We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and had time to pause and reflect on life’s opportunities. In this issue you get to know a 3 store owner who also happens to be my boss, Steve Anthony of Ducky’s Formal Wear. We have dedicated this issue to off season catching up on things that have been put off during busier times. We have provided a few check lists to give your employees to stay busy during quieter times. Industry news and more. Read on and let us know what you think.. editor@formaltimes.com 

George (Ducky) Anthony started his business in 1946 as a children’s shoe store. The tuxedo division came about with a chance stop by a formalwear salesman explaining that the only person in the town of Peoria Illinois who had rented tuxedos was moving away. This information made a skeptical Mr. Anthony pause and consider this business of renting formal wear at a time when tuxedos were only worn by the wealthy. He had been married in a suit and everyone he knew owned a suit. Could this business ever make it??

Mr. Anthony decided to give this new venture a try, he bought a small amount of stock and sub rented the remainder from Louie Seno in Chicago. At that time you had a choice of 5 coat styles, 1 shirt and a tie and cummerbund all for the price of $7.95. The business grew and became the beginning of present day Ducky’s Formal Wear. George’s son Steve who was born a few years after starting the business, was working in the store most of his time he was not in school by the time he was 12 or 13. His main job was sorting shirts they came from the cleaners folded and bagged. The shirts were all exact necks and sleeves and he was responsible to keep the inventory properly stocked. Rental shoes were just beginning then, because no rentable quality shoe had yet been produced by the manufacturers. When shoe rentals did finally catch on later, Steve became responsible for the shoe inventory as well. He took a more leading role by the time he was finished with high school and was running a store he and his dad had bought in Quincy IL. Steve and his dad were attending an MRA dinner about the time he turned 18 when a gentlemen at the table offered a store he had in Champaign IL up for sale. Steve purchased the store and began his further expansion of Ducky’s Formal Wear. Throughout his history in the business Steve Anthony has owned stores in Naples FL, Quincy IL, Champaign IL, Galesburg IL, Dekalb, and Kewanee IL. He presently owns stores in Moline, Peoria, and Dekalb IL.



Steve states one of the best business lessons his dad passed on to him he still uses today was to be honest in your business practices. His dad used an example of a company that paid them twice for uniforms they had purchased and his dad refused to keep the money and told him to always be honest and you will have customers for life. Steve has worked to continue this philosophy and pass it on to his son and grandson today.

When asking Steve who has grown up in this business through good times and bad what he thinks of the present economy verses the tuxedo business his answer was surprising. “ I feel an uncertain economy can present opportunity. It can weed out poorly run operations and present smart operators with an opportunity to gain ground. What will happen remains to be seen as we come into wedding booking season next month. You have to remain constantly aware of how things look and are changing. You have to buy smart and stay on top of things..” Steve did say he cut back his Spring buy from past years, but will be buying in season as needed in accordance to what manufacturers are hoping for. I asked him what he would like to see more readily available for in season buys, and his answer was brown Tyler Shoes!

I also asked Mr. Anthony if he was finding what he was looking for from manufacturers and he gave great praise to the fact we now have access to David’s colors from most manufacturers. He wants availability to the colors that brides are buying at David’s followed by Bill Levkoff and Alfred Angelo. He feels the best way that manufacturers could find out what brides are asking for is by talking to the sales people on the floors, not the owners and buyers necessarily but the out front waiting on the brides salespeople. One other very important request he has for the manufacturers is more husky sizes for boys. The world is a different place these days and we need to have husky coats available in EVERY style, husky shirts and husky pants. Also very importantly wide boys shoes. We need to fit our customers and the customer has changed.

In asking Steve Anthony what he does better than his competition his reply:


“Ducky’s Formal Wear has good people. We have a history of long standing employees who care about the business and it makes a difference.” I asked him what the IFA could do for the independent operators across the country. His response was a nationwide Internet fitting site to give availability to all stores around the country to fit for each other and submit the measurements online. He feels this would give smaller operators an edge over our giant competitor.

One of the main reasons we highlight operators of all sizes on the newsletter is to share ideas. I thank Mr. Anthony for sharing his and also as one of the “duckettes” for providing his employees an opportunity to learn about this industry from his experiences.



We greatly appreciate it! Let us know what you think editor@formaltimes.com

Off Season Tasks
Businesses of every size and kind are confronted with an off seasons, and this is ours. Owners are faced with cutting costs and labor hours to balance weeks with little or no income. With the remaining staff it is the perfect time to go over every piece of stock with a fine tooth comb. Whether automated or not, it will still take a human touch to watch for flaws, wear or repairable damage. We thought we would share a couple of check lists you can modify to your needs to help keep those winter hours productive be it the production staff or the workers in the front of the store.

Checking Stock

Pants:
o Check that the garment is clearly labeled and tagged correctly.
o Check for holes along front and back of pant paying close attention to knees
o Measure length if prehemmed and examine stitches in hem
o If unhemmed check for holes or wear marks where the hem has been walked on and note available length it can be hemmed
o Check zipper ease of operation, teeth and stitching
o Check clasps for undue pulling or wear
o Examine waistband for holes and excessive wear
o Check tracks and track covers for wear
o Check buckles for discoloration and hold
o All seams for pulling especially in the crotch area
o Check pockets for holes
o Check pocket buttons and front button if style uses one.
o Examine the ribbon for extreme wear
o Record date checked and passed on ticket or in system

