“Remembering Jacobson’s” presented by author Bruce Allen Kopytek Tuesday, January 24 at 7 p.m. at Baldwin Public Library.

 On Tuesday, January 24 at 7 p.m. at the Baldwin Public Library, Bruce Allen Kopytek will give a talk based on his book Jacobson’s: I Miss It So!, published this year.

Return to the elegance of Jacobson’s, a beloved Michigan institution

for well over one hundred years. Reenter the marvelous stores

and meet the personalities who transformed Jacobson’s

from its humble Reed City origins to a staple of sophistication

throughout the region and in Florida.

The brainchild of a retail genius, this deluxe specialty store

gave customers a peerless social, shopping and dining destination.

Experience  anew the refined beauty of its Williamsburg-style Grosse Pointe store,

the chic designer world of its Birmingham ensemble or the charm

and allure of its original Florida branch in Sarasota

revealing along the way, secrets that made Jake’s the dazzling store it was

and why it remains so profoundly missed

by anyone who entered through its solid wooden doors.

(Over 100 illustrations, most never published

before - a true scholarly study of this

beloved, lost specialty department store)

Jacobson’s department store was founded in Reed City, Michigan in 1868, expanded to Jackson in 1904 and to Dearborn in 1920. The Birmingham Jacobson’s opened in 1950 and remained a local favorite until its closing in 2002.

Mr. Kopytek will share his stories of Jacobson’s with us, including some special anecdotes about the Birmingham store. He will have his books available for signing and purchase.

One of Mr. Kopytek’s particular interests is the American department store. He maintains a blog, “The Department Store Museum”  where he pays homage to the great American independent department stores, a dying breed, with photographs and facts.

Bruce Allen Kopytek was born and raised in Hamtramck in what he describes as “a very inquisitive Polish-American family.” He earned an architecture degree from the University of Detroit and pursued an extensive career in this field, both commercial and residential.

This program is sponsored by the Baldwin Public Library and the Friends of the Birmingham Historical Museum & Park.

For more information, visit the Baldwin Public Library at 300 W. Merrill, Birmingham, Michigan, call Adult Services at 248-554-4650, or visit the Library’s website