“Pennies from Heaven” by Bing Crosby was the top hit song in 1936. The Great Ziegfeld was the top grossing film that year, and the New York Yankees won the World Series of Major League Baseball. It was also a banner year for Victor “Vic” Nelson who opened Nelson’s Clothing Store on the downtown square of Macomb in far western Illinois.
“My grandfather was a tailor who established the business. So, tailored clothing, suits, sport coats, dress shirts are always our strongest leaders (in sales),” said John Nelson, who has been part of the Nelson’s team since 1976 and now runs Nelson’s Clothing along with his son, Ian, who represents the fourth generation to lead this landmark brick and mortar. “We’re very strong in categories of sportswear as well, but tailored clothing really drives us.”
These are strong times for Nelson’s Clothing which is a credit to its DNA, but also incongruous with the health of Macomb, where the population of the city has dropped more than 20% since 2010 and is now below 15,000 people. At the same time, the city’s largest employer, Western Illinois University, has experienced an enrollment drop of roughly 50% since 2010.
Sewing together a business
The story of Nelson’s clothing traces back 89 years to Victor ‘Vic” Nelson, a craftsman whose hands knew the language of fabric and thread.
“My grandfather was a tailor from an early age, and he worked for a variety of businesses in Macomb,” recalled John. “He was a tailor throughout the depression. The last job he had was as a vest maker at Kirk Clothiers (another men’s store on the square). When the owner passed away, that’s when he bought the business, and that’s when it became Nelson’s Clothing.”
The business evolved into a true family affair when the store was turned over to Vic’s sons, Robert “Bob” Nelson and Frank “Red” Nelson, who was John’s father. “They left for World War Two. They came back, and then they found their own career at Nelson’s. My father (Bob) became a tailor like my grandfather Victor did,” said John.
Service and dedication would define the approach of the Nelson family to country and commerce. John credits his father with passing on a legacy of skills.
“He was a purpose-driven man. Part of that was the Marine in him. He brought in a work ethic. He continued to work into his 90s,” said John recalling his father with admiration. “He wasn’t working for himself. He was working for me and for my son, Ian. He was doing that for us.”
John’s path to the family business was far from linear. His entrepreneurial spirit was originally ignited elsewhere in Macomb.
“For three years, starting when I was 14, I sold tropical fish. After a year and a half, I was doing the payroll and buying all the fish for the tropical fish store. I just loved fish. Loved the idea of fish, and wanted to become a marine biologist. But, the science and math wasn’t what I wanted to do. The more I was in that retail environment, it just became comfortable,” shared John with a smile.
That early retail experience proved invaluable in understanding customer service and business operations, according to John who initially resisted the pull of transitioning into the family business.
“I didn’t want to have anything to do with the business. I wanted to go a different direction, my own direction. I thought I’d get a business degree, go to Chicago, have a life in Chicago,” said John. “That was my original plan, but a thing called pride got in the way.”
Over the decades, John has witnessed plenty of change and the gradual disappearance of competitors.
“Before I started here in the late 70s, we had four menswear stores on the square. We’ve been the only one now on our square for probably 30 years,” said John. “We’ve been survivors, because we keep delivering.
“Our longevity is partially based on our reputation from all the years we’ve been in business. Through each generation, we’ve strived to expand the business in some way, to make it relevant in some way with each generation.”
A fashionable place to be
At the heart of Nelson’s motto lies a simple, but profound understanding of its role in the lives of the customer. John articulated this vision by sharing the store’s guiding principle.
“Our motto here at Nelson’s Clothing is ‘When It Matters Most.’ We can’t be everything to everybody. So, I’m trying to focus on what is best and when it matters most,” said John. “When your daughter is getting married, when a close family member passes away. When it’s important. When it means something to you. When it matters most. You can count on Nelson’s clothing.”
This focus on life’s significant moments reflects the reality of the customer base and the community they serve.
“My typical customer here is not necessarily a person who wears a suit every day of the week. We have lawyers, investment people that do dress like that. But, we’re surrounded by agriculture. So, we’ve always been a once in a while, on special occasions, that we come into play,” John noted.
