Somerset Collection’s Locally Made Holiday Décor

DECK THE MALL: The Parade Company and other clever craftspeople lend a creative hand to the Somerset Collection’s new holiday display
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David Danielson (above left), art director at the Parade Company, installs antlers on one of Santa’s reindeer. Artist Ann DeMay (above right) is in the process of finishing a holiday princess. DeMay also did the concept carvings. // Photographs by Paul Hitz

Metro Detroit and Michigan artisans were as busy as North Pole elves in preparation for the unveiling of Somerset Collection’s revamped holiday décor.

The Troy mall partnered with the Parade Company in Detroit to create new holiday displays. Also helping create the seasonal installation was a roster of skilled tradespeople. Saginaw Knitting Mills in Freeland, Mich., embroidered Santa’s suit; College for Creative Studies (CCS) students worked on props; and faux stone for Santa’s castle was crafted in Ferndale. At the Parade Co., which is best known for giving shape to Detroit’s Thanksgiving Day parade, “twisty trees” and other visuals took shape. Somerset’s “workshop” effort was, you might say, an early Christmas for area architects, contractors, lighting technicians, and others who supplied their version of a little holiday magic.