Episode 16: Small Town, Big Data: How The Natty Dresser Found Its Fit?
From outfitting farmers for their daughters' strawberry festival coronations to helping a cancer patient rebuild his confidence, The Natty Dresser is proving that a men's clothing store can be more than just a retailer – it can be a catalyst for personal transformation in a community.
Host Terresa Zimmerman talks with Oscar Hult, who turned market research into retail success by opening The Natty Dresser in Albany, Oregon. With no prior retail experience but armed with census data and a background in historic preservation, Oscar grew his men's store from a 1,500 square foot startup to a renovated historic building more than double the size. His secret? Deep community engagement and a mission to transform lives through their motto: "dress well, be confident, find success."
In this episode:
How Oscar used market research and his Main Street experience to identify the need for a men's store
The journey from a 1,500 sq ft startup and learning the trade to purchasing and renovating a historic building
Creating community connections through events like the Albany Tweed Ride and First Friday celebrations
The challenges and opportunities of running a formal menswear store in casual-leaning Oregon
Building a strong team through shared values and a focus on hospitality
The impact of dressing well on confidence and life transformations
Navigating buying without prior industry experience
The importance of historical preservation in maintaining vibrant downtowns
How faith and service guide the store's mission and operations
Featured Store:
Oscar Hult, Owner
Oscar’s LinkedIn
The Natty Dresser LLC
124 Broadalbin St. SW
Albany, Oregon 97321
541-248-3561
www.TheNattyDresser.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_nattydresser/
Other mentions:
Tweed Ride, May 10, 2025 - https://thenattydresser.com/mens-clothing-albany-or-tweed-ride/
Albany Downtown Association - https://albanydowntown.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/albany-downtown-association/
National Main Street Project - https://mainstreet.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/main-street-america/
https://www.instagram.com/natlmainstreet/
Custom Tailors & Designers Association - https://www.ctda.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ctdausa/
Connect with Us:
Main Street Matters Podcast:
Website: www.mainstreetmatters.co
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mainstreetmatters1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/main-street-matters
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@MainStreetMatters_MSM
Host - Terresa Zimmerman:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/terresachristensonzimmerman
Listen to the episode here:
Featured Store:
Watch the episode here:
Full Transcript:
Oscar Hult:
The National Main Street program, the whole goal of that program is historic preservation.
Terresa Zimmerman:
And I think the collegial nature of menswear is unique in retail.
Oscar Hult:
all of their dads join them on stage. And we provide all of their suits for them. These are guys that work with their hands, work in a sheep field. And then their daughters write us cards saying how amazing it was for their dad to dress up and join them on stage.
Terresa Zimmerman:
This episode of Main Street Matters is brought to you by Wood Underwear, Marquesi Jin Frati Neckwear, and Inspiro Tequila. I'm your host, Terresa Zimmerman. Welcome to Main Street Matters. I am excited to have Oscar Holt from the Natty Dresser. He's the haberdasher and owner of this beautiful men's store in Albany, Oregon. Welcome, Oscar.
Oscar Hult:
Thanks for having me.
Terresa Zimmerman:
So I'm excited to have you here today because I think you've got a really interesting story that's different from so many others in how you founded this store. So, um, I'm, I'm excited to have you tell us a little bit about the Natty Dresser. So let's just dive right in. Okay.
Oscar Hult:
So we started out of a need for, um, men's clothing store in the area. Uh, there, there was nothing, uh, you know, Fred Meyers was selling T-shirts and jeans and things, and that was about it in Albany. I was working as the executive director of the Albany Downtown Association, which is part of the National Main Street Project. And I was trying to convince people we needed a men's clothing store in town. And so we looked at the census that had just come out, and it showed how much money people were spending on men's clothing in the area. And then we also looked at the taxes that local businesses were declaring. And that showed how much money people actually were spending in Albany on men's clothing. And the two did not jibe. So a lot of people were leaving town to buy men's clothing. So that kind of bolstered the argument. Meanwhile, my wife and I had decided we wanted to start our own business. And we kicked around some ideas and we thought, you know, men's clothing store probably is the right idea because there's a need. And so that's where we started. Neither of us had ever run a men's clothing store. I had a background of art and she was a photograph retoucher, you know, with paintbrushes.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh, wow. Okay.
