Designer Clothing For Men & Women - Merchant Spotlight

Q: Crooks Clothing Co. has been around since 1905; what is the history behind your clothing company? How is the online store complementing this rich history?

Nathan Crooks: Crooks Clothing Co. was founded in 1905 by F.L. Crooks in the same location it which it is currently located today in Clarion, PA. Before founding the store, FL sold goods out of a horse-drawn carriage. He would go to market in Pittsburgh to acquire goods and merchandise. While Clarion’s economy is now focused on education with Clarion University, the town at the time was a booming place 80 miles north of Pittsburgh heavily focused on timer, oil and manufacturing. We have old photos with model-Ts parked outside the store in the early 1900s...

F.L. Crooks sold the store to his brother JM Crooks, who later sold the store to his son, Donald Crooks. Jim, Don’s son, purchased the business in the 1990’s and has been running it ever since. Jim’s wife, Lydia, is in charge of order fulfillment and customer service for the website. I'm Jim's son, and I developed the website in the late 1990’s and am still involved today.

We made it through the great depression and never closed for a single day!

Q: Why did you choose to create an online division alongside your Clarion, Pennsylvania location?

Nathan: We were one of the first stores to go online in the late 1990’s. I was an avid computer/internet early adapter in middle school and high school and taught myself HTML and web design. The rest is history. We created the division because we saw, right from the get go, that it was the future. While nothing will ever replace the experience of shopping in a store, online shopping for clothing does fulfill the needs of a diverse set of shoppers. Clarion is not located in a high-growth part of the country, and we realized early on that although we had a large, stable business, there was not much room for growth. The website has allowed us to keep growing – the world is now our customer. But we are still able to honor our history and serve our community. The increased volume has benefited the brick and mortar store as well. We are able to offer more varied items, and the merchandise doesn’t sit there. There is always something new, because things sell either online or in the store. It’s a symbiotic relationship.

Q: How has your clothing company developed into the area's largest and finest independent clothing store?

Nathan: We’ve simply been around the longest, and we have always put the customer first. While a lot of stores our age can feel old or stuffy, we renovate the store practically every five years and it has an extremely modern feel. We’ve adapted, and always pay attention to what the customer wants. The store has always had several generations of Crooks involved, so there are always fresh ideas, without forgetting who we are or where we came from.

Q: What makes your specialty store different from other department and outlet stores?

Nathan: The biggest thing that makes us different is that we are a 100-year-old family-owned specialty store. But we are constantly reinventing ourselves. We like to talk to our customers. You can call us for help with anything. We are also happy to special order hard to get sizes. If you are looking for a special item that you don’t see on the site, give us a call and we’ll try to find it. We are also happy to consult. Need a special suit for a new job? Or a great dress for a wedding? Call one of our stylists for some recommendations.

We can get any line, but unlike larger department stores, we don’t overwhelm you with too much merchandise to choose from. If you want a Haupt shirt, for example, we won’t have 100 on the rack for you to pick from. We’ll have the five best. We’ve already refined a lot of the best lines out there so that you can get the best items without have to waste any time. Everything we sell is special.

Q: How often are styles updated throughout your store? How does your store keep up with changing clothing styles and trends.

Nathan: New products are added on almost a daily level. But, like other stores, our biggest seasons usually occur in “Spring,” “Fall,” and “Holiday.” We keep up buy paying attention to the market and listening to what our customers want.

Q: How do you find the newest fashions from today's top designers?

Nathan: We travel the US and the world looking for the hottest trends. We are usually in New York at least six times a year, and we go to the MAGIC show in Las Vegas twice a year. The show is the largest fashion conference in the world and attracts virtually every store and brand in the industry. We also pay attention to magazines, television, internet and popular culture. We also travel the world and pay attention to new trends emerging in New York, Paris, London, Miami and Buenos Aires, for example.

Q: What are your buyers looking for when they scour the markets of New York for new merchandise?

Nathan: We look for quality, value, unique and items. We often think of certain people when we buy items. We see literally hundreds of brands at a show and tens of thousands of items. Our job is to pick the best of the best. We want to bring the current hot looks to our customers, but with a specific focus on quality and value. It’s easy to find an awesome shirt for $400, but it gets a bit more tricky to find the same quality and style for US$100 or under, which is what most of our customers are looking for.

Q: How has utilizing social media (Facebook) affected your business? What has it changed in terms of the way in which you interact with customers?

Nathan: We are just beginning to expand into social media and have focused the most on Facebook. We are currently using it more for local, in-store customers to alert them of special sales and promotions. But we are planning to start using Facebook and Twitter more to alert internet customers about new merchandise and special sales.

Q: You have a commitment to conserving resources and protecting the Earth -- in what ways has your shipping services enabled this?

Nathan: We recycle all of our boxes. It’s been a conscious decision from the start. We rarely even have to purchase packaging. While this can sometimes confuse customers who are used to receiving orders in brand new boxes and fancy packaging, an order from us will mostly likely arrive in a box that has already been used. There’s no need to waste! Rest assured, items will arrive in perfect condition. But don’t be surprised if you find someone else’s name on the box. We also like to use a little personal touch when we ship orders. Often, we will include a hand-written note, an antique greeting card, or even a poem in the box.