Coats:
o Make sure garment is correctly tagged or coded
o Examining front of garment first check pocket square pocket to be sure lining is intact and not pulling
o Make sure front coat pockets are sealed/or show no signs of pulling if open be sure to check for any holes
o Examine all buttons for wear, dents and they are securely fastened
o Go over both lapels watching for any extreme wear or scratches
o Look under collar to be sure it is not pulling away or torn anywhere
o Look under the arms and examine all seams for pulling and gaps
o Check for loose sleeve hems or alterations left in garment making sure most sleeve hems measure approximately 2 ¼ inches
o Turn coat around and examine all back seams for gaps
o Thoroughly examine back for snags or tears
o Check to be sure inside coast lining does not hang out or is visible from the back
o Open coat and thoroughly examine all inside lining for strings, holes or hanging out where it does not belong especially under the arms
o Make sure your identifiers are clear inside jacket ie: bar codes, store names and sizes are easily read
o One last full visual that garment is fully rentable and note date checked on tag or file

Vests:
o Confirm style, color and location match with coding
o Examine all buttons for wear and check they are securely fastened
o Check side seams for pulling and signs of wear
o Go over front of garment thoroughly for spots, snags, and holes
o Full vests examine the back for snags and stains
o Check back adjuster for problems with buttons or elastic etc..
o Backless vest check elastic on top and in back for adjustment and buckles

Ties:
o Check color or coding is clearly marked on each tie to avoid confusion
o Examine knot for quality and watch closely for stains or discolorations
o Make sure fastener or slide will hold properly
o Make sure clips are not bent
o Examine the entire front of tie for stains or discolorations

Shirts:
o Make sure sizing is easy to read
o Make sure if Diamond white it is marked to avoid confusion(some are lighter and hard to recognize as off white when they are away from a white shirt)
o Check top button for threads, wear, cracking, and to be sure it is securely fastened
o Examine all buttons for wear
o Watch all seams for pulling especially under arms
o Check collar for wear and pulling
o White or off white shirts examine the ENTIRE garment for spots and stains especially cuffs and front of shirt
o Black or patterned shirts make sure collars and sleeves are not showing press marks or fading

Weekly Job List to work through

Note to employees: Pick one job from list each day and when list is complete start again. Think how much easier it will be the second time!

Jobs for the Front of the Store:

o Call Schools and get prom dates for next spring

o Go through pending weddings to see if further contact is necessary

o Dust and straighten sock display

o Retail vests straighten dust etc..

o Retail Ties straighten dust and re arrange

o Retail Area shelf w/ mannequins remove everything dust straighten and reorganize even dust behind

o Clean invitation or booking area remove everything dust, straighten and reorganize

o Clean all up front counters and work areas remove everything clean dust and reorganize

o Showcases: Remove everything clean and reorganize

o Mannequins thoroughly examine for clothing condition dust and neatness and overall appearance

o Try on shirts size order and most importantly would you let your boyfriend father or friend put them on? Examine for buttons and be sure they are clean

o Shop Vac dressing rooms especially seating area and corners

o Shop Vac around the perimeter of the store all corners and behind displays

o Front Window Pay EXTRA special attention to this area of first impression Clean reorganize and keep current with the season

Jobs for the whole store:

o Clean Bathrooms no one’s favorite job but a must for a good impression on all customers

o Restock check and shine all Try on Shoes

o Clean production counter in back inside and out

o Straighten Rows in stock stores can make a huge impression on a bride and groom by showing them onsite stock

o Go through a coat style per day to make sure in size order and properly placed in stock

o Check all shirts for accuracy size order color etc..

o Shop Vac around things in back make sure to keep area free of pins

o Stud Cards or packages: make cards or packs ahead with proper number and color of each style

o Clean reorganize and straighten the area at end of the row where all the junk is(Don’t we all have one of these!)

Copy and paste this list adding any jobs not covered here that pertain to your operation and keep copies of the list in an obvious place to keep everyone busy. To quote the McDonald’s theory “Time to lean time to Clean! Take pride in your store and make it better than ever!

Industry News

From




Due to circumstances beyond our control it is necessary for us to put our Tan Catalina on "Stock Only" status. However, we do have ample inventory to cover your fill in orders through Spring 2010.

Comment to After Six From IFA member Chris Brown
Thanks for the information on your advertising schedule. It appears that you will be doing ample advertising in the prom and bridal magazines. CONGRATULATIONS!
I am especially happy to see that you are letting it be known that you will be discontinuing the Tan Catalina. I firmly believe that it is in our industry's best interest that manufacturers keep there accounts abreast of this very important information. The manufacturers that provide discontinuation notices to their accounts will be the ones that will survive and prosper.
Please, always stay in contact with your accounts and let us know as much information about your company and your products.
Thanks for listening,
Chris Brown
Tuxedo Fashions
Elegant Penguin
363 Meridian Ave.
San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 294-3311
(408) 294-3223 Fax
www.tuxedofashions.com

Announcement is made of the realignment of After Six territories as follows:

Wants and Offerings:
I did not receive any new ads for this issue. Specialists: If you have merchandise to sell just send a list to editor@formaltimes.com  If your items does not sell resubmit the list, you never know who will see the issue and I am not aware if items have sold, I would be happy to add your list again. Be sure and check out the November 14 issue for wants and offerings the list was long!!

George Kosack Sr of Joliet IL is waiting to hear from you with any industry news. Store news, family news he will be happy to hear from you. Let him know what is happening with the people who make up this industry at georgesr@kosacks.com


Thoughts for the Weeks
“We cannot control life’s difficult moments but we can choose to make life less difficult. We cannot control the negative atmosphere of the world, but we can control the atmosphere of our minds. Too often we try to choose and control things we cannot. Too seldom do we choose to control what we can-- our attitude.” ~John Maxwell~

“Have faith: you are capable of the greatest things!” ~author unknown~