Oscar Hult:
And so that business was slowly ebbing away because of Photoshop and stuff. So we wanted our own business. And I had I've gone to work at Sears as a merchandiser. I worked as a costumer at a costume shop. I worked building sets at a local community theater and at our local community college.
Terresa Zimmerman:
That's amazing. Yeah, I think the fascinating part is that in the world of men's stores across the United States, you're only 10 years old, right? You started this in 2014, right? But yet, you can't take away the fact that you're still here after 10 years as a small business that just founded like that.
Oscar Hult:
When I went to our very first trade show, every retailer I met with, they're like, you're starting a men's store? Most men's stores are closing. Why are you starting a men's store? And so, I gave them that same spiel and they're like, you are nuts.
Terresa Zimmerman:
But you had data to back it up, and you had need-driven data, right? Or at least you thought you could capture that need, right?
Oscar Hult:
Yeah, and we figured we would start just with the basics, and it ballooned just really quickly. We started out in a shop that was about 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, somewhere in there, and we quickly outgrew that. We ended up buying a historic building in downtown and renovating that. Right now, our sales floor is about 3,500 square feet.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Wow.
Oscar Hult:
And we feel like we're kind of running out of room here.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Wow. Okay, well, so how are you growing? How did that happen? How did you establish then? I mean, if you just, you know, after a few years had to double, more than double your space.
Oscar Hult:
Well, The, I would say it's just the fact that we are the only men's clothing store around. That really was a significant thing. When we first started, there was a store in Corvallis, which is 20 minutes away, but Rich retired and didn't end up selling the shop to anybody, so that went away. And then the same story in Salem, the one independent men's clothing store there, a couple of brothers, their father had started the store back in the 50s and they had a hard exit plan. They said, okay, we're going to take over from dad, but this is the day we're going to close.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Wow. Okay.
Oscar Hult:
So they, they planned that out.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Hmm.
Oscar Hult:
Uh, now I have racks from both of those cause I love history and I wanted to keep a little, little piece of those guys going. So.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Well, and, and it seems like, um, Albany's done, uh, made huge efforts, um, to bring back sort of historic buildings and stuff too. And, and you've done the same in, in the, in the building you're in, I guess.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah, we're I believe the oldest national historic district in Oregon.
Terresa Zimmerman:
So you came from a downtown organization. You're the executive director there, right? So I mean, that community knowledge, that being engaged with the community that way, that had to have helped. Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
Oh, definitely. Yeah. And while I was the executive director of the Downtown Association, I was going to National Main Street trainings, so trainings on how to keep a small business afloat, trainings on merchandising, trainings on how to develop a sense of place and a business that will draw from, you know, 60 miles or more. We have currently customers that frequent us on a regular basis from Portland and Vancouver all the way down to Roseburg. and clear over in Bend Redmond in Eastern Oregon and all up and down the Oregon coast. I even have a couple of people who claim that they are regulars who are from California and Hawaii.
Terresa Zimmerman:
That's those wine drinkers coming up to the Willamette Valley.
Oscar Hult:
That's right.
Terresa Zimmerman:
So how are they finding you? How is this happening?
Oscar Hult:
Well, I mean, it's pretty organic. We don't do a lot of advertising. When we first started, we did radio advertising, and we did a couple of billboards. Those don't seem to be as effective as one would think. I never did newspaper advertising. I used to work at a newspaper, a graphic artist for 17 years, and just saw the death of newspapers happening all around. So we've never really done much advertising there. We advertise on Google. I mean, that's probably our biggest thing. We keep track of where people hear about us. Every new client that comes in, we ask them and it's 95% word of mouth.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Wow. Okay. So tactically, technically, how are you tracking that? Do you have a tool that you're using?
Oscar Hult:
It's called a legal pad next to the cash register and all of the sales people ask anybody who's not already in our system.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Okay. All right. And then does it go into some system digitally somehow?
