100 Years Is a Fine Fit
Keith Novorr of Michael’s Fine Clothes for Men  carries on his family’s legacy with continued attention to sales, service and selection.

By Ellen Jensen

Entrepreneur: Keith Novorr
Company Name:   Michael’s Fine Clothes for Men
                                1830 Main St.    
                                Kansas City, MO 64108
                                (816) 221-0000
Type of Business: Men’s Clothing
Year Founded: 1905
Number of Employees: 13
Keys to Success: “Keep your employees happy, and they, in turn, will keep your customers happy.”—Keith Novorr

When you walk into Michael’s, you take a journey back in time to the early 1900s. It’s easy to picture young businessman Michael Novorr propping his foot up on the grandfather clock and looking out the front windows for potential customers. Michael moved to the United States from Odessa, Russia, and to support his family, he initially sold apples and hauled ice. In 1905, he opened a pawnshop and was known throughout the community for his appraisals of fine jewelry.

From Pawnshop to Fine Clothes
The shop evolved over the years. With the advent of World War I, Michael sewed emblems on military uniforms, adding stripes as soldiers got promoted to higher ranks. Over the years, he gradually added more clothes to his inventory, showcasing stacks of shirts and hatboxes, as well as blankets and pocket watches.

“He located the business where he did because of Union Station,” said Keith Novorr, Michael’s grandson who now runs the store. “He knew people would have to walk past his shop to get downtown from the station.” By 1938, the guns and jewelry were gone, and the store had evolved into a men’s clothing store.

One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is Michael’s good old-fashioned service. Each customer is greeted as he walks in the door—many of them by name, said Eugene “Gene” Novorr, Michael’s son.

One of Keith’s most important tasks is to keep his employees happy. He believes if he keeps the employees happy, they, in turn, will keep the customers happy. Michael’s has flourished through two world wars and the depression because of its customer retention.

Loyal Clientele
Keith said that repeat business is a compliment from the customer.

“Over the years, people keep coming back to this store because of the large selection of merchandise and the customer service—the three ‘s’s—size, selection and service,” he said.

One of Keith’s pet peeves is to try to shop at a retail store and be ignored. He said other stores have cut back on their employees, but Michael’s has never done that.

Michael’s prides itself on its loyal, long-time customers, such as Jim Schuetz, who has been shopping at Michael’s since the late 1950s. Some days, he just wanders in to visit. He moved to St. Louis in the 1960s because of his job, but he comes back about once a month or so to visit family and friends, and he still buys virtually all of his clothes at Michael’s.

“The store hasn’t changed a bit,” he said. “It’s the same as it always was. I don’t shop anyplace else for men’s clothes.”

Schuetz said he’s drawn to Michael’s because of the Novorrs and their staff, as well as the brands the store offers. He has been Gene’s customer since the beginning, and Gene still waits on Schuetz when he’s ready to make a purchase.

But it’s not simply that customers keep coming back—those repeat customers are passing the Michael’s shopping experience from generation to generation.
“Now, we are getting the sons of the fathers,” Gene said. That makes us feel good.”

Varied Merchandise
The Novorrs have expanded the store four times to accommodate an increased selection of merchandise. Michael’s sells suits, fine clothing, jeans, casual wear, shoes, hats and accessories. They carry current trends in men’s clothing and boy’s suits. They specialize in sizes 36-60, including regular sizes, big, tall and short. Immediate alterations for visitors and three years of free alterations are included with every purchase.

Suits and sport coats have been their bread and butter, but over the last several years, the business casual trend has made an impact on the clothes men are buying.

“I now buy more sportswear than tailored clothing,” Keith said.

Men used to shop for a suit, shirt and tie—the whole works. Now they buy three to four pairs of slacks and three to four sports shirts so they can mix and match and have more outfits, he said. He added that now some businessmen are realizing that it was easier to put on a suit than to pick out a pair of slacks and a shirt that match.

“This is beneficial to us,” he said. “We offer the service to help men put those combinations together.”

Keith said customers’ wives and girlfriends often say they would love for Michael’s to start offering ladies wear. Although Keith acknowledges the compliment, don’t expect such a change any time soon.

