Port Huron salon owner opening clothing store downtown

PORT HURON — When Michele Seib got into retail, she started small — at first, just a few fun T-shirts and jewelry at the front of her Port Huron salon.

But soon, she said the success seeded a new idea for a separate store in the city’s downtown, where she’s also a loft resident.

“When I would talk to all my clients, they’d say, ‘You know how there’s no place to shop for clothes, no place you can come in and touch and feel (the merchandise),'” Seib said Wednesday from the back of Shear Karma Hair Gallery, her business in the strip mall at 3529 Pine Grove Ave. “… That whole front area was just a small boutique, and I loved it. It went really well. So, I rolled it around in my head for a while.”

Now, Seib said she’s aiming for a March 1 opening of Divine Designs Downtown, offering men’s and women’s clothing in the space vacated by the closed Patrick and James menswear store in January at 225 Huron Ave.

In addition to Patrick and James, a few other retailers have left downtown within the last couple of years. Natacha Hayden, director of Port Huron's Downtown Development Authority, said she hadn't the chance to meet her yet but that it seemed like Seib had been tracking the progress downtown and was "realistic about hurdles of retail in general throughout the U.S."

"And I think overall (she) sounds very excited about the revitalization of downtown," she said. "(That excitement) gives me hope."

Men's, women's clothing on tap for in-person shoppers

Though remnants of the space’s predecessor remained above its entrance this week, Divine Designs merchandise was already starting to appear in the front window.

It was there on Wednesday that Lori Houle, salon manager for Seib, and stylist Jessica Bayless were helping set things up — rows of men’s button-up shirts and women’s sundresses, as well as jewelry displays, filling the store otherwise dominated by exposed brick walls with color.

They each reflected on the variety and how they wanted to help get Seib started.

Seib said her goal was to offer affordable, casual clothing in a variety of sizes.

And while some downtown retailers have given up or limited time in their brick-and-mortar stores for online shoppers, Seib said she wanted to support the in-person experience.

“I’ve had so many clients tell me the same thing. They hate it,” she said. “They just want to have somewhere they can go in and look around and try the clothes on.”

Seib later said she also planned to have a kids' play corner to help little ones stay entertained while their parents shopped, and that the store would be pet-friendly to dog-walkers.

'I like to keep busy': What hours will it be open?

Seib said she’d taken to Facebook to ask “what people want” in the store once she’d decided to do it, having mulled over the business for six months when 225 Huron became available.

“A big complaint was staying open later,” she said.

To help, Seib said she looked forward to getting involved in the community and participating in downtown events. She wanted to be open some days from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. but said she would take it day by day to see what the frequency of customers would be at different times.

The 60-year-old said she’s tried to keep an eye on the foot traffic downtown from the window of her nearby loft to get an early idea, and while she’d have an employee to help later in the day, she added she’d also be able to spend some time there herself, bringing down her paint supplies to “just enjoy that space” in between customers.

Seib has been doing and teaching hair for 35 years and admitted her shoulders have begun to wear out. But she also called painting wildlife, landscapes, and seascapes her passion.

“I like to keep busy,” she said.

Those interested were encouraged to follow updates at Divine Designs Downtown’s Facebook page.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Salon owner opening clothing store in downtown Port Huron