MEN'S STORE TO HANG IT UP
Facecchia brothers ready to retire
For five decades, Enzo and Tony Facecchia have outfitted the rich, famous and occasionally the infamous with the finest in men's clothing from their Lou Myles storefront on Chatham Street.
However, after 42 years of travelling the men's fashion globe, the brothers will soon be hanging up their own jackets and ties in retirement.
“We've been pondering retiring for a couple of years,” said Enzo Facecchia. “I'm 68 and my brother is 66.
“There's a lot of travel and it's a grind finding the suppliers and sources you need to stay competitive in this business.
“We're tired of the grind. It's the right time.”
The store was opened in 1972 and the Facecchia brothers took over operation in 1978 before completing purchase of the shop a year later.
Facecchia said COVID-19 shut the border to a customer base that is 75 per cent American, which helped make the decision easier.
He added the target date for closure is the end of January, once the brothers can clear out their remaining stock and the store's high-end fixtures.
“It's always been a fun job,” Facecchia said.
“People buying clothes here are doing it because they enjoy themselves doing it. This isn't like a trip to the dentist.”
Toronto-based Lou Myles Disegnatore opened the Windsor store to take advantage of the cross-border opportunities. The company -by then had already earned an elite reputation for having dressed such iconic figures as Muhammad Ali, Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan.
The pattern of attracting celebrities was soon replicated in the Windsor-detroit market.
The Windsor store has provided suits to former Chrysler CEO and Ford Mustang creator Lee Iacocca, Detroit Red Wings/tigers owner Mike Ilitch, Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, Detroit Pistons' stars Dave Byng and Bob Lanier, Tigers' pitcher Earl Wilson, world-champion boxers Tommy Hearns and Leon Spinks, Rev. Jesse Jackson during his 1988 presidential campaign, and actors John Amos and Mr. T.
Well-heeled locals, particularly among the legal community, are also regulars.
“Famous people tend to think people want something from them, but here they're relaxed,” Facecchia said. “They are in my environment.
“The one thing all the celebrities shared was they enjoyed clothes.”
Facecchia said Hearns had perhaps the most unusual request in asking for suits with short pants.
“That was interesting, but he didn't get any discounts for shorts instead of long pants,” Facecchia joked.
He added other celebrities have requested a special pinstriped fabric where the pinstripe was their written name while another suit had 24 karat gold pinstripes.
Facecchia said they continue to ship in volume to clients across North America, but the Windsor store has moved product much further afield than that.
They've supplied military-style silk suits to a Libyan general, and the farthest a suit has gone is to South Africa.
The Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Rev. Gary Ingram, who has Detroit roots, was stationed there after being named to that organization's top position.
However, it's not just the titans of industry, celebrities or athletes who Facecchia recalls with fondness.
His longest continuous customer is a retired Detroit schoolteacher who has visited the store since its 1972 opening.
“He comes in and just buys one item at a time,” Facecchia said. “He gets great pleasure from that item. Then he comes back after awhile and adds another item.”
Facecchia said the shop's success lies in unique products, consistent quality, a classic style and cut and the knowledge to achieve the perfect fit for a client.
“I think it's an experience coming to get fitted for a suit,” Facecchia said.