As rumored before Christmas, Williams Sonoma closed in mid-January. The upscale kitchen outfitter had been at Briarwood for three decades. Calls to the Briarwood location were forwarded to its Rochester Hills store, one of three still open in the metro Detroit area.
A clerk at the Rochester Hills store said customers can return purchases made in Ann Arbor to its other stores, as long as they bring sales or gift receipts. Customers also can use gift cards purchased in Ann Arbor at those stores or online.
H&M, the trendy Swedish fast-fashion retailer, was set to close in mid-February. H&M announced in October that it planned to close 250 of its 5,000 stores worldwide, citing a shift to online shopping. H&M’s website lists thirteen other locations in metropolitan Detroit, including an outlet store in Howell.
Godiva, the luxury chocolate maker, announced in January that it plans to close all 128 of its North American stores, including one at Briarwood. The closings will take place by the end of March. Godiva cited a decrease in demand for in-‘person shopping due to the pandemic.
Romano’s Macaroni Grill has closed all its Michigan locations, including the Briarwood-adjacent one on S. State St. Loaded down with debt by two successive private-equity owners, the fast-casual Italian chain filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017, closing thirty-seven of its locations. A third private-equity firm bought it for just $8 million in 2018; now it’s closing another round of restaurants.