Oscar Hult:
We have a spreadsheet that we just type it into.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Gotcha. Okay. All right. So the role that you play in the community, I know at least on your website, you say, you know, it says that you've been at least early support with a lot of the associations around. I mean, Albany's not that big, but it seems like you're, you've got a lot of community associations that are pretty tight.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah. Um, so I, I love history and that's one of my big things. So I've served on the landmarks commission. Um, I am currently on the, uh, tourism commission, uh, you know, trying to draw people into Albany. The, I've been on the, um, board of the local community theater. I've been on the board of the, uh, Monteith Historical Society, which is a group that is dedicated to the preservation of the very first house that was ever built in Albany. Wow. Just those kinds of community things, as well as we like to partner with the local food and clothing closet, Fish of Albany. We donate a lot of things to them.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Okay.
Oscar Hult:
We are involved with the Albany Boys and Girls Club, the local carousel. I was on the board of directors for them. It's a handmade carousel here in downtown Albany, which is a huge draw.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Wow. Okay. So it sounds like you personally are involved with a lot of the community. And since you've had the Natty Dresser, you've engaged the Natty Dresser to play a role in all those things as well. Is that what I'm hearing?
Oscar Hult:
Yeah. You know, for National Historic Preservation Month, which is May every year, we started a bicycle ride called the Albany Tweed Ride. Tweed rides are a big thing all over the world. They started in England.
Terresa Zimmerman:
What is that?
Oscar Hult:
Well, in England, it's the Tweed Run. But Tweed Ride is basically you get a bunch of bicyclists together and you put tweed on them and you ride around town.
Terresa Zimmerman:
That has to be a sight. It's fun.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah. And so we added a element that is not in most weed rides. And that is we ride through the National Historic Districts here in town and we stop every once in a while and talk about different buildings or things that happened in the area. And then we start here at the shop and we end at a local brewery. And they have a antique bicycle show every year, so we stop there, have a drink, and look at the antique bikes.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh, that sounds amazing. That's in May?
Oscar Hult:
Yeah. All right.
Terresa Zimmerman:
And visitors are welcome?
Oscar Hult:
Oh, definitely.
Terresa Zimmerman:
I would imagine you've got a pretty good tourist traffic, too, in Albany, just given where you are in wine country.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah, so Albany has the largest concentration of different building styles of any town in Oregon. So our historic districts are pretty interesting. There's guided tours and sometimes there are guided tours. I do guided tours of the downtown historic district in May and then I also do it twice a year for the local chamber of commerce. So.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Hmm. Okay. So just really quick, how did that happen for Albany? Why is Albany got this place in Oregon that is so historic?
Oscar Hult:
Well, we're right here on the convergence of two rivers, the Kalapuya and the Willamette. And It was a good spot for people to locate. They built some really nice homes. The railroad came through here. It was known as Hub City, so the railroad goes out in all directions. You can get almost anywhere in Oregon in just a matter of an hour or so. So it's great. It's a great spot. And unfortunately for Albany, it went through a kind of a depression in like the late 50s, early 60s. And so the old houses didn't get remodeled. And when people were interested in preserving history in the 70s, Albany was pretty pristine still.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Wow. Okay. All right. Cool. Well, let's jump to talking about the store. So how did you start? What was your offering initially? And how did that migrate to what you offer today?
Oscar Hult:
I would say that it was pretty much the same kind of things that we have. We wanted to really highlight businesses that, you know, products that were made in America. That was our, our real passion at the beginning. Uh, we found that that was almost impossible to do in most categories. Um, but we, uh, persevered and, and, you know, anything that was made in America that we could just by selling, we did. Things like Hardwick suits, which I still love, even though they don't make them anymore. So we brought in Hartschaffner marks and things like that. We still sell Hartschaffner marks. We also sell Max Mann Barone, which is made in China, but it's It's a really nice product. We've joined some associations that have really helped our business a lot. One is the CTBA, the Custom Trailers and Designers Association, which is the oldest business association in the United States. So I love that from a historic perspective. They were founded in 1888 or something. We went to their yearly forum for several years and took classes and we've achieved certification as a custom clothier through those courses. And so we now offer custom clothing made to measure.
Terresa Zimmerman:
All right, cool. And it looks like you do a full range of accessories and
Oscar Hult:
We do. We do gifts as well, hardware and grooming supplies, all that kind of stuff.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Great. And culture wise, I mean, when somebody walks into your store, what is it that you're trying to get them to leave? You know, what's the feeling that they should have or, you know, when they're walking in or when they're leaving?
