25 years of fashion

They offer the chicest of European and American designer fashions in an elegant and enchanting boutique in the heart of downtown Birmingham – and they’ve done it for 25 years. Sisters Karen and Cheryl Daskas celebrated the milestone anniversary of their fashionista store, Tender, 271 W. Maple Road, on November 20, not by lavishing praise on themselves, but by giving back to the communities who have supported them. “Both Care House of Oakland County and the Metropolitan Detroit Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will receive a gift from Tender as our way of saying thank you,” they announced via email. They began in 1983 because “Cheryl and I felt that we could bring something to Birmingham that wasn’t here. We could bring our own spin to fashion,” Karen, who meets with all the designers and does the buying, said. “My favorite part of the job is putting someone together,” said Cheryl, who oversees customer service and styling. “We live and breathe fashion. Our customers come first,” said Cheryl, with Karen echoing, “We could not have done it (25 years) without the support of our clients, who have always supported us. Now, their daughters are shopping here, too.” Tender prides itself on always having unique-to-the-market designer offerings. “People come here because they know they’re not going to be seeing themselves coming and going,” Karen said, noting, “There’s a handful of specialty fashion boutiques in the U.S. – about 20. We each have our own personalities.” Here’s to the Tender ladies and another 25 years.

Business Matters for the Birmingham - Bloomfield area are reported by Lisa Brody. Send items for consideration to LisaBrody@downtownpublications.com. Items should be received three weeks prior to publication.