August 10, 200717 yr Something has been on my mind this week and this is the perfect place to receive advise. I consider myself fairly fashion-aware... at least for a straight white male. (No comments about my club clothes from another thread) I will soon be going on a mini-shopping spree to purchase some professional clothes. Something along the lines of 2 or 3 suits, half dozen dress shirts, four casual shirts, ties, etc. I have not been able to do any decent shopping in at least 7 years since I went from restaurant management to full time undergrad/grad student. Most of my current wardrobe consists of finds from the thrift store. Now that I get to shop like an adult (and the fact I am more conscious of what I put on my body), I am wondering where I should go to make this purchase? I am still in cheap student mode, so I would like to get the most for my money; that is, best clothes and service for the lowest amount. Where should I go? Macy's? JC Penny (shudder)? Men's Warehouse? Someplace local? Thanks Musky. What types of clothes do you like? What colors, styles, fabrics do you prefer? Its really hard to make suggestions without seeing your current closet, furnishing, outwear and shoes. This might turn into Urbanohio's version of Queer eye for the Straight guy - what not to wear ! :-) Even though some of the guys have suggested H&M [ :wtf: ] it's not a place I prefer as I think they have crappy garments that are not well made. In no means do I think you need to go out and buy a bunch of designer pieces, but a good mix and match of brands & pieces as a start. I'll suggest one of my shopping secrets. Try TJ Saks or Value City. Not everything in there is to be purchased, but on occasion you can find a good suit and have it tailored. In the past 4 months, at Value City, I've found two Gucci & one McQ suit and about 2 pairs of Varvatos shoes [Vulpster I thought of you LOL] - all in season. In addition, I bought a Helmut Lang jacket, a Marc Jacobs blaze and Dolce & Gabana stuff from last season. All this stuff was a dirt cheap prices compared to what I would have paid in the boutique. Value City always seems to be a ton of Hugo Boss and D&G in that store. Thanks westsiders, you guys pass up all the good stuff. :wink: Might I suggest, flipping through some mags and rip out the items/looks you like. Then you can walk around Saks or Nordstrom see the items in real life, then browse other stores to see if similar items work to your style and budget. Check out French Connection Kenneth Cole J. Crew Nordstrom Banana Republic I would suggest starting with two/three suits. One Black then Navy Blue or Grey. One pin stripped suit is great as well. Take an inventory of your shoe, shirt, sock, tie and belt collections as it doesn’t make sense to buy a nice new suit and not update your accessories and furnishings. Ok I could go on, but until we have more information from you, I’ll stop.
August 10, 200717 yr Thank you gentlemen. I knew I could count on you. All excellent ideas and they will prove fruitful. I'll suggest one of my shopping secrets. Try TJ Saks or Value City. Not everything in there is to be purchased, but on occasion you can find a good suit and have it tailored. In the past 4 months, at Value City, I've found two Gucci & one McQ suit and about 2 pairs of Varvatos shoes [Vulpster I thought of you LOL] - all in season. In addition, I bought a Helmut Lang jacket, a Marc Jacobs blaze and Dolce & Gabana stuff from last season. All this stuff was a dirt cheap prices compared to what I would have paid in the boutique. Value City always seems to be a ton of Hugo Boss and D&G in that store. Thanks westsiders, you guys pass up all the good stuff. wink Might I suggest, flipping through some mags and rip out the items/looks you like. Then you can walk around Saks or Nordstrom see the items in real life, then browse other stores to see if similar items work to your style and budget. Very excellent ideas. Wifey and I have subscriptions to Interview, Vanity Fair and a couple of other rags, so I will pay closer attention to the mens clothes and less on the informative and life changing articles.
