you realized how great it really was.  An entirely new boardroom design was called for (it's dismally beige, by the way), and through the miracle of connections these pieces ended up in appreciative hands.

The original wall panels for the system were teak, but were thrown away in the demolition.  It's sad, but I guess if they knew what they had the system would never have ended up in Hugh for your enjoyment!

Hip Holidays

Sending holiday cards through the mail is pretty old school, but that's how things roll at Hugh.  And that's how you should roll too.  Just be cool about it.

Hugh exists to make sure you keep things cool, that's why we've got our exclusive holiday cards on sale.  Yes that's right, exclusive.  As in, only available at Hugh.

They are designed by Shag, the renowned artist and illustrator, and they cost $10 for a set of 10 cards.  And like I said, they're cool.

Electric Blue

If you're of a certain age, you remember those old cable boxes where you could play around with the dial and sort of get Skinemax or the Playboy Channel to show up.  Usually as a negative image.  You make do with what you can get when you're 13.  It's not like we had the internet back in 1982.

One program whose opening credits have been lodged in the back of my brain all this time was Electric Blue, a Playboy channel program.  I've been looking for evidence of that show for years, and I finally found it.  Well, highly-edited evidence, but this is a family blog.  Watch this completely safe-for-work version of the credits.  At least you can enjoy the amazing song, from the golden years of watch-at-home erotica.

Speaking of classic erotica, we're up to our ears in vintage Playboys at Hugh, with issues dating from 1964 to 1979.  At $7 a pop they're a fun way to enjoy a more innocent, almost charming, period in American bachelordom, and a vintage Playboy from someone's birth month makes a terrific gift.

The Easiest Gift to Give

If you are looking for an easy gift to give this year, it's at Hugh.  It's called the Wine Finer, and it's a 4-in-1 wine accessory that is an aerator, dripless pourer, filter and stopper.  And it's only $29.

There is video that shows the Wine Finer in action.  I had to swap the music for something more apropos to drinking wine - the original had some Cafe Ibiza-type new age tripe that literally put me to sleep (you can check it out here).  Watch our version instead.

You can give the Wine Finer to practically anyone and they will love it.  I promise.

Hugh may revive retail in Detroit!

There is a fantastic piece in the Detroit News today about the role temporary shops - Hugh being the first and only so far - could play in revitalizing the Detroit retail scene!  Click here to read it.

Today at Hugh

Vintage ice buckets are not only hipper than any made today, they're also really affordable.  Well most of them, that art deco one costs a bit more.   [West Bend Deco Ice Bucket $48, all others $12-$36]

Today at Hugh

The correct response to "nice lighter" is, "I know."

You'll be saying that a lot if you pull this solid brass beauty out at the bar [$89].  It's just one of the assortment of top drawer smoking accessories that are new at Hugh.

Hunting for Cool?

Then you need to take a look at Cool Hunting. It's a website that searches out cool things around the world.

Naturally they covered Hugh. Take a look!

Today at Hugh

These vintage cufflinks are a new arrival.  They make a statement without costing a fortune, and you can always count on them being a conversation-starter.

Seven different pairs available, $28 to $68. When they're gone they're gone!

Brew @ Hugh

Here at Hugh we think it is important that you use the right tool for the job.  And that extends to drinking.

Next Wednesday, as part of Detroit Beer Week, Hugh will host "Brew @ Hugh," an educational beer tasting.  Here you can try different beers in the glasses that were designed to bring out the best in the brew.

The glassware is all made of titanium crystal, a stronger, more brilliant and durable alternative to lead crystal, and for the night of the event all glassware, normally priced from $12-14 a glass, can be ordered at 20% off.

Join us this Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30 for a little brew at Hugh!

Today at Hugh

Why don't you swing on down to Park Avenue and see us at Hugh today?  If you haven't been yet it's quite a day for it.  If you have been, why not impress a friend? Plus there's new stuff you haven't seen yet.

Don't forget, the gift certificate bonus program is going on.  Come get your 20%.  It's like you're a Hollywood agent.

In the meantime, I'll be here reading the Esquire Cartoon Album: 25th Anniversary Volume from 1957 ($22).

Today at Hugh

We've got a cool new arrival.  Library Journals are blank books made out of the covers of old library books.  Old school - literally - and only $15.

But What About the Bourbon?

Today at Hugh

A vintage horsehead ashtray, made by Red Wing Potteries of Minnesota in the 1960s ($65).  You don't need to be a smoker to find this smokin' hot.

Getting to Know Hugh

Hugh is a new store in downtown Detroit that offers a contemporary take on classic bachelor style. Hugh sells bar accessories, glassware, smoking accessories, personal effects, furniture, lighting and cool home decor. Hugh has great gifts for men, for the host/hostess and even for the ladies.

Hugh is located at 2233 Park Avenue in the Iodent Building, right behind the Fox Theater and next to Centaur Bar.

One more thing about Hugh - it's a "retail happening" that is only lasting six months - by design! So don't miss out ... see Hugh soon!