Florine Mark estate sale draws crowds, admirers in Farmington Hills

Farmington Hills — Weight Watchers mogul Florine Mark had a wardrobe that Carrie Bradshaw could only dream of. It was a wardrobe so big that it is currently being converted into four bedrooms.

A line stretched out the door of Mark’s one-story suburban home in Farmington Hills Friday afternoon on the second day of a three-day estate sale one year after Mark’s death. Hundreds lined up for the chance to take part in the sale and see how the iconic businesswoman lived.

“I just don’t, can’t imagine she actually wore all those clothes and belts and shoes, and it’s just a shame she wasn’t more like a size eight instead of a four,” joked Mary Weigele, 80, of Livonia, who brought her friend Kay Irwin, 79, of Northville.

The couple stood in line for about 40 minutes Friday afternoon, looking at a brown Armani suit and enjoying the beautiful house. Weigele said she has been to estate sales in the past for fun, but she almost never buys anything.

“If I saw something that I actually needed and would use, yes, I would buy it,” Weigele said. “The prices are incredibly low for the designer clothes.”

Mark — a Detroit native, fitness influencer and former president and CEO of Weight Watchers Group Inc. — died in October 2023 at age 90. Le Shoppe Estate Sales owner Julie Sundberg said it took months to organize the event. Clothes and jewelery were by far the biggest sellers on Friday.

The entire first-floor living space was filled with racks of Giorgio Armani suits and tables of elaborate pins, necklaces, bracelets and earrings, while the walls were lined with works by Michigan artist Richard Jerzy. Her home breathes the air of an elegant department store or a museum.

Guests browsed the collection while admiring Mark’s expansive deck and pool overlooking the Franklin Hills Country Club golf course.

It was the first ever estate sale for brother and sister Michael Solarz and Susan Rabinovitz.

“Florine Mark was an icon in the community and we respected her a lot and we just found out and we don’t live far from here,” said Solarz, 72, of Franklin. “It’s an amazing house. I think the paintings that are left are amazing. And we kind of just wander around the art, the clothes.”

The pair weren’t looking for anything in particular, but were rather waiting for something to catch their eye. They remembered Mark mostly as a philanthropist and trailblazer.

Equilla Carpenter-Stone, Southfield, said she and her friend Caroline Peterson, Farmington Hills, are regulars at estate sales. Compared to others they’d been to, Mark’s sales were “breathtaking,” Carpenter-Stone said, vowing to return. She left on Friday afternoon in shoes and a country western style shirt, while Peterson bought a purse.

“When you come there’s a lot to see, from the outside the house doesn’t look that big but it’s a big home,” said Peterson, 78. The couple said they had been at the house for hours looking through everything.

Mark was known for his glamorous style along with his business acumen. She once showed up at a kibbutz in Israel in a limousine wearing a fur coat and 5-inch heels.

Racks and racks were filled with her trademark blazers. Even the home’s sprawling basement was filled with dozens of pairs of shoes, more clothes, and the typical odds and ends you’d find at an estate sale from clay pots to muffin tins to vintage tapestries. And

Saturday is the last day of the sale from 10am to 4pm, and everything is 50% off.

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