Founded when suppliers delivered wares in wagons and folks routinely paid bills with sacks of flour or heads of cattle, few Utah businesses can boast 100 years or more of survival. Those tenacious enough to have remained in the hands of family are not just endangered species, they’re practically extinct. We asked a handful of local, family-owned businesses to share their secret sauce for surviving over a century of depressions, pandemics, wars, construction, big box stores and—lest we forget—online shopping. You’ll likely recognize the names. Now you’ll appreciate what it’s taken to stand the test of time.
It turns out, superheroes aren’t the only ones who transform when they put on a suit. According to B.J. Stringham of UWM Men’s Shop, no phone booths or capes are required to become a new man—just a well-tailored, expertly-cut suit.
“I see it all the time. A guy comes in with sweats or his baggy shorts, and he tries on one of our suits,” says the company’s president. “Suddenly there’s a glint in the eye, a confident stride, a strong handshake. It’s really satisfying to see what a suit can do.”
The company has built a loyal following of luxury-loving customers who embrace its impeccably-engineered menswear and bespoke tailoring—even if it sets them back a couple of grand or more. These are not off-the-rack deals, and B.J. isn’t apologizing for it.
“We don’t play the game,” he says “We guarantee the best, that’s how we differentiate ourselves and why we’re still in business after all these years,” he says of their brands which include high-end names like Brioni, Oxxford, Kiton, Isaia and Eton. “I had a customer once say, ‘When I buy it from you, I only cry once.”
B.J. and his younger brother, Brandon (CFO), recognize the need to keep the old place from seeming stuffy…it is 118 years old, after all.
“We don’t want that whole ‘we have the finest silks and blah blah blah,’” he jokes, employing his best sneering English accent to make the point. “We’ve worked to create a space where you can come, get fitted for a suit, chat, play some pool, look around.”
The Stringhams have outdone themselves in creating a swanky, men’s-club vibe. Bottled drinks, club chairs, a barber shop, guitars hanging on the wall and ping pong and pool tables welcome alike the sockless, well-coiffed hipster and the silver-haired gentleman looking to update his board-meeting attire.
In the early days, UWM manufactured blankets and knitwear, sending hundreds of traveling salesmen to extol the merits of wool. When B.J. and Brandon’s grandpa, Briant Jr., took over the business from his father, Briant Sr., he shifted it from millinery to a retail shop. His son Bart redefined it as a high-end shop, working tirelessly to build a reputation as the best men’s shop in the city.
“Their thinking was ‘a Stringham has to do it,’” says B.J., referring to the intimate knowledge of the menswear business handed down from generation to generation, encompassing everything from fabrics to cuts to designers to the names of loyal customers’ wives, dogs and grandkids.
“They worked themselves to the bone, and while we were grateful for what they built, I don’t remember seeing my dad on Saturdays (sacred in retail) or between Thanksgiving and Christmas at all,” says B.J., who felt himself missing out on his own children. “I never got to see my daughter play in one [Saturday] soccer game—I was always at the store because Brandon and I had now adopted the mentality that if we weren’t manning the shop, it would fall apart.”
The nonstop pace was enough to make B.J. fall apart.
“We needed a culture shift, we needed to entrust the knowledge with our employees, listen to feedback and adapt,” says B.J. They examined and questioned every aspect of the business, throwing out things that weren’t working (like their women’s clothing line and their scarcity mentality.) B.J. and Brandon took themselves off of the sales floor. They made deals with high-end manufacturers to introduce their own lines and expanded into a second retail space in Murray (Tom Nox Men’s Shop) with plans for a third. Finally, they wanted to instill a greater sense of purpose by creating a nonprofit organization called “Suited for Good” which donates not just a suit, but the entire fitting experience to folks getting back on their feet.
“I don’t know if we could have survived the pandemic without this new sense of purpose and optimism,” says B.J. “Not only did we have to close the store for a time, but the worldwide shift to Zoom meetings and working remotely had everyone saying, ‘sweat suits will forever replace business suits.”
Turns out, men still chase after the swagger and style of James Bond. They want the sweep and polish that comes from fine fabrics, eye-catching design and a tailor’s eye. Instead of folding post-pandemic, he says it’s been UWM Men’s Shop’s best year ever. If B.J. has this much enthusiasm for a suit store, imagine the scene on the sidelines of his daughter’s soccer games—where he now finds himself every Saturday.
Utah Woolen Mills’ rules for wearing a suit:
- Never button the bottom button of a suit jacket
- Your shirt shouldn’t gap on your neck
- Shirt cuffs should stop right at your wrist (and your suit jacket a half-inch above that)
- Belts and shoes should match and complement the color of your suit
- Ties and vests should end at or just below your belt
Discover more Utah businesses that have survived world wars, technological revolutions and pandemics.