Oscar Hult:
Yeah, well, our, our motto is dress well, be confident, find success.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Okay.
Oscar Hult:
And so that's what we're trying to instill in, in men is a sense of confidence and, and a feeling like they can go out and conquer the world.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Nice. Now, do you have an online presence as well?
Oscar Hult:
We have a website, but we don't do any sales online. We're strictly brick and mortar. People come in, they're more than welcome to bring in their ill-fitting suit that they bought online. And we have two tailors and a seamstress here. So we do a lot of outside work for people like that.
Terresa Zimmerman:
And then younger generation as well. I mean, what's the diversity of your client base look like?
Oscar Hult:
Yeah, so we realized very early that we wanted to do tuxedo rentals for proms because those guys are our future clients. Yeah. That has worked out really well. In the near 10 years that we've been here, we've seen guys that we outfitted for prom, we outfit them for their wedding, and we outfit them for their first job. We outfit them for their promotions.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Nice. Well, yeah, I mean, being around 10 years, you've gone through those cycles with your customers.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
Those are those are the kinds of things that make me, you know, teary eyed. It's being of service to people.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah, that's amazing. I hear that so much. And those are always the parts where I start crying with people too. Let's talk a little bit about how you do what you do. What are, what are the important tools that you use every day or that you couldn't do your business without?
Oscar Hult:
Our team.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
We have an amazing team. Um, and, and frankly, our God, uh, we, we've dedicated our business to God and, uh, Jesus is our business partner, and we invite the Holy Spirit in every day. We start with a team stand up in the morning, and we offer a prayer, and thank the Lord for all that He's done for us. That's the number one tool that we use, is just praising the Lord. But there are practical things as well.
Terresa Zimmerman:
But that effort is a nice centering thing. You know, I think, you know, that that team huddle, team prayer, that first thing in the morning, you know, gathering, that's, that's a really, a nice bonding thing to start a day.
Oscar Hult:
It is. And, uh, we also, you know, quarterly, we changed the whole look of the store. Wow.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Really? Okay.
Oscar Hult:
All the displays, all the window displays. We actually do the window displays, uh, six times a year, but we The entire team comes in and over two to four days, we take everything down, deep clean, reimagine what all of the displays are. We have, we come up with a theme and then we build the displays and everybody is involved in it. And we have, you know, we take a lunch break all together and And usually we have everybody sign up and they bring in, you know, an element of sandwich.
Terresa Zimmerman:
A little potluck.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah. And it's a lot of fun. And I think it makes the team closer.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Is your store open while you're doing this?
Oscar Hult:
No, no, we, we close for, um, we used to do a whole week, um, but we've gotten better at what we do. Uh, so we can, we can generally do it in two days. Um, putting up Christmas is our biggest.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah. Oh my gosh.
Oscar Hult:
So, um, this year we, I think we did that in three days, but, um, in the past it's taken us a full week. which are hard being closed for that long.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh, yeah. During that period of time, for sure. Yeah. Yeah. And and do you have Santa come in when you when you're open in December? I know a lot of the men's stores have a Santa day.
Oscar Hult:
We don't have Santa come in, but we do participate in the twice around downtown Christmas parade and tree lighting. The tree lighting is right across the street from us. So that's really fun. We have a local church that uses our vestibules to dole out hot cider and that kind of thing.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh, nice.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah, it's fun. Yeah. Santa has all of his alteration work done here.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Excellent. We love to know that he's well dressed. That's right. And I do see on your website, you do a monthly first Friday, last Friday.
Oscar Hult:
First Friday, yeah. We have refreshments and in-store specials from 5 to 7. So we're open a little late. People come in and use it as a date night. It's fun. We usually, we'll see somewhere between 20 and 60 people, depending on the- Oh my gosh, that's a lot. Yeah, and it just depends on what time of year it is, whether or not it's raining, that kind of stuff. And then our biggest First Friday is a collaboration with the local Rotary Club. There's 22 wineries downtown inside shops. So we'll have a winery here and our renter in the other half of the ground floor, Beloved Cheesecakes, will have a winery over there as well.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
So we, gosh, we see hundreds of people through on that first Friday.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Wow. Wow. What time of year is that?
