After the opening of the Jenny Shop, it didn’t take long before we heard of another downtown clothing shop entering the scene. And guess what? It’s opening in the Ellicott Square building, just across the street from Chop Chop and Globe Market. The gentlemen’s clothing shop, called Marcell by Chayban, will be visible and accessible from Main Street, giving the corridor its second men’s clothing shop to open in recent years. Get Dressed Downtown was the first clothing shop to enter the downtown retail market (in recent years), then the Jenny Shop opened its doors, and now shop owner Charles Humphrey has announced his intentions to open a third retail operation. I called Charles to ask him what the inspiration for the store was:
“This is based on a spin-off of Chayban’s Tailor. I’ve been a friend of Chayban for many years and over that time he’s made a lot of suits for me. All of my custom suits…. he’s been my tailor. I wanted to offer some of the same amenities that can be found in all of the Chayban’s locations. I felt that tailor made suits would go well downtown due to the number of business people. I want to introduce a business where people can get their suits altered. I’ll even offer pick-up for alterations. I’m going to be selling (retail) men’s suits, pants, shirts, and ties. I’m starting off with the basics, but then I’ll be moving towards accessories as well. We’ll also be offering dry-cleaning services. I’ll come to your office.
“I worked for fifteen years at American Axle. During that time we (Charles and Chayban) talked about this idea. When the American Axle plant closed down I decided to go off and follow our plans. Now I have close to 900 sq.’ to work with. I remembered how exciting downtown was when I was a kid. Then I saw projects like the Sidway Building bringing back people… with people living downtown again, they need places to buy things. I am a big supporter of the city… I always have been. I was the one who told Chayban that he should open up on Elmwood. That worked… and then I told him that downtown businesspeople need the same services with additional products. I told Jen Hemmingway (owner of Jenny Shop) how impressed I was that she was opening. I told her that I could do the alterations for her and she agreed. So we’ll be working together. My suits were just featured at “A Black Tie for Black History” Extravaganza at Stillwater Restaurant. Now I’m focusing on opening the store on Main Street. I hope to be open by May 1st.”
Marcell by Chayban 295 Main Street Suite 123A Buffalo NY
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