August 10, 200717 yr no problem.....If it wasn't for "our people", "your people" wouldn't have nothing pretty to look at or wear! :laugh:
August 10, 200717 yr Musky - I just started to build my professional wardrobe a few years ago. Before that I just had a lot of jeans, polos, t-shirts, and second hand blazers. I'd recommend staying away from stores like J.C. Penny's, Men's Warehouse, and Macy's. Suits and other professional apparel in these stores aren't necessarily cheap, and you realy can't find the youthful modern fit and look you are probably looking for anyway. As others have suggested, I strongly recommend Express Men, Banana Republic, and maybe J. Crew for starter suits and shirts. You are bound to find something classic and versatile, but also modern. Its hard to find that more modern tailored fit in Men's Warehouse and the likes. I've looked. The jackets are too big and its nearly impossible to find flat front pants. You don't want pleats. I've worked at Express Men and J. Crew, so the discount helped me out a lot get my wardrobe started, but you should consider openning a credit card to get the discount. If you're looking to spend $800 or something like that, a 15% discount on your first purchase is pretty nice. Another great place to look is Marshall's or T.J. Max. I've bought almost all my ties and socks there, and even picked up a nice blazer and basic dress shirts by Ralph Lauren. For shoes, I usually buy Kenneth Cole which you can find at Dillards or Macy's.
August 10, 200717 yr Musky-Shopping is not one of my favorite things. But I think I know where you are coming from as far as price and current styles. I know alot of the younger guys are pointing you towards some of the newer trendy stores but take my word for it, It's all about Kohls. They have a couple of current styles lines with their Apt. 9 and Axcess clothing. They have very nice dress shirts for under $25. BTW, never spend more than that for a shirt. So get most of your stuff there(go to the one at Westgate, it's the best and most orderly Kohls). And for that one killer suit-It's BananaRebuplic. But be prepared to spend 'bout 3-4 hundy on it.
August 10, 200717 yr They have very nice dress shirts for under $25. BTW, never spend more than that for a shirt. If that was true, I'd have to throw away every shirt in my closets!
August 10, 200717 yr NO MORE THAN $25 FOR A SHIRT?!!?!! :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: I'm all for budget, but come on, boys, lets be reasonable!!!
August 10, 200717 yr NO MORE THAN $25 FOR A SHIRT?!!?!! :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: I'm all for budget, but come on, boys, lets be reasonable!!! ...and that out of the mouth of a straight man!
August 10, 200717 yr I shop for shirts and other clothing at Wal-Mart or Target (moreso because it's in my budget). Or I wait until Christmas to see what I get from dear ol' ma.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 10, 200717 yr I shop for shirts and other clothing at Wal-Mart or Target (moreso because it's in my budget). Or I wait until Christmas to see what I get from dear ol' ma....
August 14, 200717 yr Musky, check out these suits for under $500: http://men.style.com/gq/fashion/landing?id=content_5587
August 14, 200717 yr Great inspiration, but those suits are all out of season. The Inc, Calvin Klein, club monaco and Hilfiger suits are examples of style/color of a suit you should invest in.
August 14, 200717 yr I was just trying to show that a decent, nice-looking suit doesn't have to cost thousands.
August 14, 200717 yr I was just trying to show that a decent, nice-looking suit doesn't have to cost thousands. Yes, yes. I totaly understand that.
August 14, 200717 yr MTS, do you know which retailers around here might sell these suits? The department stores? When I was looking for suits last year, I couldn't locate the suits in this price range.
August 15, 200717 yr MTS, do you know which retailers around here might sell these suits? The department stores? When I was looking for suits last year, I couldn't locate the suits in this price range. Beachwood
August 16, 200717 yr Anyways... :wink: I was looking for a side job on craigslist and found that Teavana is opening at Beachwood place. Now I know the Westside Market has a great tea and coffee stand but nonetheless, Teavana smells sooooo good inside! Oh, and Moko is a new cafe opening up at 1505 Euclid next to the Chinese restaurant at PHS. It'd be nice to get a job at Moko since it's a 2 min. walk from my full time job. Oh, and apparently a NY chef is opening a new restaurant in OC soon. Anyways back on topic to our clothes preferences!
August 16, 200717 yr oh just for clarification so i'm not banned from UO for a month, I have no intention of applying to Teavana, just thought I'd let you know it's coming-or at least craigslist says it is-since this is the retail thread :wink:
August 27, 200717 yr BTW, was in OC today and noticed a sign in City Buddha's window that the store there was closing! Anyone know anymore about that?
