Detroit Boutique Coup D’état Shines on NYT’s Top 50 U.S. Clothing Stores List

The New York Times picked Coup D'état as one of the 50 best clothing stores in America. Owner Angela Wisniewski-Cobbina wept when she got the news.

The shop occupies a former commercial bakery in East Village. Two walls feature 1,500 lit glass holes stretching from floor to ceiling, and the ceilings soar overhead.

Wisniewski-Cobbina handpicks everything sold at Coup D'état, from gifts and skin care to clothing and art. Some items cost $5. Others run into the thousands.

"I never want anybody to think that they wouldn't be welcome in here, even if just to take a look, because I hope that it can be inspiring even just to be in here," said Wisniewski-Cobbina acording to Hour Detroit.

The New York Times weighed inventory, curation, proprietorship, customer service, ambience, location, and payoff when choosing winners. Reporters asked if a trip to the shop would be worth it even if you bought nothing.

Months went into the selection. Reporters and photographers showed up at 120 stores without warning, visiting multiple times. Owners learned they'd made the list only after publication.

Wisniewski-Cobbina spent her childhood in Shelby Township. Her hometown had few fashionable boutiques, so she visited shops in Ferndale, Birmingham, Detroit, and Royal Oak instead.

"I fell in love with the independent brick and-mortar retail experience and the world that each of those places would transport me to," she said. "The owner was usually there, which, you know, you're not getting that at a chain store."

After high school, she got a job at Incognito in Royal Oak. That experience shifted how she viewed retail work.

Coup D'état has operated for 10 years. It relocated from New Center just over a year ago.

"We live in the city, and we work in the city," Wisniewski-Cobbina said. "I do feel like I can be my full self here in an expressive way and take more risks than I might be able to do in other communities."

Find the store at 9301 Kercheval Ave., Suite 6, Detroit. Shoppers can also browse online at shopcoupdetat.com.