The Saga of Max’s Jewelers: Chene Street, Detroit

Most of you have probably never heard of Detroit’s Chene Street, but it’s interesting to take a look at how it used to be.

One popular establishment was Max’s Jewelers, a local favorite for decades; the signage reminded us of a movie house, but to most people's surprise, it never was.

According to eherg.com, Max Rosenbaum lived on Chene Street (named after the Chene family since the mid-1800s), a quiet street populated with Polish and German immigrants. Over a period of time, the street turned into one of Detroit’s most popular shopping districts. By 1913, the Rosenbaum family was operating the Fredro Jewelry Store, located inside the Fredro Theatre down the street. In 1919, five thugs entered the shop and robbed Max of diamonds, rings, and watches, valued at over $110,000 by 2020s standards.

Get our free mobile app

In 1923, there was a Max’s Jewelry Company on Joseph Campau Street and finally at 5553 Chene Street in 1928.

On February 4, 1934, a fire tore through Max’s Jewelry Store. According to Max via the Free Press, his “stock of jewelry was seriously damaged and only partially covered by insurance.”

After opening a number of other locations, in 1949 Max was robbed again – this time by two kids who swiped over $25,000 (2020 standards) of diamonds.

In 1951, two thieves stole a number of diamonds during a hold-up.

Though there were other, longer-lasting shops on Chene Street, Max’s was one of the most durable. As time went on, there were more robberies, owner deaths, and the Detroit riots which provided the obligatory looters. The Chene Street location finally closed for good in 1974.

The years took its toll on the building; a fire broke out in 2012 (arsonists, no doubt), and other shops in the districts shut down and were eventually demolished. A glimmer of life came to the district in 2016, when Max's building was used in the film Transformers: The Last Knight.

On June 5, 2025, Max’s classic marquee-style sign was stolen.

This is only a nutshell version of the story. To read much more about Max’s and the Chene Street district, check out this article at eherg.com.

But first, scroll down to the gallery to see images of Max’s and the Chene Street business district and how it disappeared during the 2000s.