Detroit Mercantile Partners Split Ways
Big changes are afoot at The Detroit Mercantile Co., the “urban pioneer” outfitter in Detroit’s Eastern Market.
First, long-time partners Robert Stanzler and Robert Jameson and his wife, Sherri, are parting ways. Stanzler and a group of new owners bought out the Jamesons. They wouldn’t reveal the value of the deal but said creative differences pushed the group apart.
“After investing two years in the store’s growth, and due to creative and directional differences between owners, it feels like now’s the right time for Robert and I to sell our shares and pursue other interests,” said Sherri Lawton Jameson. Freed of the Detroit Mercantile, the pair are planning to revive their own brand, Jameson Hard Goods, which focuses on Michigan-centric vintage-inspired wares. The Jamesons will be taking off in their Airstream trailer and spending two weeks touring the state, meeting with retailers and planning new designs.
“Over the past two years, the growth of the Mercantile has been really Detroit focused, which is fantastic,” said Robert Jameson. “But it took Sherri and I away from our roots. We feel that Detroit always gets all the notoriety, but there is a lot of it that happens outside the city.”
