Stanley's Menswear

About

After 35 years Stanley's Menswear has moved to East Bentleigh. Our Grand Opening was on 3rd May 2014. Come and check out our new store.

Story

Fred’s Emporium Pty Ltd trading as Stanley’s Menswear is a third generation family business. Originally established in 1932 by my grandparents, Fred & Rosie Kohn in Bairnsdale, country Victoria.

In 1943 they moved to the city and opened a small shop in Yarraville called Fred’s Emporium. They stayed in that location for 35 years and one shop grew into an entire block. It was the first suburban business to have a lift & employed up to 50 staff members.

I started working in the shop and attempting to serve the customers at the grand old age of three. My grandmother was in charge of training me and by the time I was six years old I spent every school holiday and Saturday morning working. I especially use to love working over my school holidays. My grandfather would pick me up & take Grandma & I out to all the manufacturers to purchase stock. I would then go back to the shop spend the next hour saying hello to all the staff, have some lunch and then in the afternoon do some real work.

In 1979 when my grandparents retired the family decided to sell the business in Yarraville and my parents, Stanley & Laura Moss opened up Stanley’s Menswear. My father was a menswear specialist & my mother’s passion was administration. I worked in the family business part time while I was still at school and then joined the team full time 7 years later.

Under Stan's guidance, Stanley's Menswear became a Bentleigh landmark and Stan himself a very well-liked and respected member of the community. Stan retired in 2001 and handed over the reins to me so that he could devote himself to more leisurely pursuits.

Keeping on with the family tradition, John, my partner joined the team when Stan retired. John is in charge of the floor. He ensures that the customers are properly looked after and supervises the staff. John is affectionately known as the Mad Hatter. He does all the hat buying and is the best hat fitter I have ever met. My mother Laura still works 3 days a week and is in charge of the administration. As for me, I do everything. I am in charge of the marketing & buying. I also serve, merchandise, do the displays and make all the big decisions for the business. I have over 37 years experience in Menswear & my staff treat me like a walking encyclopedia.

After 35 years of trading in Bentleigh we were finding that the store was to narrow and difficult for people to browse. We also had our warehouse in the loft and as none of our staff were getting any younger, we wanted to improve our own working conditions as well. So in May 2014 we moved to Bentleigh East. The new store is bigger & brighter than the old store. The customers can now browse with ease and the merchandise is beautifully displayed. Included in the design was provision for table and chairs where people can sit and wait or sit and be served. We also built an extra wide special needs fitting room. This change room is equipped with handrails and a disability chair. It is also big enough to take a wheel chair or other walking aids if required.

We believe that we are successful because we give excellent customer service, fit men of all different body shapes and sizes (including the big guys), stock hard to find items, which allow people to be as quirky or individual as they like and we always sell at reasonable prices. Stanley’s Menswear caters to men of all ages. We are a one stop shop and can fit you from head to toe (excluding shoes).

I am extremely proud of our family history. We are honest, ethical & reliable. We have a fantastic reputation, a team of staff who are well trained and want to help you.

Regards
Tania Moss

"Stanley's Menswear specialises in traditional Menswear, King Size clothing, sleepwear, clothes for the elderly, special needs & travel accessories. We are a third generation family business that recently closed our retail shop to concentrate on our online business. The locals can come to the warehouse to be served, however it is necessary to phone first to check our open times"