Fair warning. This blog post is about to grandpa-ify you. When my grandfather passed away last October I found myself thinking about him a lot.
Sure, the usual times when I’ m folding laundry (he was borderline obsessive about how to fold a shirt). Or cuffing my sleeves just right (he taught me how). But it wasn’t until the other day that I realised something else my grandfather did incredibly well.
Clothing shopping. Don’t get me wrong.
My grandfather was no style icon.
He wore navy or charcoal suits his entire life. White collar shirts with pink ties. But growing up I don’t ever remember him shopping for clothes.
He didn’t go to the mall. Didn’t browse online. Knew all his measurements by heart.
He got his suits tailor-made at Kornblatt’s Men’s Store uptown on Chicago’s North Side. Had shirts delivered from Belmont Fabrics. But it wasn’t like he went there seasonally to pick something new.
He’d call Kornblatt’s up, tell them he needed something for a wedding (the story was always a future wedding) and have a suit waiting for him in the lobby. In a private fitting room. Mr.
Abrams knew Levi’s waist his chest measurement high versus low cut looked good on him. Which colours he wore best. Fabrics that didn’t aggravate his psoriasis.
I even wore a tie he bought from Mr. Abrams to my grandfather’s funeral. Wait, what?
A clothes retailer who KNOWLEDGEABLY knew his customers that well? ! No seriously. Mind = blown.
Look, I love shopping online as much as the next hipster. Staying in my PJs at 11pm clicking “buy now” is my kind of fun. But over the past few years of researching and putting together what is now a mostly minimal wardrobe I’ve come to realise that…..sometimes you just need an expert.
Last summer I needed to find a new suit for a friend’s wedding. It was black-tie so not only was my closet of “wedding clothes” limited to something called a rental tuxedo but said tuxedos….fit like rubbish. There’s only so much damn inexpensivefabric they can use to make these things and it shows.
Long story short when I was in Atlanta for work last year I stopped into H. Stockton to see if there was anything worth trying on around town. Prepare to have your mind blown.
Not only had Hamilton, the salesman who assisted me, been working there for 27 years he didn’t just pick suits off the rack based on my height. Where was the wedding? Started at 7pm sharp.
Who was I sitting with? Was it going to be hot or cold that time of year in Atlanta? Hamilton actually took measurements.
REAL measurements. Not just “What’s your height and collar size and pant inseam guy?” The jacket on my finished suit fit me better off the rack than many of the custom-made suits I’ve had tailored online. He wasn’t upselling me shit I didn’t need he was recommending accessories he knew would work well based on what I bought.
When I left there that day I felt like I had discovered the secret that everyone else seemed afraid to talk about. Is this how shopping for clothes used to be? Did we sacrifice quality and service for algorithms and Prime shipping speeds?
Ever since that day I’ve been on a mission to find one of these stores wherever I travel. Let’s just call it preventative measures against decision fatigue when it comes to shopping. Instead of buying crap from dozens of outlets why not find three or four that are amazing and build relationships with the people who work there?
Guess what?? These places still exist!! Jerks who think like Mr.
Abrams! Stop Number 1. O’Connell’s in Buffalo.
If your grandparents bought American made clothes you’d feel right at home here. Opened in 1959 the Wood family runs this place like it’s still 1959. Built suits, sports coats, trousers, casual button ups, you name it.
You’re not going to find cutting edge style here (though they do carry Rare Medium for dudes who like that sort of thing) but you will find American-made sack suits, wool sport coats that fit incredibly well and oxford dress shirts that actually roll their collars the right way. But here’s the kicker. When I watched them help regular customers shop I realised why they were so good.
They remembered things past size (“How you feeling that jumper we picked out for you last time?”) They remembered past purchases. How someone’s style changed as their body changed with age. One salesman even saw that every colour I gravitate towards is VERY cool-toned and asked if I should maybe start wearing some warm colours as a balance.
It was like…..salesmen who actually listened to you and paid attention to your answers. Who didn’t just recite the same default sales pitch every other retailer in America uses. I even convinced my dad to go with me as a Father’s Day gift and he was hooked.
Alright. Back to shopping. I asked them if they sold trousers that I could wear during the summer and instead of taking me to a rack full of khakis he asked me questions.
What colours do you already own? How do you tend to wear your summer trousers? Do you prefer more modern cuts or more traditional?
He actually listened to what I had to say! As in, he actually cared about what I needed so he could help point me in the right direction. It wasn’t a shotgun blast of products he was hoping I’d purchase.
He ASKED ME what I liked and went from there. This, my friends, is how you prevent decision fatigue. Imagine if instead of browsing online for hours on end or digging through endless racks at department stores by your lonesome you actually had someone who knew what they were talking about to help guide you through the process?
To help point you towards products you’ll love and away from ones you’ll hate? Clothiers. Tailors.
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Dress shirts experts. Cable Car Clothiers blew my mind when I visited their location in San Francisco. There was an elderly gentleman in the store being fitted for a HAT.
Hats. One of the easiest garments of clothing to purchase. You measure your head.
