Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Roberson.
Austin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in the small rural town of Stephenville. My passion for menswear started in highschool as a result of being bullied heavily. I was at a low spot in my life and then I heard the term “Dress for Success” and “When you look good, you feel good.” I figured that I’d give that a shot and then it took off from there. Clothes are powerful because they’re a tool of communication they signal who you are and what you’re about.
I felt how it made me feel and I wanted to give that to other men. Once I graduated from college, I moved up to the Metroplex and I started working for James Avery Craftsman Jewelry as a manager and was working on building my business as a custom clothier on the side. While James Avery was a great company to work for, it wasn’t where I needed to be. I met Wally, my business partner at The Man’s Shop, back a few years ago and we stayed in touch. As I was looking for my next step, I returned to the shop and got connected with him again. Funny enough, they actually thought that I was a rep for another company and I told them I wasn’t and that I just enjoyed dressing well. Luckily for me they were hiring and asked if I was looking. I came in the next day for an interview and was offered the job the following day. I’ll never forget what he told me, “I don’t want to offer you a job, I want to offer you a lifestyle.” I would’ve been stupid not to accept.
The goal in everything we do is to build a relationship and do what is best for our clients. That is exactly the standard I hold myself to and wanted to work with those of the same mindset. I had worked with a few clothiers in the past who did bad business and I didn’t want my name associated with that. Being mentored by Wally has benefited me beyond what I could’ve imagined. What I love best about working here at the shop is growing and building with my clients and helping them get to where they want to be by educating them on how to use that tool to their benefit.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not at all. I started working at JCPenney when I was 17 years old and on my first day, I was sweeping up crickets and cleaning toilets. I began to prove myself as one of the better associates with top customer service. I was moved to the fine jewelry counter and then became the Visual Merchandise Specialist. At 19, I was promoted to HR Manager and was very excited for the opportunity to step into a management role at a young age, but for a mysterious reason, it was given away with no reason as to why that decision was made. I still stepped into the Visual Merchandise Specialist role and did it to the best of my abilities. It was difficult to be a lower-level manager at a young age and prove to the other associates that I was to be respected because of my work ethic. I never wanted to been seen as someone jerk in power but as a leader. It was a tough fight to prove that.
Once I moved on from JCP, I realized how difficult this uphill battle would be to grow a network and build a business from the ground up, but I was determined to make it. Failure was never an option. When I’m passionate about something, I go all in. As I was building my business on the side, I took a business doing outside sales for a local custom clothier. I finally got a bite. One of my childhood friends was getting married and his father wanted a nice suit. Since we had a good relationship, he knew he could trust me and we could build together.
Unfortunately, I was a middle man with no control over the production. There was an issue that my boss made that affected us both bad and the whole order had to be refunded and he didn’t get the suit for his wedding. We still gave him the suit, but after I saw how my boss handled things, I moved on and started a new chapter.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Quality in everything. Whether it be in the product or the service, it’s always about quality. We’re known first for our service. We pride ourselves in doing the right things for our clients. We specialize in me’s clothing from custom suits and belt buckles, woven sport shirts, shoes, casual polos, and jeans. Whatever a man could need, we want to be able to offer that to him. We’re a one-stop-shop. We have a long history here in Arlington and that a big thing that separates us from other businesses as being a mainstay here in the community.
Our layout here is to make it feel like a living room. Come, sit, and relax. Malls and typical stores aren’t meant for men. The benches outside the store are meant for the guys to sit and hold their wive’s purses and wait until they’re done. Most guys don’t want to shop because they’ve had bad experiences. Here it’s different. You have to come and experience it for yourself.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
I had a gentleman come in and get a suit because he was defending his dissertation. We wanted to help him look and feel his best so we set him up with a classic option that he could wear outside of this moment in his life and still get used out to it. At the very end, I told him that he needed to wear his pocket square and here’s why. “As you were writing your dissertation, you made sure that EVERYTHING was just perfect and every detail was accounted for. You need to exemplify that in you’re clothing. Simply putting a solid silk white pocket square show that you made and effort in your appearance and you’re showing respect to who is in front of you.” It wasn’t able to add another item to that sale, it was about adding value to his life.
He came back later and told me that they accepted it and he was now a doctor. I felt so happy for him and proud to be a part of serving and supporting him on one of the biggest days in his life.
Contact Info:
- Email: austin.t.roberson@gmail.com
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