I’m sure if you have ever walked into Coffman’s Men’s Wear you have been greeted by all of the old and interesting curiosities that decorate the store. Unlike more manufactured men’s retail environments, every bit of decor in our store has a story. Many of them are from Europe. A remembrance of Mr. George Coffman’s 70+ trips there.
There are a great many suitcases in Coffman’s. All of varying sizes and age. What better to merchandise clothing than something we put clothing in? A special one for the store is Mr. Coffman’s own old Hartman Knockabout. Monogrammed and well-worn it tells a story through its patina and scratches. While we can’t travel right now, we’re looking forward to the days when we can. Hartman was the big brand back in the day for luggage.
Nowadays we carry Briggs and Riley. Monogram-able, better with age, and a lifetime warranty, it’s something you know you’ll have for the rest of your life.
Many have also seen the Tin Man. A suit of armor that was brought back from Europe many years ago. It is, indeed, a real suit of armor with a real sword!
A modern-day suit of armor would almost certainly have a Canali blazer in it. Crafted out of a crisp, blue hopsack wool, it won’t wrinkle and has hand work in critical points. This makes for a blazer that only gets better the more you wear it. It’s easy decision when suiting up in the boardroom.
Finally, we still have Mr. Coffman’s typewriter. It doesn’t get much use anymore, but it reminds us to be intentional about how we communicate with the people around us.
We still write, by hand, thank you notes; and always try to be the best part of another person’s day. For these reasons, we still enjoy print media. With social media pulling our attention from all different angles we enjoy the escape of a good book or magazine. We love WM Brown. We think it’s a gold mine of clothing, recipes, and life. It’s one of several print publications we have in the shop.
We’d love to show you any of these artifacts or any of the merchandise next time you’re in the store!
The Coffman’s Team