Open for Business

Hugh for the Holidays is open for business!  The shop maintains the Hugh late-to-bed, late-to-rise schedule, and you can find our hours over in the right-hand column. 

Because Hugh is jam-packed with great one-of-a-kind vintage stuff, the inventory is constantly changing.  Stop in each week to find something new.  Hell, stop in daily!  Here's a quick peek at some of the offerings.

Hugh for the Holidays!

Hugh is back and this time around, Hugh is spending the month on a swank European ski holiday. Classic bachelor style meets Scandinavian chic!

This will be the Hugh you know and love, with a few tweaks.  Lots of vintage greatness mixed with new coolness.  Some old favorites will be back, others are sitting this one out.  It will be perfect for that one-of-a-kind gift and implements for stylish entertaining - all with that classic Hugh style.

Hugh will be easy to find in the same location as before - partially because it will be easy to find, but mostly because it's right next door to Centaur Bar!  The holidays start December 2 at Hugh!

Good-bye to Hugh!

It's the last day at Hugh!

The Betty Ford

Hugh hosted a shopping event for Danialle Karmanos' Work It Out non-profit last night.  It's a great organization that teaches disadvantaged kids how to make healthy lifestyle choices through yoga.  Yes yoga!  And the kids totally dig it!

A special occasion demands a special cocktail, so I conjured up something with a healthful feel for the evening.  It's a cucumber-based drink inspired by the Afterglow cocktail at Centaur (but a little lighter), and by the Spa Martini at Eve (but less complicated ... no cucumber muddling!).  I've dubbed it The Betty Ford.

It was perfect for a warm spring evening and I suggest you enjoy this all summer long.  The recipe requires precise measurements, I highly recommend using the Aluminum Jigger Cube!

The Betty Ford
2 ounces Crop Organic Cucumber Vodka (the best flavored vodka I've ever tried)
0.75 ounces simple syrup
0.5 ounces fresh-squeezed lemon juice
a few grains of salt (this is important)

Shake until refreshingly cold and top off with 1 ounce of club soda.  Serve in a flute or a modest cocktail glass and garnish with a cucumber slice.  You will love it, I swear.

Make a pitcher using an 8-3-2 ratio and a pinch of salt.  Then fill glasses 3/4 full and top off with club soda. You can enjoy it over ice in a highball glass this way!

Block Party

My friend Oneita writes a great blog for the Free Press called O Street.  I've always admired her "tell it like it is" approach and her ability to connect with a broad audience all over the Metropolitan Detroit area.

Hugh hosted her Third Anniversary "Block Party" this week (we hosted two others at Mezzanine) and it was a Detroit Who's-Who.  What else would you expect from a Hugh party?

(Photo Sabrina Nelson)

I should be flanked by two beauties in every photo.  That's Oneita on the left, and fellow Lafayette Park resident (and writer of the great Marsha Music blog) Marsha Cusic on the right.

Take a look at some of the other photos from the party here.

Vintage Trays

Here's your Hugh style tip for the weekend:  vintage Scandinavian trays always look good, and once you've got them around you'll find they really make life easier.  Combine them with your other stylish housewares for maximum enjoyment.  The right combination also makes a great housewarming gift.

Vintage Swedish Laminated Teak Round Tray  $32

Titanium Crystal Cordial/Spirits Glasses  $14 ea

Arne Jacobsen "Royal" Bowl, polished stainless  $58

Vintage Stainless Steel Tray with Rosewood Handles  $18

Origo Striped Porcelain Bowl by iittala (Finland)  $16

"Pick Ups" (for eating or serving) from Design House Stockholm  $14 ea

Vintage Laminated Teak Rectangular Tray  $27

Vintage Swedish Stainless Divided Bowl  $7

Vintage Holmegaard (Denmark) Mouth-blown Pitcher  $35

Vintage Scandinavian Glass Cheese Tray  $22

Vintage Teak Hors d'Oeuvres Picks  $6

Vintage Swedish Small Stainless Tray  $4

The Clock is Ticking

There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall, and it's saying that Hugh is down to its last month.

It seems like only yesterday the opening party of Hugh spilled out onto the Park Avenue and an exuberant mix of folks clamored for attention classic bachelor accoutrements as only Hugh could provide.

Throughout the run of this retail happening people have asked, "Will you keep it going if it does well?"  I've always had to answer no.  Detroit doesn't need to feel bad if for some reason I decided not to continue Hugh.  Plus I said it was for six months and I am an honest person - Detroit also doesn't need more lies.

So what's next?  Hugh is open through Saturday, April 3.  After that the space will be closed for a week while we re-tool it a bit to be the Mezzanine Clearance Sale!  Hugh's goods will move to the online store, but Mezzanine still has a lot of floor model and discontinued merchandise that is not offered through that website, and for three weeks we will have a big old sale on Park Avenue!  There may be a party.

At the end of April we vacate the space, and from there ... it's anyone's guess!

So why don't you pop into Hugh during March and see what we've got that you need? Just because the store is winding up doesn't mean there isn't new merchandise. And don't think for a second that Hugh's Online Store does more than tease you with the greatest hits - we don't even have our awesome vintage finds on display there!

A Sterling Reputation

The warm metallic glow of vintage silverplate is really cool.  The quadruple-plated loving cup ($34), the Italian "Honor" water pitcher ($40) and the silverplate-over-copper martini pitcher ($36) are the hot finds this month.

That's the Jonathan Adler Lady Pillow in the background.  And yes, you can see her muffuletta.

Good News for Hugh

As we hit the T-minus 40 days and counting mark with Hugh (yes, it's all ending that soon), it's a real gas to be voted "Best Store for the Bachelor" by Real Detroit Weekly!

Sure, it might be a temporary retail venture (with an alleged six-month lifespan since fall ’09, get there soon!) for local tastemaker Joe Posch (of Mezzanine fame), but Hugh’s a wonderful one at that. The lifestyle shop gives a nod to the classic bachelor in Foxtown’s Iodent Building (which also houses Centaur). At Hugh, you can stock up on vintage and contemporary accessories for the bar: martini shakers, wine carafes, shot glasses and drink stirrers, as well as retro issues of Playboy Magazine (hence the boutique name), as well as sophisticated and stylish goods for home, office and wardrobe. We can’t forget to mention the witty URL associated with Hugh — lovehughlongtime.com.

Read about all the other cool stores that won here.  Thanks Real Detroit Weekly!

Maximize your ROI

The smart man knows it's important to maximize the return on any investment.  At Hugh, we think that carries over into gift-giving, and no occasion requires a thoughtful gift more than Valentine's Day.

The Mirror Mirror is a simple square mirror, but written upon its surface is a litany of praise.  "Oh how beautiful you are! You’re charming. You look gorgeous! It’s fantastic. You are so infinitely attractive!"  And so on, for hundreds of words.

One gift yields daily happiness.  That's a great ROI.

The Mirror Mirror is available in two sizes and several languages.  More information here at the Hugh online shop.