Meanwhile, Jim Hiller is grappling with Michigan’s economy head-on. “We’re [in] a period when the big-box store is in favor,” he says. “Many of those small companies that catered to service and quality are gone because people don’t care anymore. Retailing is like the moon — it shines only by reflected light.”

After receiving publicity for a recent op-ed piece about buying American automobiles, Hiller really found his voice. “I had an epiphany,” he says. “Nobody’s coming to save us; we have to save ourselves.” Hiller has since taken to mentoring grass-roots food suppliers and has received thousands of e-mails from consumers about his “Buy Michigan” campaign. “I feel a renewed enthusiasm on the part of these people — that we do have salvation within our grasp,” he says.

Like most everyone else, Hiller has his nostalgic tales of shopping at Detroit’s landmark retailers. But he says he’s also having fun seeking out the next generation of homegrown merchants and entrepreneurs.

“There’s a whole new generation here,” he says. “Maybe they aren’t the same names and maybe you have to look for them, but they’re there.”

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