Oscar Hult:
That's in May.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh, that's May too. You have a busy May. Oh my goodness.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah. Guiding tours and doing the tweed ride. We do a tour of the building during Preservation Month. And there's lots of activities going on at Albany during Preservation Month.
Terresa Zimmerman:
So how about buying? How have you navigated buying, you know, and populating your store with all the goods? I mean, that's, I know there's, you know, again, talking about the age and the history of a lot of men's stores across the country, you know, there's, they've got habits and routines and their challenge is kind of deciding how to get out of those habits and, you know, bring in new ones. How did you, how did you start and where's that come for you?
Oscar Hult:
Well, to start, uh, there was a, a menswear show in Seattle, Washington. And, uh, so my wife went to India on a missions trip and, uh, I went to Seattle to a women's show.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Okay.
Oscar Hult:
by myself. I had no idea what I was doing. And I just walked in. I had no appointments because I didn't know how to make an appointment.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh my gosh.
Oscar Hult:
I walked in. I think the very first, very first place I walked into The rep's name's Jill. We still see her at a local trade show, but she doesn't handle any menswear anymore. But she used to handle Winthrop and Church, which was a inexpensive line of men's suiting. And, uh, she, she looked me straight in the face. She goes, you are insane. This is stupidest idea anybody ever had. I bought suits from her. And, you know, a lot of the people we met at that show, we still deal with, um, Matt Bryan, uh, with, uh, Panthrella socks and J.C. Richards ties. We met him there. And we still buy ties from him. It's great. When you get close to your reps, it's phenomenal. And we've had opportunities to pray for some of our reps when they're going through some serious things. A lot of clothing reps are older. They meet health problems sometimes. We've had guys that we've prayed for who were going through chemo and things like that. And just, you know, really, really touches you when somebody you love is going through hard times.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah. No, no, we've lost a few in the last couple of years that are kind of iconic. Yeah. It's hard. But, but the beauty of that is the relationship that you got to have.
Oscar Hult:
Exactly.
Terresa Zimmerman:
See, you're making me cry where I have nobody cries without me.
Oscar Hult:
We no longer have a trade show in Seattle. So we go to other shows. We joined the Northwest Buyers Association, which they have a trade show in Minneapolis twice a year.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yep. Been there February. Awesome.
Oscar Hult:
I believe it's the best trade show in the country. I really do. Nice. And it's because of those relationships. Most trade shows, I would say, as you're walking around, other buyers look at you like the competition, which believe me, I'm not competition for anyone. There's no one in my area that I'm competing. But at the Northwest Buyers Market Association, there's a camaraderie. There's a early morning round table where retailers come in and talk about a specific subject. I can contact Randy, who is the executive director, and ask him questions, and he'll hook me up with somebody else who might have a good idea of what it is that I'm trying to solve, right? So it's been a really great thing. At the end of the year, you get a kickback on the things that you buy. So that helps the bottom line some. And I've just, we've brought in some great minds through there. And so Chicago this year, which we've never been to Chicago. So that's kind of what we do with our other trade show of the year is we just hop around. We went to the Dallas show and we went to the Orange County show. Okay. Yeah.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
Try to find new stuff.
Terresa Zimmerman:
And you go to these trade shows now with appointments?
Oscar Hult:
Yes. Usually.
Terresa Zimmerman:
You got that nailed.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah, we do try to leave a lot of open time, though, because you just don't know what you don't know.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
So if you just wander around and talk to people, you can find some really great stuff.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah, and I think the collegial nature of menswear is unique in retail. I enjoy being at the menswear trade shows, and I don't know if trade shows are supposed to be enjoyed, but certainly the menswear trade shows are awesome. How about people? You mentioned your people, so your team. How did they come about? How did you hire them? How are you keeping them?
Oscar Hult:
Well, Again, it's God. Our manager, Ronnie, has been with us for six years. Okay. She started as a volunteer hostess at one of our bourbon tastings. We used to do bourbon tastings quarterly. We don't do that so much anymore now that we have First Fridays every month.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Gotcha.
Oscar Hult:
But she came in and volunteered to Greek people and has been a fixture here ever since.
Terresa Zimmerman:
That's great.
Oscar Hult:
I, I don't, I don't know that I could do this business without her.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Volunteer greeter at a bourbon tasting too. You said she's your manager? Manager? Amazing. She's gone through amazing growth with you.
