From the ‘Queen of Soul’ to Martha Jean ‘The Queen,’ furrier sells classic Detroit style
Jean #Jean
Editor’s Note: When the late Richard (Rick) Welch (April 13, 1948 – March 15, 2021) was informed that the Detroit Free Press was interested in conveying the essence and flavor of authentic Detroiters through a new initiative called “Detroit Is…” he immediately made himself available to freelancer Scott Talley because he believed such stories needed to be told. And through several spirited exchanges via phone, text and in-person at Welch’s place of business — Silver Fox Furs — Talley soon discovered that Welch’s passion for fashion was only matched, if not surpassed, by his love for the city of Detroit and its people. Welch’s journey to Detroit, his connection to the city’s style and the deep affection he had for many iconic Detroiters were described in this story written by Talley for the Detroit Free Press. Mr. Welch anxiously awaited seeing the story and the initiative takeoff. Sadly, he did not live to see the story himself. But it is with pride and honor for Mr. Welch and his family that the Free Press pays tribute to his legacy by sharing his story with you, his beloved Detroit family, because he truly embodied community and what Detroit Is.
From minks and fox, to chinchilla and sable and everything in between, fur coats have always been at the pinnacle of Detroit style.
Even today, when the wearing of furs has been largely shunned in many circles because of concerns about animal cruelty — particularly among the younger crowd — owning at least one pelt coat remains a must for many well-established Detroiters. It’s a “grown folks” accessory.
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And Richard (Rick) Welch knows this fact as well as just about anyone in the city — his adopted hometown that he is quick to defend.
“In my travels, whenever I hear anyone speaking badly about Detroit, I ask: ‘Have you ever been there?,’ “said Welch, the executive manager and vice president of Silver Fox Furs, located in New Center One. “Do you know Detroit? And if you don’t know Detroit you better ask somebody.”
Welch is always ready, willing and able to school anyone on the city he loves, which may seem odd for a person raised in Grand Rapids and who later took a liking to the Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor area during his days as a student at Eastern Michigan University. However, at some point early during his 46 years of selling furs primarily in Detroit and the surrounding metro area, Welch became a full-fledged Detroiter. And through furs he has been introduced to virtually all segments of Detroit’s society.
But before Welch’s journey could begin, he had to figure out how to get to the original J.L. Hudson Building, once located at 1206 Woodward Avenue, in the heart of downtown.
“The lady who called me for an interview thought I was kidding when I asked for directions,” Welch said, recalling a phone conversation in the summer of 1974 when he was considering a job as a department store manager at Hudson’s. Welch ultimately declined the position, but another offer followed, in the fur salon, which operated independently from the rest of the department store. Despite not knowing anything at the time about furs, Welch was hired, and the rest has literally been history as he became immersed in the fur industry and Detroit lore at the same time.
A short list of prominent Detroiters that he has sold furs to through the years includes the “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin; former Detroit mayors Coleman Young and Kwame Kilpatrick; former U.S. Representatives Barbara-Rose Collins, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick and John Conyers; Hall of Fame boxing trainer Emanuel Steward; gospel music icons Marvin and Vicki Winans; members of chart-topping soul groups The Spinners and The Dramatics; and legendary Detroit radio personality Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg.
Many of Welch’s other customers are seemingly just as well known in their own circles, including a tall, lean, elegant lady known simply as “Juliette” by her many friends and former professional colleagues and counterparts across Detroit. In 2019 Juliette Okotie-Oboh retired as senior vice president of Public Affairs from MGM Grand Detroit. But in 1979, she was still Juliette Thorpe, and 28 years old, when she visited the downtown Hudson’s fur salon shortly after earning a PhD in urban and regional planning from the University of Michigan.
“That’s my girl; we hit it off when she bought her first piece,” said Welch, with a crack in his voice revealing his excitement in recalling the moment.
For Juliette, that time in her life was equally memorable on a couple of levels.
“I wanted to be a part of Detroit’s renaissance,” said Juliette, who was working as an urban planner for the City of Detroit at the time. She said purchasing the fur (a rabbit coat) was less about looking the part or even dressing to impress, but instead it was an opportunity to do something “fun” and empowering by saving and purchasing an item of special significance “just for you.”
Juliette said her first fur purchase also gave her a chance to emulate her aunt in Philadelphia — who she was named after — and who, along with being a “Renaissance lady,” a holder of a degree in fine arts, a painter, a sculptor and an educator, also wore a fur coat. In fact, Juliette said she comes from a family of fashion lovers, including her late parents Aldena and Lawrence. And as an observer of people in her hometown since childhood, she explained why it is not at all surprising that many Detroiters still have a fondness for furs and support the same local shops that she does — like Wolverine Fur Co., Dittrich Furs and Silver Fox Furs — even as the perception of furs has changed in some other places.