“I don’t know anything about ladies’ fashions,” Keith said. “Trying to buy ladies wear would be much more complicated than menswear.”

There could be some benefits, however. Women tend to buy a new dress for every event, whereas men can get by wearing the same standard black tuxedo for years.

“People have asked us how we have lasted for 100 years, and I say it’s because we provide the best products and the best customer service for men’s clothing in Kansas City,” Keith said. “I firmly believe that as a clothing retailer, if you have a superior selection of clothes and sizes and the best customer service, you will succeed.”

Third Generation
Michael’s truly is a family business, now into its third generation and perhaps looking forward to the fourth.
Gene spent four years in the Army, getting out in 1946.

“My dad gave me the option of going to college or coming to Michael’s,” Gene said. “I chose Michael’s.” He’s been there ever since.

Keith started working at Michael’s in the early 1970s, during high school. He was involved in a program called Distributive Educational Clubs of America, and one of the requirements was to work about 12 hours a week. He went to work at Michael’s part time, learning the business from the bottom up, doing everything from opening boxes to running errands to cleaning floors.

In 1974, he went to the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing with a minor in finance. He started working full time at Michael’s in 1978. From the time he started working part time in the business during high school, Keith never seriously considered another career. He said he had a good opportunity to work in the family business, so he took it. In 1990, Keith and his father bought out his uncle and cousin. That’s also when Keith took over the reins from his father.

What Keith loves most about his business is meeting people. He loves selling, talking and hearing customers’ stories. He’d much rather be out on the floor than pushing a pencil in the office.

“I put my heart and soul into the business,” Keith said. “What I’ve tried to do as a point of pride is provide the best customer service. Michael’s heritage is based on its service and high-quality products.”

A New Era
Still, retail is a challenge, and you have to survive the slow times and make adjustments as the market changes. Currently the store hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but it is conceivable that Keith could change the hours to reflect the change in the neighborhood activity, perhaps opening later in the morning and staying open later in the evening to cater to the increasing number of people who are living in the area.

Keith said the revitalization of downtown is huge for his business and the area in general. He said 30 years ago there was little activity downtown, but the Sprint Arena, the Block Entertainment District and the Social Security Administration offices, as well as the condos, galleries and other retail shops, will bring thousands of people downtown.

Gene is president of the Crossroads Local Development Corporation, which helps businesses get financing.

“There’s a great relationship between the 600 businesses in the area,” Gene said. “The kids have stimulated the Crossroads with antique stores and shops. With the new condos and lofts, many live right above their businesses.”

Gene remembers when there used to be other fine clothiers in Kansas City. He said many of them moved to the suburbs and then couldn’t make it. Michael’s is one of a kind now.

“Fine, personalized stores are not conducive to shopping centers,” he said. “You don’t get the traffic that you need. You get lookers, not buyers.” Gene estimates that 95 percent of the people who walk through the door are buyers.

“They have to bypass a lot stores to get here,” Gene said “And when they do, we have a great variety of things to show them.”

Past, Present and Future
Although the inventory has changed over the years, the personality and old-time flavor haven’t. Keith displays much of the merchandise in the original oak cases. The glass is wavy, and you can still see the burns on the oak, where long-ago customers set down their cigars as they tried on the merchandise. Under the current flooring is the original square-inch tile, and if you took away the drop ceiling, you would find the original pressed-tin ceiling.

The old grandfather clock stands proudly, now in the center of the store, complete with the worn beveled edges from where Michael’s foot often rested. Browsing customers can also examine the photos behind the counter taken at various stages of the business. Keith gestures toward a photo of Michael.

“It’s because of him that I have a tremendous sense of pride over the store’s success,” Keith said. “It’s not a job for me; it’s a legacy.”

One of Keith’s sons is showing interest in continuing the tradition, and if that proves to be the case, the business would move into the fourth generation, and Keith couldn’t be happier. His goal is for Michael’s to succeed another 100 years. Keith believes that his grandfather is up there smiling.

“I don’t think he had any idea that his business would still be going after 100 years.”

Ellen Jensen is the managing editor of Kansas City Small Business Monthly magazine.