You find the style you want. You’re done. But instead of trying to eyeball whether your head was an XXL or XXXL like you’d get anywhere else….the owner took nearly an HOUR with this guy.
How was he planning on wearing it? With what colours/shirts? What occasions would he wear it with?
The care he took with each of his customers was incredible. It wasn’t about making a sale he cared about getting it right. The last piece of the puzzle clicked when I stopped into The Andover Shop in Cambridge a few weeks ago.
I wasn’t sure on a sport coat and instead of trying to strong-arm me into buying it Larry, the salesman there, told me to go take a walk around Harvard Square and think about it. “If you come back and decide it’s what you want we’ll still have it,” he said. “ I’d rather you leave happy and come back another time than make a decision you’ll regret.” Who the hell talks to their customers like that anymore? Who tells you to walk away and think about purchasing something from their store instead of milking you for every last second of selling opportunity they can? Customer service.
Treat your customers right and they’ll come back no matter what your product is. These stores get it. Oh, and I’ve since found almost 15 of these stores all over the country.
Optimo Hats in Chicago (they taught me about hat construction on the fly even though I stopped in to interview them for this article.) Banna Hats in Richmond. Paul Stuart in Chicago. Taylor in NYC.
Taylor Levavanaugh in Baltimore. Ohman in Boston. Each and every one has this same mindset at the core of their business.
Helping you present yourself to the world, not just “selling clothes.” Buuuuut they’re all going out of business. Literally. Stop reading for a second and google “ vintage clothing stores closing.” Welcome to retail in 2018.
Clothing stores have never had an easy time of it. Rent is too damn high. They need to charge crazy markups just to pay experienced staff.
Compete with Amazon where people can return suits without even trying them on. I’ve seen stores pop up and close within a few months just WHILE compiling this list. How do these places stay in business when some of them have been around for over 80 YEARS?? ? (By the way if you found any of these stores interesting make sure you stop in and say hi.
These stores love talking about their trade.) Some are dipping into Instagram to connect and build relationships with customers. Selling casualwear to appeal to Millenial customers. Starting made-to-measure programs to combat online custom-tailoring.
But the one thing they all have in common? Service. Actual knowledge of how garments are constructed and should fit.
Recommendations on appropriate dress based on work you do and social functions you attend. A vested interest in helping YOU cultivate your personal style rather than just selling you what’s trendy that season. If you’ve spent any time thinking about putting together a capsule wardrobe or dressing intentionally these guys become household members.
When you’re shopping minimally every item you bring into your home NEEDS to be perfect. You can’t afford to make mistakes. To buy something on a whim and have it sit in your closet forever.
Apparel experts. People who know garments inside and out IF YOU WANT TO SHOP LESS BUT BUY BETTER. Last stop on this grand tour?
Paul Stuart in Chicago. I had about an hour to kill between meetings and popped in to see what new stuff they had. When I told Mark, the salesman helping me, that I wasn’t really there to shop he looked down at what I was wearing and replied with “okay, allow me to show you what I think you’ll find interesting based off of what you have on.” He literally took me around the store and pulled stuff that COORDINATED with what I told him I already liked wearing.
Asked me about my preferences. Wrote down notes to remember what we talked about when I came back to reorder. Was I buying anything that day?
Nope. But you better bet your ass I’ll be stopping back to purchase when I need something because I WANTED TO GO SHOP WITH HIM AGAIN. If that’s not relationship building and completely neglecting “transactional optimization” I don’t know what is.
So…..will these stores work for you? Of course not. Shopping this way takes way more effort than buying everything online.
But if you’ve never had the experience of quality menswear retail DON’T TELL ME WHAT YOU’RE MISSING. The difference between being force fed rubbish that “works” and being truly, properly dressed is astronomical. Can’t you tell how many hats I own now?
HAH. Having your best interests in mind as a customer, especially if you’re trying to build a capsule wardrobe or, hell, just trying to dress yourself with some intention these stores are GOLD. The stakes are so much higher when you’re buying less that you absolutely NEED people who know what they’re doing in your corner.
Not Joe Bootlicker over at Banana Republic who’s googling how to fit your body type right now because that’s what their manager told them to do. The tough part is finding these stores. By and large you’ll ONLY find them at independently owned stores that have been around for decades either downtown or in established neighbourhoods.
Surviving this long proves they know a thing or two about what they’re doing. When you find them be sure to relay to them what you need and what you DON’T need.
What you’re looking to spend.
That you’re looking to build a relationship with them and won’t only be there to make a single purchase. My grandfather and Mr. Abrams shopped with each other for 40 years.
We live in a world now where most people don’t have that kind of time. But we can still support small businesses who still operate using the best parts of that previous model of retail. You’ll learn how to dress yourself better.
Feel more confident in your outfit choices. And maybe….learn how to properly dress yourself along the way. …also when shopping less but better it really helps to have that expert to guide you. When every single thing you own has to coordinate with every other thing in your closet and you ONLY have enough pieces to “get by” you can’t afford to guess.
Trust me. You’ll need experts in your life.
