Oscar Buchanan, a sales manager at Giorgio Men’s Warehouse, arranges suits on mannequins in the glass case in front of the shop on Market Street in Chattanooga. Buchanan has worked at Giorgio for 30 years and also has a side job coordinating outfits for pastors and professional athletes.DeMarcus Boyce strolls into the downtown shop and is greeted by name. Then an employee who’s worked at the shop for 33 years waits on him, standing on a step ladder to reach the top shelves. He pulls down suits and shoes and hands them to Boyce one by one.
It sounds like a scene from a rosy bygone era, but it’s not. Boyce was shopping at Giorgio Men’s Warehouse, a three-generation, family-owned clothing shop at 704 Market St. in Chattanooga.
Boyce has never purchased a suit anywhere else.
He represents a victory for the downtown shop — not just because he’s a loyal, eight-year customer, but also because he’s a young customer — only 26 years old.
“We’re trying to introduce ourselves to a new generation,” said Pierre Dabit, the third generation of Dabits to run Giorgio. “We don’t want to get away from who we used to be, because we’re proud of who we are and we’ve built this brand since 1975. We’re just trying to update it.”