August 27, 200717 yr Yep - looks like they're consolidating operations to the Coventry location. When they announced the store opening on Coventry, I really had to question the ability to maintain two stores - they have great inventory but their price point is pretty low, and I'd imagine rent isn't cheap at either location. Not to mention, Coventry is busier as far as a round-the-clock schedule, whereas the Ohio City location probably hurts for traffic on days that the West Side Market isn't open (yet another reason it should be open more frequently). clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
August 27, 200717 yr That really stinks. I love the fact that it's such a unique store. It really adds to the uniqueness of Ohio City. :(
August 27, 200717 yr I remember when they first opened across the street - it was just them and Art Attack as far as storefronts worth mentioning (this was before the West 25th rehab). clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
August 28, 200717 yr sad, but I'll admit that in my 2 years living just two blocks from the shop, I never once bought anything and only set foot inside once. The Coventry store has better stuff and I guess neither one is really my style. I only hope that the building doesn't stay vacant for long. There are a lot of holes on that side of the street now!
August 29, 200717 yr Living near Coventry, I can't say that that location seems all that busy either... My impression (not sure if it's from, info here or the Cle Hts Sun) was that the city was giving them a very good deal on the rent for the first 5 years (perhaps ramping up during that time). Will be interesting to see if they can make it work once they're paying market rent.
August 31, 200717 yr ^Never been in the Coventry store...just peeked in the window...did not find it that intriguing. But I believe you are correct...the city of Cleveland Hts. apparently gave them a great deal on the rent to get somebody into that space which had been vacant for quite some period of time.
August 31, 200717 yr Thought I would add my two cents to the suit issue. Don't buy a cheap suit which will fall apart in a few years. A quality suit is expensive but should last you 8-10 years if properly cared for. I have been buying my suits from Peters in Chagrin Falls for years and very happy with the store. If I really wanted to go crazy I would probably hit Cuffs, also in Chagrin Falls. The store I really miss is Bunce Brothers (especially their store on Chester). Many found memories of that store and my dad.
September 4, 200717 yr Was at Beachwood and saw that they will be opening up Ohio's first Teavana tea and tea products store. http://www.teavana.com/shop.axd/Default
September 5, 200717 yr I couldn't figure out where else to post this so --- We will soon be moving to the West Side -- Battery Park to be exact. On the East Side I know where every Marc's superstore is, I swear. Half way decent deals on the staples -- read toilet paper and soap --- although not always the cheapest. The junk aisle, now that's where it's at! So, West Siders, where can I get some Charmin to squeeze and some good junk? Thanks!
September 5, 200717 yr I'm a Target snob ;-) so I usually go for Target at Steelyard. I won't shop there, but there's Wal-Mart in Steelyard opening this fall. There's a Marc's in Lakewood (plaza at Detroit near Warren) and Ridge Park Square (I-480 @ Ridge). Big Lots on W. 65th south of Clark (skettttchy 'hood), Family Dollar on West 25th at Carroll. Those are the discount joints off the top of my head. clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
September 5, 200717 yr There's also a Marcs on Lorain Avenue around 130th and 140th. Also a "skettttchy 'hood" Marcs at Ridgetown Square is your best bet. My wife swears by it.
