New shop won't compete with existing clothing stores
Ten years after opening
Pumpkinseeds, a women’s clothing store on Main Street in Lexington,
owners Tom and Siobhan Lomax decided to expand the clothing options for
men in the area.
“Ever since we’ve carried clothes, we’ve had people ask if we’re going
to carry men’s clothing,” said Lomax. “We saw a niche that needed to be
filled.”
Their new men’s clothing store, George and Bob, recently opened on
Washington Street, a half a block from Alvin-Dennis, one of the only
providers of men’s clothing downtown.
But Lomax doesn’t consider Alvin-Dennis competition.
“Hopefully we’re providing something that no one else here does,” he
said. “There’s no point to carry what [Alvin-Dennis] carries. We’re
trying for something different.”
Alvin-Dennis sells traditional clothing for men and women, including
sports coats, ties and seersucker pants. The store has been open for 44
years.
“Apparently [the market] is good,” said Alvin Carter, owner of
Alvin-Dennis. “I’ve been around all these years.”
Both Carter and Lomax said the primary patrons of their stores are
Washington and Lee students. Lomax even named the store for the
university’s namesakes, George Washington and Robert E. Lee.
George and Bob has a fireplace in the store.
Photo by Hilary Craig.
“Washington and Lee students and alumni are what keep us going,” said
Ginny Carter, the daughter of Alvin Carter. But neither shop’s
proprietor thinks that the clientele overlap.
Carter said that since the College Town Shop, another store that sold
men’s clothing, closed two years ago, there hasn’t been much
competition. Carter said she hasn’t visited George and Bob yet, but she
doesn’t think that their opening will affect business.
Lomax thinks George and Bob offers trendier clothes than other stores in
the area. But he also thinks it has something for everyone, from
professors to high school students.
“It has a much wider price range than Pumpkinseeds,” said Lomax. The
woman’s boutique, Pumpkinseeds, primarily carries high-end designer
brands.
The items George and Bob offers range from Theory, a brand that Lomax
said one would find at the “fanciest boutiques in New York,” to T-shirts
for about $20. George and Bob also offers nonclothing items, such as an
inflatable moose head that has already sold out.
“The reaction has been very encouraging,” said Lomax. “We’ve already had
to reorder a bunch of things.”
Adam Hockensmith, a senior at Washington and Lee, said that he prefers
to shop at George and Bob over Alvin-Dennis because it has more modern
apparel. Hockensmith said that while George and Bob offers a more
affordable option for men’s shopping in the area, the overall range is
still limited.
“The men’s clothing selection in Lexington is miserable,” he said,.
“…unless you’re a size medium or larger and you want to look like you’re
recently retired.”
While Lomax had thought about opening a store just for men for more than
a year, it wasn’t until the building became available that he decided to
go through with it. He said its location among the “Washington Street
crawl” is ideal. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through
Saturday.
The store consists of two small rooms, complete with refurbished
fireplaces that Lomax said date to the 19th century. A large moose head
rests on the white mantle above the fireplace in the first room, making
the store look like a rustic hunting lodge. But Lomax is not looking to
offer rugged clothes, as is apparent in the crisp white shirts, unique
ties and designer jeans that line the wall.
“I hope it brings a certain more sophisticated style, a taste of the big
city to Lexington,” said Lomax.
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Brian Richardson
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd