After 37 Years, Farmington Hills Hallmark Store Owner Prepares to Retire

Jeanne Rice went into business 37 years ago, on the recommendation of a friend who was connected with Hallmark.

"He said if you want to be in a recession-proof business, buy a Hallmark store," said Rice, now 75. "Of course, things have changed."

She started out on Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield Township, where Plum Market is now located, in what was supposed to be "a nice little side job". Jeanne's Hallmark moved to the Kendallwood Shopping Center at 12 Mile and Farmington Roads seven years later and stayed for the next 30 years.

Over the next few weeks, Rice will be moving toward retirement, after selling the store to a dealer who plans to keep the store open. Customers likely won't see much change, she said, although she believes the new owner plans to do some remodeling.

But it's a big change for Rice, who is also in the process of selling her home and plans to "reinvent myself somehow." 

"It's time, I'm 75 and it's time to slow down," she said. "I had a little health scare and decided I'd rather walk out than be carried out." 

While she looks forward to being someplace where she doesn't have to sign anything, leaving is clearly a bittersweet experience for Rice, whose customers now include the children of the people who shopped with her when she first opened. 

Barbara Moore of Farmington Hills said she comes to Jeanne's Hallmark "for those things you can't find anywhere else." She said Rice has a talent for merchandising and adds a real personal touch. 

"She always kept track of the Beanie Babies for me," Moore said of the small stuffed animals that took the country by storm in the 1990s. "For me, it was all the extra time (she) took, all the little different things." 

Rice said she learned merchandising from her mother, who worked in the furniture business. But time and again, she refers back to Hallmark's high quality products as the secret to her store's success. 

"Their gift wrap and stationery are wonderful," she said. "It's just the quality of the items."

In addition to the Hallmark line, Rice carries other gifts and recently moved into ladies' accessories, from scarves to purses and jewelry, which have become very popular.

"That surprised me," she said. "It used to be home decor was the big deal, but it's trending away, because people are getting away from having stuff."

And those Beanie Babies aren't being collected as much as they used to be, either. Rice believes that has a lot to do with the popularity of electronic toys and games. 

"This has been a wonderful business for me," she said. "It's really a very lovely, close-knit neighborhood and people are very loyal and honest."