The Mens Shop

Helping men look good, feel good just in time for prom and wedding seasons

Whether you’re a man who needs to rent a tuxedo for a one-time special event, you’re in the market for a new suit or shopping for casualwear, Jerry Feese and Jim Timmerman at The Mens Shop in Claremore have the experience and the expertise to help you to look and feel your best.

With prom season just a few months away and wedding season nearly upon us, now is the time to find the right look for your next special occasion.

“Prom and wedding seasons are coming up in the spring, so it’s important for people to come in early – sooner rather than later – to pick out their suit or tuxedo,” said Jerry Feese, store owner. “It’s always important to start looking early, especially for the prom, because every high school in the nation has their proms in the spring – March/April, and there are just so many rentals out there. They get booked up, so the later you wait to get your tux, the less likely it is that the one you want might be available.”

The Mens Shop offers rentals on some of the more recognizable brand names in groom’s attire and formalwear.

“One good (tux) designer we offer is Michael Kors, which is an ultra slim or slim fit style tuxedo,” he said. “Another designer we use is Ike Behar, which makes a very nice tux – we probably offer over 40 different styles (of tuxedos) to choose from, and with regards to accessories, there are probably several hundred different combinations you could put together.”

With so many options to choose from, Feese reasserted the importance of coming in early to reserve your tuxedo rental to help ensure its availability.

“When someone comes in, first of all, we’ll take their measurements, and if we can help them decide what kind of tuxedo they’re wanting to wear, we can order it for them from our rental company, which is Jim’s Formal Wear – a fairly large, family-owned company out of Trenton, Illinois,” he said. “Their tuxedos and suits offer a flattering silhouette to compliment any gentleman’s size or shape, and big and tall sizes are available.”

Now in its 50th year of operation, The Mens Shop in Claremore is locally-owned and offers casual and dress clothing, shoes and boots, as well as tuxedo and tuxedo accessory rentals and more.

One common misconception about the business, Feese said, is that The Mens Shop only offers rental items, but men’s clothing items are available for purchase year-round.

“Because we do so many weddings and tuxedo rentals, it’s easy for the public to assume that we’re solely a ‘clothing rental’ business, but we sell things as well,” he laughed. “One of the more recognizable brand names we carry is Pendleton Sportswear and Home Goods – we carry their blankets, as well as their clothing. A lot of people might think of Pendleton as only being a fall/winter-type garment, but we also carry their products for the spring and summer – their short-sleeve cotton lines – which are comfortable and very stylish.

“We offer Gold Toe and Burlington socks, ENRO and Haggar slacks, Wrangler jeans, Munsingwear underwear, IZOD sportswear,  Florsheim shoes, Nocona and Justin boots,” he said. “Also, we have a tailor to help the products fit the customer as well as possible, and we have a couple of suit designers who make suits for us – Caravelli is one brand, and Daniel Hechter is another – and of course, we carry Arrow shirts, Van Heusen shirts, Damon shirts and men’s accessory items.”

Although men may generally be less inclined to shop for themselves, Feese said he and longtime employee Jim Timmerman take great satisfaction in helping to ease the process of selecting the right outfit, suit, tuxedo or other items.

“It’s always very satisfying to see someone come in, maybe uncertain at first, and go through the process, to find something that looks good on them, or to come in and pick up their tux – to have it fit nicely and it’s the color and look they’d anticipated – it just makes you feel good to have been a part of that,” he said. “I get excited when I sell a suit to someone and it makes them feel better about themselves – that makes me feel good too.

“You know, we’ve done this for a little while – I’ve been here for 30 years – and I think we do a pretty good job at fitting most people, Jim even more so than I,” he said. “He truly works to ensure the customer has the best possible fit. He likes to take care of his customers. He takes tremendous pride in that.”

The Mens Shop is located in the Ne-Mar Center in Claremore. They are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday except on Thursdays they are open late until 8 p.m.