As Candace Williams worked with her mom in Teaser’s Boutique in Detroit, she noticed that a lot of people walk their dogs along Livernois Avenue in the mornings.
One rainy day, this led to a business idea, and Barks Fifth Avenue was born.
“It was pouring down rain and I was like, ‘This lady is walking her dog — that dog needs a raincoat,’ ” said Williams. She then went to a trade show with her mom, Paulette Williams, and one of the vendors was selling dog products. “Everything was just kind of coming full circle.”
Then the news came that the previous tenant of her current space was moving out — and it is right next door to her mother’s business.
Now, dogs, which Candace Williams calls her “bark stars,” can come in with their humans to get a fitting room experience and walk out with dog-size dresses, hoodies, jerseys, sweaters, tuxedos, capes, shirts, denim and some name-brand apparel and accessories, such as Chanel-inspired necklaces or hoodies that say “Pawlenciaga.”
Candace Williams wants her store, located at 19359 Livernois, to feel like an experience.
“I want (customers) to feel like they’re treating their dog the same way as they would if they would go into their high-end store for shopping,” Williams said. “I want their pets to feel like that. And even if they don’t have their pets, I still want them to feel like this is a high-end store for my pet and I want them to feel good.”
Williams comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Her mother, Paulette Williams, has been operating Teaser’s Boutique for over 20 years on Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion, and Candace joined as a partner.
“That is the most awesome thing that could happen to me — to have her next door and to have her wanting to follow in, somewhat, my footsteps,” said Paulette Williams said of her daughter’s new store.
Teaser’s, located at 19355 Livernois, is known for its women’s fashion experience. Customers can find shirts, pants, skirts, dresses and accessories.
The boutique also hosts fashion shows, which Paulette Williams says she started hosting about nine years ago. She sets up stages and runways in the parking lot, on the sidewalks, and sometimes, in the street. Her first fashion show brought 50 models.
“It’s pretty much like a stylist type of environment here,” Paulette Williams said in an interview in July. One of her wishes is to make sure that her customers don’t look the same as other people, so she aims to find unique pieces.
The boutique is also known for its involvement in a few Avenue of Fashion events: Jazz on the Ave, Light Up Livernois and Juneteenth Jubilee.
“I think people always look forward to what we do as far as the fashion shows that we put on, and then we do a lot of in-store events,” Candace Williams said. Later, she added, “We do a lot of different types of events that include people and our customers.”
And the mother-daughter duo, both of Commerce Township, make sure that the dogs aren’t left out of the popular fashion shows hosted by Teaser’s. Barks Fifth Avenue puts on a runway with crowd-friendly puppies that show off their outfits.
Candace Williams said opening the business next door has been beneficial not only for her and her mother’s family bond but also for their bond as business partners and event collaborators.
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“It’s crazy because it definitely wasn’t planned, but at the same time, it worked out,” Candace Williams said. “I’ve always said my mom is my biggest supporter and she’s my mentor. … She’s been an entrepreneur all her life.”
She added, “I think this has probably helped us become closer. I feel like that’s one of my best friends. I talk to her a lot throughout the day, even when we’re not here.”
When Teaser’s first opened 22 years ago, Paulette Williams said she was the only business in what is called the Avenue Plaza.
“I was the first one here and not many things were going on,” she said. “A lot of empty buildings. And we had a little skinny sidewalk with all the trees that they said were historic.”
“But it wasn’t bad. I knew this area was a great area to be in, a safe area to be in and an up and coming area to be in because of its past. The shopping that used to be on the street — everything was just alive.”
As time went by, she started to get new business neighbors and the area filled up to become what it is today — with over 200 Black-owned businesses within the area. Dolphin Michael, president of the Avenue of Fashion Business Association, said the legal description starts at Clarita Avenue to St. Martins Avenue, but the organization considers businesses up to Eight Mile and past Clarita and Seven Mile as a part of the historic district.
Michael said the historical business district was built in the 1960s and featured several high-end retail shops. He remembers catching the bus to visit the shops as a young adult to purchase clothing. He said there are a few businesses that have remained in the area since its early stages, such as House of Morrison Shoe Repair, Dixon Barber Shop and Terry’s Wigs & Lashes.
He said the Avenue of Fashion is completely different now. After the 1967 riot, there was flight from the city. However, Black Detroiters began to purchase the property and buildings in the district.
“One of the reasons that it’s such a viable business district is that a lot of businesses hold their own on the property,” Michael said. “So they are not affected by rents being raised. It’s a solid group of Black businesses on Livernois.”
Michael said Paulette Williams has a huge impact with the fashion shows on the avenue.
“That was one of the biggest draws to Jazz on the Ave,” Michael said. The event took place Aug. 6. “She was a very, very integral part of the success of Jazz on the Ave, and of Livernois. If you get 7-8,000 people on the avenue that have never been to Livernois, and actually walking up and down, going into the shops, they get to experience firsthand what the avenue is all about.”
And Michael said the business district is growing. He said a setback took place during the construction that added turn lanes and new curbs to the avenue that started in April 2019 and lasted for nine months. Then the COVID-19 pandemic created a slow period.
“But there was so much energy at the beginning of last year and this year,” Michael said. “You can really tell the difference. Foot traffic has increased.”
Paulette Williams said her vision for the store when she first opened 20 years ago reflects exactly what she’s doing now. And because of her daughter stepping in, she knows her store will always be in good hands. She plans to continue showing Candace Williams the good and tough parts about owning a business.
“By me being the age that I am, not that I’m ready to leave here, but I know that she’s next door,” Paulette Williams said. “And, for years, I always wondered if something was to happen to me, what would happen to this? So now, I feel as if it’ll be OK. Teaser’s will go on.”
Find out more about Teaser’s Boutique at the store’s website at teasersboutique.online. And to find more information about Barks Fifth Avenue, go to the website at www.barksfifth.com.
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