When the menswear store in Prescott closed many years ago, it left the men of Prescott without a place for quality shirts. They either had to settle for boring shirts from a store that sells hundreds of the same shirt to everyone in town or they could drive to Scottsdale, which is inconvenient and costly. Prescott has so many entertainment and dining venues and many occasions to dress up, and there are many stores for the ladies to look their best. The men needed a place too. For several years, we researched the idea of opening a store, and when a good location opened up, we took the plunge.
It has all the great reasons to live in Prescott, but even more so. Working in retail really connects us to the community. We see so many people in any given day and get to interact with locals as well as the tourists who pass through. From our window, we can see the courthouse square, which is the heart of the Quad Cities. Many people come into the shop just to find out what is going on and we always have a calendar of events on hand to let them know.
The Prescott business community is amazing. All the downtown businesses work together to help each other. The shops and restaurants understand that business here is not a zero-sum-game where someone else has to lose for you to win. Prescott thrives by having a wide variety of boutique and antique shops and wonderful eating establishments of all kinds. Having such variety is what brings people here and we need each other to be successful. There are so many synergies between the various business and while it may be harder to be creative in crafting these mutually beneficial relationships, everyone succeeds when you do.
We try to welcome everyone into the shop in the same way we would welcome them into our home. Our customers trust us to find items for them that are unique and yet classic. They want to have the latest fashion, while not looking like a fashion victim. And we want our customers to get compliments every time they wear something from the store.
I’ve worked in retail since high school and the basic premises are still the same. Customer service, good values and attention to detail never go out of style. Our goal is to provide the best products at fair prices and actually exceed a customer’s expectations. Conventional wisdom says that price is correlated with quality and service. It is hard for major retailers to offer competitive pricing and provide exceptional service. We work hard to provide both.
It is not just a belief, there are many scholarly articles establishing that first impressions last a lifetime. We all look at someone and formulate an opinion about them. It is human nature to size someone up by their appearance, assuming they dressed that way for a reason.
It’s not about dressing up as much as having a look that is appropriate for the situation. It takes just as much effort to look put together as not, so if you look like you gave up, people will think you don’t care about yourself or have any respect for those you are with.
5) What has been the most surprising thing to you as a business owner since opening Man at Leisure?
A surprise was that expenses that you never accounted for in the initial business plan can really add up. For instance, the paper for the register can cost as much as $1.80 per roll, and the bags we use cost about 50 cents each. These little everyday expenses can account for a large part of the budget, which you did not expect.
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