Thanks to online shopping and fast fashion, cheap, mass-produced clothing is everywhere. It’s made from inexpensive material, fits poorly, and is practically disposable. After a few washes and wears, it stretches, fades, pills, and frays, before it gets thrown away and the cycle repeats.
It seems like this is the way of the world. But Giblees in Danvers has been quietly bucking this trend for decades. Their inventory is the highest quality, handpicked in Florence, Chicago, and New York City, and the staff knows their stuff, even providing personal styling services.
“We’re here to show them,” says the store’s president Alan Gibeley, who was just named Specialty Merchant of the Year by MR Magazine, which Gibeley calls the “gospel” for menswear retailers. “This runs a little fuller. This runs a little longer. This has a peaked lapel. This has a ticket pocket. This is made of wool, this is made of cotton. What’s the difference? Why would I want linen? These are all the things that we educate about.”
On top of that, Giblees can tailor anything. Shorten a sweater? Done. Lengthen a jacket sleeve? Easy. They’ll even create custom made clothing. It’s all in a day’s work and part of the Giblees shopping experience.
“When somebody comes into the store and buys an item, the experience is completely different and elevated over any other store. I don’t care what store it is. Neiman Marcus, Saks, anywhere you go, the elevation of service and product in the stores is above all. We remain at the top,” Gibeley says. “That is how we differentiate ourselves. In today’s day and age, the big department stores rely so much on website sales that they’ve forgotten how important service is and relationships, and that’s how we thrive. We’re specialists at what we do.”
Gibeley comes from a long lineage of menswear retailers. His grandfather began selling hats during the Depression and grew that business into a little storefront in Salem called Joe the Hatter. Gibeley’s father worked with his grandfather, too, and eventually took over the business.
When Gibeley was a kid, the store was a “meeting place” for family and friends. As the father of 13 children, Gibeley’s father worked all the time.
“Everyone was coming to the store to visit my father because that’s where he always was,” Gibeley says. “My uncles, my sisters, my cousins, my brothers, friends would always come to the store to say hello. It became almost like a clubhouse. And that’s the way it still is for me.”
Gibeley started working beside his dad “at 10 years old.” He eventually studied retailing at Syracuse, but never truly left the family business. Even when he briefly held other jobs when he was just out of college, he still worked part time at the store.
Now Gibeley is the third generation at the helm.
“I never really thought too much of doing anything different,” he says. “My vision, even a young age. Was always, how can I make this store better? How can we do more volume? It was always the way I thought and I never went astray.”
The store has changed in ways Gibeley’s grandfather probably never could have imagined when he first started selling hats. After outgrowing and moving from several other locations, including one at the Liberty Tree Mall, Giblees relocated to its current Danvers location, which has more than 10,000 square feet. It’s part of a business philosophy that’s centered on growth, taking smart risks, and always reinvesting in the business.
“I invest in my team, I invest in my apparel, and I invest back in our actual structure,” Gibeley says.
The latter is actively happening right now, in fact. Giblees is in the midst of a whole-store renovation that will result in an “entirely new look” by March 1. It will feel more open, and include fresh details like closed-back showcase windows that recall New York City storefronts; wood floors instead of rugs; new lighting and fixtures; and reconfigured elements of the store’s flow.
“Everything’s just more modern looking, lighter, brighter,” Gibeley says.
What will remain unchanged is the incredible customer experience, from the well-educated and highly trained staff, to the five tailors that they have on site, (“There’s a tailor at this store every hour, every minute that we’re open,” Gibeley says), to the incredible selection of clothing, shoes, and accessories.
It’s also still very much a family business, with Gibeley’s sister, Alison, helping to expand the store’s womenswear, and another sister, Melissa, working as a stylist. A fourth generation may also be in the making, too. Gibeley’s daughter is studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. But Gibeley says she’s in “direct competition” with whoever is working for him.
“This business will continue on with whomever I believe will continue to help the business thrive,” he says. Clearly, it’s been a winning strategy for decades. And it will certainly remain true for decades to come.