Oscar Hult:
Oh yeah. She, she came to us. Um, she had retired from Mary Kay. She's very personable and she, she makes deep connections with our customers. Um, she does the lion's share of the thank you cards and that kind of stuff. Cause she just, that's her, her gift is hospitality. Our sales associates, um, We've lost a couple recently. One was due to health. One was due to her parents' health. And one is because she's going to have a baby.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh, wow.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah.
Terresa Zimmerman:
All super important reasons. Wow.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah.
Terresa Zimmerman:
How are you backfilling that? How are you stopping?
Oscar Hult:
Uh, you know, it's, it's amazing. Uh, we have not had any time where we've actually had to go out and advertise.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Wow. Okay.
Oscar Hult:
People, people appear and, uh, most, most people who appear are either here because they know, um, that we're Christians or they come because they have a passion for serving people.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Okay.
Oscar Hult:
And so we've never had to advertise. Early on, we did advertise. And the people we got from that, well, one of them was amazing, but the rest didn't last very long. Again, word of mouth.
Terresa Zimmerman:
It's so powerful. What about challenges? I mean, it just sounds like you've had this wonderful, you know, constant uphill trajectory and there has to be at least one big challenge in there.
Oscar Hult:
I would say our big challenge is Oregon. Oh, what do you mean? Well, Oregon is the most unchurched state in the Union. We don't have a lot of people dressing for that. We have, you know, this very, uh, lackadaisical way of dressing in Oregon, uh, by and large, uh, gym shorts and hoodies. Um, and that's at the nice restaurants.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh my gosh. I mean, I guess you do have that very outdoor feeling casual reputation nationally. I mean, I can see that. And that's true.
Oscar Hult:
And that's kind of a challenge for us because most guys in Oregon think that we're too highfalutin for them. Wow. We're very down to earth. I grew up in a sawmill town. You know, my parents didn't even buy me shoes in the summer because, you know, that was ridiculous.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Why would you need shoes? Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
My wife and I, both born in Oregon, were part of this culture for sure. Like I said, I grew up in a sawmill town. My grandfather owned a sawmill. He was a very natty dresser. And where I got my sense of style from, I think, is my dad was t-shirts and jeans and When Kennedy said he didn't have to wear a hat, my dad said, I don't have to wear a hat either.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh, okay. He was looking for that excuse.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah.
Terresa Zimmerman:
But isn't it amazing? I mean, you have to see this every day when someone comes in and you can dress them and seeing how it changes, you know, their whole, I don't know, their, their whole presence. It's huge. Yeah. And they, seeing them feel that,
Oscar Hult:
Young kids come in and we take a suit and put it in the fitting room for them and they go in and they change and they go in a kid and they come out a man. And it's awesome to see. We have a local over in Lebanon, there's a strawberry festival every year. much love Oregon strawberries. They are the best in the whole world.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Okay, awesome.
Oscar Hult:
They're so sweet. And you can't really get them anywhere except Oregon because they don't transport well.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh, okay.
Oscar Hult:
So delicious.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Another reason to visit.
Oscar Hult:
They have a strawberry pestolo over there and they do a princess court as many festivals do. And so there's five or six, I think there's five princesses. And they're, of course, trying to garner votes from the public to see who will become the Strawberry Queen. And for the coronation, all of their dads joined them on stage. And
Terresa Zimmerman:
Are you going to make me cry again?
Oscar Hult:
Probably, because it definitely makes me cry. Their dad's joined them on stage and we provide all of their suits for them. A lot of these guys, you know, these are guys that work with their hands, work in, in, you know, in a sheep field or in a lumber mill or, you know, as a plumber, uh, and they don't, they don't dress up. And when, when they come in and they try on their suit and we get them all dialed in, um, and then their daughters write us cards saying how, how amazing it was for their dad to be able to dress up and join him on stage. Yeah. It's amazing.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
The transformation it makes for a guy.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Well, and some people,
Oscar Hult:
That's why we do this. It really is. We didn't know that this is what we were going to be doing, but it's definitely why we do this.