Nelson’s has become somewhat of a destination for custom men’s apparel. Word of mouth about the store’s high-end products and fastidious service draws customers from Galesburg and the Quad Cities, even St. Louis and Chicago, according to John.
“What we found is that as we feature quality, the clients have come from further away,” explained John with pride. “They’ve actually found that they don’t have to go to Michigan Avenue to get something custom special the way they want. They can find it here.
“Our radius of drawing clients has expanded so much over the last five years, there almost isn’t a day we don’t have somebody from across the river of Iowa in our store.”
John believes that the secret to attracting customers from major metropolitan areas is not just the quality of the product sold at Nelson’s, but also the complete service experience provided.
“Customers not only find the product they want, but they find product knowledge. They find us personable and relatable,” explained John. “We can establish relationships. We can connect with them, and we can deliver to them.”
Understanding that modern consumers seek more than mere transactions, Nelson’s created an environment on its second floor which is part haberdashery and part social space. It is called the 36 Club, which pays homage to the year that Nelson’s opened in Macomb.
“We have a vast selection of fabrics and everything to go with them to build your garments. We also have a historic vintage bar, pool table, and things that represent the era before our business started here,” said John. “We have a liquor license, so customers can have a drink, and play a game pool allowing themselves to be immersed in our history,”
Ian Nelson, representing the fourth generation of the family, has been instrumental in developing this bespoke custom clothing concept.
“This is a vision we’ve had for years for an area to create custom garments for our clients,” Ian explained. “This is where the bulk of our business lies today. This is where we create all of our custom garments.
“The customer comes up and we have a space dedicated just to taking care of them, having the vast assortment of fabrics for whatever they’re looking for, whether it’s suits, topcoat, shirts,” said Ian. “We have a vast assortment there. We can lay it out right in front of them, provide them all the options. But yet we have this other environment around that that has a whole speakeasy vibe, feel and you just can’t find that anywhere else. People will constantly come in and say, ‘Well, I wouldn’t expect to find this, except in Chicago.’ That’s a common thing we hear.
“I think we’ve had so much growth in custom clothing because of the expression of individuality of our customers. The customer we’re curating for today wants to express individuality a lot more, which the custom clothing allows us to do,” said Ian. “Our 36 Club allows a high fashion feel in little local Macomb.”
A partnership across generations
The collaboration between John and Ian is a melding of experience and innovation, and a blend that has propelled Nelson’s Clothing into the modern era. John reflected on the unique dynamics of working with family.
“People know Nelson partially because we’ve been around for so long, but also each generation of us has our own connections to people, to community. My son touches different aspects of clients than I ever have.
“Working with my son is a privilege. I was privileged to work with my father from 1976 to 2018,” said John. “Does that mean every day was comfort and joy? No. But as you do work together, you also see the things that you respect, admire in them.”
Ian’s contributions have been substantial and, according to John, have positioned the business for future success.
“My son Ian helped modernize our business and, put us on a path for the future generations to come,” acknowledges John. “Modernizing our brand, modernizing our image, modernizing our business and focus, and how we direct it toward clients are big parts of what he’s brought directly to the business. He has his own vision of it. We work together, investing, renovating the store, and rebranding with a new logo.”
For the next generation
Drawing from nearly five decades in business, John offered up more than a few stitches of hard-earned insight into retail.
“For anyone starting out in retail, it has to be a passion, explained John with energy in his voice. “There’s going to be a time commitment and there’s going to be more time reevaluating once you start.”
John also advises that blossoming entrepreneurs rely on others and not be afraid to ask for help.
“You need to establish networking with other businesses in your field, not just in your area. Use their expertise to help you with your expertise.”
A great look, a lot of pride
For John and Ian Nelson, it is patently clear that they love carrying the torch for this family business of more than 80 years.
“I love retail because it’s a matter of satisfying needs,” said John with a smile. “When you work with someone and know you’ve put together something for them, and what you sold them is going to work for them, that’s when the reward comes.
“Most of the time customers leave here with pride, knowing that it’s going to be a great outfit, and it’s going to be sharp.” added John. “I had one guy come back one time and he said ‘I was voted the best-looking guy at the entire wedding party in Chicago.’ You know, those are their own little rewards.”