September 5, 200717 yr Consider some of these.... http://cleveland.citysearch.com/yellowpages/results/Cleveland_OH/page1.html?gcats=110&cats=429 Unique Thrift Store Shopping, Discount Stores, Consignment & Thrift Shops 3333 Lorain Ave Cleveland, OH 44113-3703 Chelsea's Vintage Clothing Shopping, Party Supplies, Clothing - Accessories 1412 W 116TH St Cleveland, OH 44102-2302 Flower Child Shopping, Furniture Dealers - New, Antiques 11508 Clifton Blvd Cleveland, OH 44102-1318 Value World Shopping, Discount Stores, Consignment & Thrift Shops 10694 Lorain Ave Cleveland, OH 44111-5411 Value City Department Store Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 10701 Brookpark Rd Cleveland, OH 44130 Unique Thrift Store Shopping, Discount Stores, Consignment & Thrift Shops 4601 Northfield Rd Cleveland, OH 44128-4515 Off My Back Shopping, Clothing - Accessories, Clothing - Men 26131 Detroit Rd Cleveland, OH 44145-2430 Sam's Club Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 10250 Brookpark Rd Cleveland, OH 44130 Unique Thrift Store Shopping, Discount Stores, Consignment & Thrift Shops 4250 Fulton Rd Cleveland, OH 44144-1865 Value World Shopping, Discount Stores, Consignment & Thrift Shops 11.64 miles | Map 5425 Naiman Pkwy Cleveland, OH 44139-1009 Target (7 other locations ) Shopping, Consumer Electronics Sales, Discount Stores 7.96 miles | Map 20001 Center Ridge Rd Cleveland, OH 44116 Wal-Mart Supercenter Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 8.28 miles | Map 8303 W Ridgewood Dr Cleveland, OH 44129-5524 Bj's Wholesale Club Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 9.66 miles | Map 6944 W 130th St Cleveland, OH 44130 The Cleveland Shop Shopping, Clothing - Accessories, Discount Stores 3.86 miles | Map 11606 Detroit Ave Cleveland, OH 44102-2320 Marc's Lakewood Shopping, Discount Stores 5.48 miles | Map 14861 Detroit Ave Cleveland, OH 44107 Dollar Tree (11 other locations ) Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 17458 Lorain Ave Cleveland, OH 44111 Elegancia Shopping, Shoes, Jewelry & Watches 1869 W 25TH St Cleveland, OH 44113-3406 Amy Food Mart Shopping, Discount Stores 5009 Detroit Ave Cleveland, OH 44102 Family Dollar Store Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 3407 Payne Ave Cleveland, OH 44114-4311 Dave's Discount Shopping, Discount Stores 6723 Denison Ave Cleveland, OH 44102 Ohio Rexall Discount Shopping, Discount Stores 9807 Lorain Ave Cleveland, OH 44102 Family Dollar Store Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 12220 Madison Ave Cleveland, OH 44107-5030 Family Dollar Store Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 11630 Lorain Ave Cleveland, OH 44111-5403 501 Exchange Shopping, Discount Stores 13733 Madison Ave Lakewood, OH 44107-4744 Marc's Brooklyn Shopping, Discount Stores 7359 Northcliff Ave Brooklyn, OH 44144 Star-Valu Stores Shopping, Discount Stores 2180 Brookpark Rd Cleveland, OH 44134 Marc's Lorain Shopping, Discount Stores 13693 Lorain Ave Cleveland, OH 44111 Family Dollar Store Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 14035 Puritas Ave Cleveland, OH 44135-2879 Dollar Tree Shopping, Discount Stores 18200 Sloane Ave Lakewood, OH 44107-3110 Family Dollar Store Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 6.83 miles | Map 5068 Turney Rd Cleveland, OH 44125-2544 Marc's Puritas Shopping, Discount Stores 15030 Puritas Ave Cleveland, OH 44135 Family Dollar Store Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 1936 W 25TH St Cleveland, OH 44113-3438 Dollar Spot Shopping, Discount Stores 2053 W 25th St Cleveland, OH 44113 Family Dollar Store Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 2704 Clark Ave Cleveland, OH 44109-1115 Chin Lee Dollar Mart LLC Shopping, Discount Stores 3014 Clark Ave Cleveland, OH 44109 Miles Variety Shopping, Discount Stores 4140 Commerce Ave Cleveland, OH 44103 Family Dollar Store Shopping, Department Stores, Discount Stores 7301 Detroit Ave Cleveland, OH 44102-3030 Dollar Paradise Shopping, Discount Stores 3762 Pearl Rd Cleveland, OH 44109 Best Dollar Store Shopping, Discount Stores 12775 Berea Rd Cleveland, OH 44111 And that's just a partial list! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 5, 200717 yr You can still get your Marc's fix at the store in Lakewood on Detroit at Warren Rd or in Cleveland near W 140th and Lorain. Now that you're on the west side, you also have Drug Mart - nearest one is on Detroit just inside the Lakewood border. "Discount Drug Mart saves you the run-around. You'll find everything you need" Anyone else remember when there was Marc's on the west side and Bernie Shulman's on the east? Or the Marc's No-Name restaurant?