Terresa Zimmerman:
It's, it's great. And especially if you're, if you're able to do that for somebody, you know, help them experience that for the first time. I mean, it's just, that's amazing. And, and, and now they, now they know, right? And you don't even have to have a full suit that's custom, right? It's just like, you know, just put on something that fits well. Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
We had a guy come in. He was going through chemotherapy and his wife had left him and He was lonely. He put himself out there on a dating site and people called him Uncle Fester and just said horrible things about him. I mean, I can't even imagine what makes people do things like that. But he came in and he said, I need a makeover. And, you know, he was in a sloppy sweatshirt and jeans that were too big for him because, you know, he had lost a lot of weight because of the cancer. And so we outfitted him in a, in a pair of slacks and a sport coat and a nice shirt and tie. And, um, he tried everything on and, and he, he left here. He, he still seemed a little dubious, um, but he thanked us for helping him. And then, uh, probably four hours later, this guy walks in that is wearing clothes that we recognize, but he is a totally different person. He got dressed, he went out to dinner, he said everybody treated him completely differently, that he felt great about himself, he felt like he was being respected, and it changed his life.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Wow. I think they certainly affect your personal confidence, which people don't think, why do I dress up for them? You don't dress up for them, you dress up for you, you know, because it's your confidence that you're bolstering and that you're letting show. I think when you try.
Oscar Hult:
And people make snap decisions about you, um, whether they believe that they do or not, because I've had a lot of people say, Oh, I don't, I don't make decisions about people until I know that it's like, well, you are so wrong. In the first seven seconds, you are deciding what this person is like. And, uh, it, so it's, it's important.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah. Well, and good for him for, you know, finding something, you know, to, to give him a boost personally.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah.
Terresa Zimmerman:
You know, and to walk into your store, it's even better.
Oscar Hult:
And he got married.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Married. Okay. There you go. Oh my gosh, that's great. So much.
Oscar Hult:
Challenges.
Terresa Zimmerman:
I was going to say so much for challenges. I mean, we love crying, so.
Oscar Hult:
So back to challenges. I said Oregon. Another part of the Oregon challenge is that we are the most taxed state, I think, in the whole union. Our government here just thinks that the answer to everything is raising taxes. Fortunately, we dodged a bullet this last go-round election time. They were going to charge a tax on anybody who sells over a million dollars. If you grow trees and you sell them to a lumber company, For more than a million dollars, there's a 30% tax. If you are that lumber company and you cut down those trees and you sell it to a sawmill, uh, that's over a million dollars. There's another 30% tax. If you are the sawmill and you make it into lumber and you sell that lumber, that's over a million dollars. There's another 30% tax. You sell that to a home builder. He builds a home and sells that home for a million dollars. There's another 30% tax. You're a realtor. You sell that home for more than a million dollars. There's a 30 percent tax. Just talk about a compounding sales tax.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Wow.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah.
Terresa Zimmerman:
And that didn't that didn't go through is what you did not go through.
Oscar Hult:
But boy, the Oregon legislature sure wanted it to 30 percent.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh, my goodness.
Oscar Hult:
Compounded. Boom, boom, boom. Yeah, for sure.
Terresa Zimmerman:
What's insane. Oh my gosh. I mean, that hits small business. That's where it hits. It hits small business.
Oscar Hult:
So anybody that I buy something from in Oregon that makes over a million dollars that I'm paying, because they're not going to absorb that and not pass it on to the customer. Of course. I'm getting charged that. Everybody down the line is getting charged that.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah. Oh, goodness. Wow. Way to drive business out of Oregon, right?
Oscar Hult:
Exactly. Yeah. Sometimes I think that's what they're trying to do. And then, you know, things like they want to eliminate diesel vehicles in Oregon. So no semis. So how are we going to get our stuff? So Oregon is definitely a problem. Yeah. During the COVID pandemic, our governor locked Oregon down hard. We were closed for three months, no income at all.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
Fortunately, in May of 2020, we bought this building. And so we were able to spend our closed time doing manual labor here, opening up carpet and tearing out walls that had been built.
Terresa Zimmerman:
And that was the year that you moved into the location you're in.
