3rd men's clothing store to open downtown
English-style men’s clothing shop opens in downtown OKC
by Kelley Chambers
The Journal Record
6/12/2007
Journal Record Photo
OKLAHOMA CITY – Downtown Oklahoma City may have its own unofficial men’s clothing district soon with two stores already situated across Park Avenue from each other and a third store set to open soon around the corner in the First National Center.
In recent weeks, Claybourne’s Haberdashery joined the fray and opened in a space on the ground floor of the newly renovated Park Harvey Building.
Robert Claiborne, owner of Claybourne’s, explained the spelling of his store’s name as well as described the store’s concept and how he hopes it will fit into the downtown retail picture.
Claiborne comes from a long line of family members in the clothing business beginning with a relative whose father was in the clothing business. The relative’s last name was Claybourne, but he changed his name to Claiborne upon arriving in America from England in 1621. He said the spelling of the store’s name is a nod to his family members who worked in the clothing business in England.
The walls in the Oklahoma City store are bathed in a dark red and adorned with fox-hunting pictures while the floor sports a Scottish Tartan print carpet.
“I wanted the shop to look like something you’d see in England,” Claiborne said. “The whole clothing business is going back to more of a British-type look, so I thought it was very timely to do the store a lot like we had 30 years ago.”
And Claiborne knows something about how the clothing business operated 30, and even 40 years ago. His first foray into the business was a 65-page book on men’s shirts he prepared in his native Tennessee while completing a high school Distributive Education Clubs of America marketing project in the mid-1960s.
His book on men’s shirts won not only the Tennessee competition but also first place nationally. The win cemented his desire to work in the clothing business and continue a tradition of dressing well that went back to his childhood.
“This book really opened a lot of doors in the clothing business for me,” he said. “I grew up with a tradition of dressing well and being taught how to dress.”
Over the past 40 years Claiborne worked in men’s clothing for different stores and companies until landing in Oklahoma a little over three years ago. Looking to set up a store in downtown Oklahoma City, Claiborne said he could not find a suitable spot.
Instead, he opened Tailgate Clothing in Norman, which offered a mix of upscale clothing and University of Oklahoma casual wear.
When he found the space at the Park Harvey, Claiborne saw his chance to open a store downtown and closed his Norman shop.
“I really believe in downtowns,” he said. “And downtown Oklahoma City is just really happening now.”
But Claiborne is not alone. His shop is literally in the shadow of the Teena Hicks Co. in Oklahoma Tower, a downtown men’s clothing fixture for nearly two decades. Plans are also in the works to open a second location of Oklahoma City-based men’s store Pinpoint Resource in the First National Center just around the corner from Claiborne’s shop.
Rather than worry about competition, Claiborne said he thinks the close proximity will ultimately benefit all of the stores.
“It’s good,” he said. “Competition’s healthy. It just brings more people downtown.”
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Originally Posted by OKC PATROL
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