Varsity Men's Wear likes doing business the old-fashioned way

Kim Nilsen
Triangle Business Journal - October 4, 2004

RALEIGH - At Varsity Men's Wear, even the most mod tuxedo has to go before the staid 1954 NCR before it can leave the store.

Every Ike Behar, Tommy Bahama and Hickey-Freeman must exit by way of the store's 50-year-old cash register.

Sure, the machine is something of a relic. But Varsity owner Harry Pollock prefers it because he can ring up a sale without breaking his conversational stride. So familiar is he with the keys, Pollock can devote all of his attention to his customer.

The old cash register is also a nod to history. Varsity dates back to 1954, when businessman Israel Freedman founded the clothing company for men. Freedman settled on Raleigh's Hillsborough Street, hoping to draw business from North Carolina State University at a time when men still wore sports jackets and dress shirts to football games.

Men's wear has changed since then, and so has Varsity's ownership. But dressing men well has remained the order of business.

The old register rang up more than $1 million in sales last year, says Pollock, who is as hesitant to talk exact revenue as he is to reveal a customer's waist size.

"You can get very nice, very expensive made-to-order clothing if you want it," says Raleigh lawyer Bob Wilson, who has been a Varsity client for about 20 years. Or you can find the Southern staple - a blue blazer and khaki pants.

You'll also find conversation, if you want that. Varsity Men's Wear, now located at Crabtree Valley Mall, has sought to compete with national chains and department stores by lavishing attention on clients.

That hasn't been without its challenges. In the past, a Varsity Men's Wear store label inside your suit jacket was a sign that you were doing well in business. Then came discount suit stores, followed by casual business attire.

"We managed to survive by trying to give good customer service and knowing our customer," says former partner Robert Freedman.

Despite its small staff - now five people including a tailor and an office manager - and an equally small advertising budget, the store has a loyal following. Wilson is drawn by the quality of clothing and the barber shop-like pace. "It's fun to go in there and just shoot the breeze," says Wilson, who normally doesn't enjoy shopping.

One Friday afternoon, Wilson checked the invitation to a function on his calendar for the following day and realized the attire was black tie. His tuxedo no longer fit. Scrambling, he called Varsity, where the staff already knew his size and what he had purchased in the past. By the next morning, he had a new tuxedo.

Pollock has been with Varsity since 1969, when he took a part-time sales job with the store on Hillsborough Street while at NCSU studying animal science.

Pollock never went into animal science. He remained with Varsity, taking a management role when the clothier opened its store at Crabtree Valley Mall in August 1972. In 1975, the year that Varsity closed its doors on Hillsborough Street, Pollock became a partner in the business with Robert Freedman, who had purchased the company from his uncle, and Richard Hardy. "They were my mentors," Pollock says.

Hardy retired in 1996, and Freedman in 1998, at which time Pollock became Varsity's sole owner.

Some 500 suits and 350 sport coats hang in the 3,000-square-foot store during busy seasons. Suit prices range from $495 to $1,350, with the bulk of the business coming from $595 to $895 suits.

The shift toward casual dressing has translated into more floor space at Varsity for labels such as Lacoste, Bobby Jones and Tommy Bahama, although Pollock believes the classic suit is rebounding.

Balancing styles and sizes, inventory and demand is the key to keeping the small independent profitable. Slower-moving merchandise is shed twice a year during sales.

Pollock just signed a six-year renewal for Varsity's lease at Crabtree Valley Mall. He's encouraged that his customer base is growing younger and includes many sons of long-time clients. "That's rewarding to me," he says. "That makes me realize that I have their confidence."