Oscar Hult:
So we, we bought the building in May and then we opened in November. So it was a huge... That's a pretty fast rehab. It was a very fast rehab. And it was all because our builder had no other jobs. The city had no permit requests. So we, our building permit went through in a week. Yeah. Crazy.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Shoot him what was possible.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah, our appraisal, usually our appraisals here are six to eight weeks, one week. I mean, we just, everything sailed through. Yeah. And that was easy peasy. Of course, once the pandemic was over, fortunately, we were in and through our local improvement district, put in an elevator. And that did not go as quickly. Oh, it's almost two full years.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh my gosh. You can rehab a whole building in six months, but not get an elevator for two years. Yeah. Wow.
Oscar Hult:
And plans and. Wow.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Oh my gosh, that's that is wild. Well, I mean, it sounds like you personally have had have adjusted and embraced the life of haberdasher and independent retail owner very, very well. Love it.
Oscar Hult:
You're loving it. I truly love it. Ask what I'm going to do when I retire. And I say, why would I retire? You know, as long as I can work, right? I live five blocks away. I walk to work every day. It's fabulous. Right.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah. And what are you going to do if you don't do what you're doing now? I mean, what is retirement really, right?
Oscar Hult:
I don't know. I'm going to sit in a condo and watch TV? Yeah.
Terresa Zimmerman:
No.
Oscar Hult:
I don't like the beach, so.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Well, I'm a golfer and I couldn't golf every day. I mean, I don't, you know, it's like, what is this retirement thing? It's certainly not, uh, certainly not, you know, stopping all things and sitting on a couch and watching TV. That's, I don't see that for most people I know.
Oscar Hult:
If I had to retire for some reason, I would probably volunteer with, you know, the historic society or the muse, downtown museum or something like that. I don't know.
Terresa Zimmerman:
That sounds like another job, not retirement. Love it. Yeah, that's great. So I know we're running out of time. You've got a store to open soon, but I have two questions that I ask all of my guests. And one of them is, if you look into the future, you pick the timeline, one year, three year, five year, 10 year, what kind of challenge do you see and are you preparing for it now?
Oscar Hult:
Well, I would say the tariffs that President Trump is talking about, I think it's going to have a huge effect on retailers. And fortunately for us, we've always sought out Made in America. So I think that's going to be a good thing for us. But we definitely are right now looking specifically for more made in America things that fit in our shop.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah.
Oscar Hult:
I think that that will be a challenge.
Terresa Zimmerman:
OK.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah, we're working on increasing our made to measure shirts and suits and sport coats and all that because you're not as reliant on having a huge stock of stuff. You still have to stock things, because guys procrastinate. If they come in, I've got a wedding I'm going to tomorrow. And it's me, by the way.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Yeah. My gosh. And you hate it when the groom shows up and does that, right?
Oscar Hult:
Yep. But having me to measure shirts has been great, because we have 300 fabric swatches, and guys can get pretty much what they want. And we don't have to stock the, you know, the pop art shirt that one guy's gonna want.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Right. Yeah. Yep. Awesome. Love it. So last question. Why does Main Street matter?
Oscar Hult:
Main Street matters. Main Street matters because if we don't have these independent businesses on Main Street, our Main Streets are going to dry up and die. And from a historic preservationist view, we wouldn't buy a 1912 department store and rehab it. if we didn't have a purpose for it. And so Main Street matters because it gives purpose to these historic buildings in downtowns all over America. The National Main Street program, which is run through the Parks Department, the whole goal of that program is historic preservation. It's not business. Well, they promote business and try to keep people in business and encourage business and do special events in downtown. Things like, you know, our crazy day sales and those kinds of things are all put on by the Main Street program. so that the businesses can occupy those historic buildings and maintain them and have them there for future generations. So that's why Main Street matters.
Terresa Zimmerman:
Purpose. Love that. Yeah. Thank you so much, Oscar. I appreciate your time today.
Oscar Hult:
Yeah, I appreciate yours. And, you know, I've, I've watched your podcasts and I really enjoy it. And I, I think the, that there's nuggets in there that we're, uh, incorporating into our business. And, uh, hopefully somebody will find something that I said in my drivel, uh, interesting and helpful.
Terresa Zimmerman:
No doubt. I think it's been very interesting. Thank you so much. Thank you for tuning in to Main Street Matters. I hope you found today's episode insightful and inspiring. I'd love it if you would share Main Street Matters with fellow retail owners or anyone else who loves Main Street. And please subscribe so you know when the next episode drops.