September 5, 200717 yr I go to the Marc's in Lakewood. It's decent. Not as good as the one in Stow! That one is exceptional. They need to take debit cards; if they did, I'd only shop there. My mom won't by any fruit or veggies there, but I bit the bullet. I ain't dead yet!
September 8, 200717 yr Anyone know what these projects are? Or is this old information?? ______________ http://www.barrettdcm.com/projects.html RETAIL Owner Project/Location Type Size SF May Department Stores Akron Ohio Department Store Design/Construction 120,000 May Department Stores Cleveland Ohio Department Store Design/Construction 130,000 May Department Stores Cleveland Ohio O'Neil's Department Store Design/Construction 115,000 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 8, 200717 yr The Sun Herald: Westgate gains a store, Great Northern loses one Thursday, September 06, 2007 By Ken Prendergast FAIRVIEW PARK Call it the shopping center shuffle. When Dillard's at the old Westgate Mall closed, it moved some of its operations and employees to Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted. When Marshalls opens Sept. 13 at the new Westgate, it will come at the expense of North Olmsted. Marshalls will close its store Sunday at Great Northern Plaza. The new Marshalls store at Westgate will be at the southern end of the completely rebuilt retail center, next to Petco and Target off West 210th Street. More retailers are set to open this fall at the 600,000-square-foot, 60-store shopping complex. It replaced the 1954-built Westgate Mall which was demolished in early 2006. It was the first mall built by the Richard E. Jacobs Group. The new Westgate is a joint venture of the Jacobs Group, New Plan Excel Realty Trust and Transwestern Investment Company. Marshalls' Westgate store will measure 30,000 square feet and feature more than 5,000 square feet for an expanded footwear department. Hundreds of styles of shoes and athletic footwear for men, women and children will be available. "Marshalls' historical success in family footwear led to the natural progression of the department," said Marshalls spokesperson Amy Cafazzo. "The opportunistic way we approach buying merchandise from all over the world allows us to obtain large varieties of fashion-forward merchandise, including footwear." The retail giant also sells clothing and home furnishings. It has more than 750 stores nationwide and promotes itself as a discount retailer and advertises its simple layaway service. Marshalls opened its first store 40 years ago. http://www.cleveland.com/sunherald/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1189017453172260.xml&coll=4
September 8, 200717 yr ^^The Oneil's name hasn't been used in over 15 years. I wonder if they are really part of the May co's makeover of Oneils. Where would an Oneils have been in Cleveland?
September 8, 200717 yr ^That info must be really old. The last O'neil's store ever to be built would have been (I believe) Rolling Acres around 1976 or so. There weren't any in Cleveland, the closest would have been Summit. The commercials on TV used to say " At May Company and O'neil's". They were basically the same store, but I think May's carried higher end stuff.
September 9, 200717 yr ^That info must be really old. The last O'neil's store ever to be built would have been (I believe) Rolling Acres around 1976 or so. There weren't any in Cleveland, the closest would have been Summit. The commercials on TV used to say " At May Company and O'neil's". They were basically the same store, but I think May's carried higher end stuff. The May Company and O'Neils were owned by the same parent company (the May Department Stores which also owned - Lord & Taylor, Strawbridge, Foley's, Kaufmann's, Hecht's, Robinsons-May and some others I can't think of at the moment. I think they owned Horne's also.) There were various "may company's" around the country. May Co (Cleveland) absorbed Horne's, then May Co was merged with Kaufman's.
September 9, 200717 yr Re: Horne's. Actually Horne's Ohio stores (some of which were original Halle's locations) were acquired by Dillard's in 1992. Their Pennsylvania stores were acquired by Federated in 1994 and merged into Lazarus, then Lazarus-Macy's and now Macy's (at the same time Kaufmann's was converted to Macy's) O'Neil's had been owned by May Company since 1912, but the stores only changed to the May Company brand in 1989 when the downtown Akron O'Neil's was shuttered.
September 9, 200717 yr ahh...so that explains why Horne's to over the Halle space at Severance. Prior to that the only Horne's in Ohio was location at Randall Park Mall. I guess it was easier for them to take over existing Department store space instead of reinventing the wheel.
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