“In Detroit, I think there always has been this history of style and approach to life, particularly in the African American community,” said Juliette, a proud product of Detroit institutions including Dwyer Elementary School and Northern High School. “We have a flare for self-expression in terms of colors and styles, no matter how much money a person has. People don’t think of Black folks having an aesthetic, but we do. And we wouldn’t have gotten this far if we didn’t.”
As Juliette’s career path progressed in the years following her first fur purchase from Hudson’s, she said wearing furs became more of practical matter as her work frequently put her on the go, including much time outdoors during Michigan winters.
“Michigan is cold and you can purchase a used (fur) coat and have it for just about forever; for the type of work I was doing it was just a better way to approach my job,” said Juliette, whose work in the community included being chief of research in the City of Detroit’s Planning department; vice president of Policy for New Detroit Inc.; vice president and Civic Affairs manager for Comerica Incorporated; and senior vice president and ombudsman for the areas of Community Affairs and Diversity Management at the Detroit Medical Center before assuming an executive position at MGM Grand Detroit.
And after explaining the practicality of furs, from her perspective, Juliette brings it back to self-expression.
“I dress to lift my own spirits. And when you look like you’re having fun you become approachable to others and that starts a dialogue,” she said.
One of the many people that Juliette has had positive dialogue with through the years is Sandra Coleman, who retired from the City of Detroit 17 years ago as deputy director of the Planning & Development department. Like Juliette, Coleman is a native Detroiter (graduate of Redford High School, Class of 1969) who wanted her work to benefit her city. Coleman also enjoys wearing her furs — often.
“I wear a fur every day during the winter, not just for special occasions,” Coleman explained. “I believe you only come this way one time. And when you work hard, you truly deserve some rewards. It makes me feel good about me. And I like to buy things that are slightly different. I’m used to hearing: ‘What is she doing here with that coat on?’”
There is a playfulness in Coleman’s voice when she talks about thriving on being different. That playfulness also could be heard when she described a January visit to Wolverine Fur Co. with the intent of only picking up a repaired garment, but instead left the store with a new item as well. But she also can become very serious when she talks about what is required to earn “rewards,” and that is why Coleman remains active in programs and initiatives that uplift her community, including awarding scholarships in honor of her parents and mentoring young adults through her involvement with local chapters of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs.
“I am a talker and I have a ‘Welcome’ sign tattooed to my forehead,” jokes Coleman before getting serious again. “But a part of my mission is to be supportive. Enjoy every moment that you have, but everything has to be in its place. We need to be analytical; we need to have financial responsibility — you can only spend what you have. Have a goal for what you want and work your plan.”
Tracy Lynn Hawthorne also is committed to helping people in her community better their lives. Through her work as an out-patient therapist for the Detroit Recovery Project, along with providing assistance to people in a Salvation Army work therapy program, it would seem unlikely that the subject of furs ever comes up. Nonetheless, Hawthorne does indeed have a connection to furs that reminds her where she came from, which is very important to the proud east side Detroiter.
“There was a time when a man would take you from a girl to a woman in how you dressed,” said Hawthorne, who talks about going to Wolverine Fur Company with her mother as a girl and having her first adult fur coat when she was 17 years old. “Today, you have women in their early 20s that want to wear Jordans (sneakers), but I was wearing silk dresses and heels and furs. I still wear furs today — they keep me warm — and a fur never goes out of style.”
During Welch’s career in furs he has witnessed first-hand many coming-of-age stories in Detroit involving the purchase of a fur, or the passing down of a fur he sold to a younger family member. And he believes those scenes and other positive times involving Detroiters and furs will continue to occur in the community with regularity — economic conditions and changing perceptions of furs notwithstanding.
“In the African American community, the church is the market; along with our sororities, fraternities and black social groups,” said Welch, who before Silver Fox Furs also has held positions during and after his time at the downtown Hudson’s fur salon at the Northland Mall Hudson’s fur salon, Wrubel and Kozin in Birmingham and Dittrich Furs in Detroit. “As a city, we’re just a very fashion conscious town, we even hear that from New York manufacturers. And as Detroiters, we’re very conscious of looking good. You can go to an event in another city, like a fight in Vegas, and pick out everyone from Detroit — they’re sharp! They’re not going to come unless they’re right.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: From the ‘Queen of Soul’ to Martha Jean ‘The Queen,’ furrier sells classic Detroit style