Milano for Men has solid community roots
06/18/08
BY TREENA MIELKE
Red Deer Express
Milano for Men, a locally owned family business, is continuing to thrive and grow along with Red Deer, itself.
The store, located in Southpointe Common won top honours in the Best of Red Deer Awards this year in the Best Men’s Wear category.
Ajoy Joseph, who originally opened the store for Neiff Housian in 1992 and purchased it in 1997, said the support of the community has helped his business prosper.
“Red Deer has shown tremendous support to myself and my family and my business and I owe all my business success to this great community,” he said.
Joseph, who moved to Red Deer from Grande Prairie, opened the store as Manhattan Clothing Company. He changed the name to Milano for Men when he purchased the store.
“We are a locally owned family business with our roots firmly planted in Red Deer,” he said.
Milano for Men’s loyal customer base has withstood the test of time, he added.
“We have been in Red Deer long enough to get to know our customers and they keep coming back. Now the high school grad that we rented a tuxedo for has come back and we are doing his wedding suit. That is the biggest form of flattery there is.”
What keeps the customers coming back?
No pressure sales, a great selection and excellent staff all contribute to the store’s continued success, said Joseph.
“We would be doing our customers a disservice to fill their closet with clothes that are redundant. We help them work with what they have.”
Milano for Men carries everything from underwear to tuxedos, including golf shirts, jackets and sports wear as well as suits, also is a positive way to reinforce the customer base, he said.
“And we have great staff who have good fashion sense,” he said.
“We insist on ‘Canadian made’ for clothing because the North American size standard is more consistent,” said Joseph.
Suits can be bought off the rack or made to order. Ready made suits open at $395 and can cost up to $750.
Fabrics for the suits are all imported from Europe but the construction is done in Montreal.
“Recently we imported fabric from Scotland for a curling team to make them team blazers,” he said.
Milano for Men has received several awards in the past.
In 2004 Milano for Men was named the Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year. Last year the store was presented with the Corporate Volunteer Award of Excellence by the Wild Rose Foundation. The award was one of two given to small businesses in Alberta.
The store is a sponsor for the Festival of Trees and co-sponsor of Mistletoe Magic. Joseph is the incoming president of the Red Deer Rotary Club.
“The precedence for the award is what you do to make your community a better place to live,” Joseph said.
The store also won silver in the men’s wear category and gold in formal wear category for the 2003 Best of Red Deer Awards. It also won silver in 2004 and 2005 as the Best Mens Wear Store for the Best of Red Deer Awards.
tmielke@reddeer.greatwest.ca 309-5452
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