# If only Huntington Clothiers ...



## zignatius (Oct 8, 2004)

I wonder if a company like that would've been "more successful" if they used Mercer & Son for their shirts. Although I liked Huntington's pricing, their products weren't compelling enough (I can't remember buying anything more than a pair of wool flannel pants and one of those ss bengal-stripe red-white shirts). Anyone know when and why they closed ... were they glad to call it quits or were they caught from behind by economics and market?


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## Foghorn (Feb 2, 2005)

I went by the shop towards the end of thier demise in 2001, I had a olive gab sack suit that I had aquired (on sale from a catalogue for 149). I think they closed earlier. Their shirts were the equal of Brook's old USA pinpoints.


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## wmdunn (Jun 3, 2006)

I still have two of their sack suits in the rotation, a navy and a tan gab, as well as a navy blazer . . .


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

*Happy Hunting*

They had a very desirable URL, something like Neckties.com, but had very few ties to choose from.

One would have expected to find a lot of ties at a place billing itself as neckties.com don't you think?

When the site announced their closing, little was said to clue anybody in on the reason for going out of business.

I owned dozens of shirts from Huntington, and they were monstrously difficult to iron. Worse than any poplin/boradcloth/end-on-end shirts I've ever owned.

The sack suit I ordered from them fit me like a glove. Unfortunately, it fit me like O.J. Simpson's glove, so I returned it for a refund.

The surcingle belts they sold my wife for my birthday still fit, and are top notch. I've never seen better quality anywhere (similar, but not better).

I miss their catalogue, and especially their sale circular.

Some of the items they sold are simply not available anywhere else...


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## PersianMonarchs (Dec 7, 2005)

*I miss 'em too*

After the Columbus Huntington packed it in someone else (vaguely similar but not as appealing, to me anyway) briefly sent out catalogs under the Huntington name. They seem to have disappeared, too. I liked the Columbus operation a lot. Their oxford cloth shirts weren't their finest work, but the broadcloths were terrific. The tie selection was a bit skimpy, to be sure, but I usually found one or two I wanted. I even bought a few suits/sportcoats as well. The quality was more or less what you'd expect at the price, but the design, fabrics, etc. were great I thought. I miss Huntington. Some of their things were bonum in se and from among the rest I always managed to find stuff that "at that price" I was more than happy to purchase.


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## Cruz (Oct 25, 2012)

Quite possible they might have been more successful had they sold Mercer & Son shirts. Great shirts. I've got a few (4). Quality and variety are superb. I think the issue of longevity in the business is more involved though - particularly in this economy. I purchased a pair of great fitting drivers gloves probably something like 20 years ago that I lost a few years back. Best gloves I ever owned. I recall speaking to one of their sales people at the store. The name Huntington, interestingly comes from their local bank...Huntington Bank. This is where there original start-up loan was sourced.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

I remember them as a wonderful source of moderately priced sportcoats and suits, correct in every ivy detail and well, if not beautifully tailored, made of fabrics which were always interesting and appropriate, if not the highest grade. Much like what Jos A Bank was in the same time period. I think the haberdashery emphasis came a little later in their history.


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## mhj (Oct 27, 2010)

I came across a couple of Huntington ties at a Salvation Army store last week. I didn't buy them, too similar to what I have, but their quality stood out from the rest of the selection.


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## Saltydog (Nov 3, 2007)

I bought quite a few shirts and ties from Huntington. Great prices and delightful catalogues. I wasn't as fully into Ivy/Trad at the time...but if I had been I would have gotten more of their sport coats and suits. I called one time and asked (out of curiousity) if they would ever offer two button suits or coats. All they had were 3/2 sacks. I was told that the president of the company had been quoted as saying that they would never offer a 2-button suit. When they debuted them, I knew their time must be short and it was. The quility on the couple of sportcoats I did by from them was not great...neither was it expensive. If it was a 3/2 you wanted and plain front trousers...they were quite reasonable for my income level at the time. I wish they were still around...along with Lands' End 80's and early 90's selection. Sort of like J. Press for a limited income.


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## Yodan731 (Jan 23, 2011)

Beware, here there be zombies.


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## My Pet. A Pantsuit (Dec 25, 2008)

Yeah, I have a blazer of theirs that's still one of my go-to pieces. And a green flannel blazer. Also a go-to. I liked the quality, but wasn't exactly looking for a work wardrobe (read: "not alive") while they were in their heyday, so I don't know what they used to be up against.


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## linklaw (Aug 1, 2007)

My favorite sportcoat is a Donegal tweed Huntington.


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## FiscalDean (Dec 10, 2011)

I purchased a few shirts from them, I thought the shirts were of decent quality and priced fairly well. I was truly saddened when they closed. I was ready to order a couple of replacement shirts in patterns that were hard to find. I eventually had to go the MTM route at a much higher price.


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## dcjacobson (Jun 25, 2007)

Well, since someone else restarted a seven-year-old thread, I'll add my two cents.



> Anyone know when and why they closed ... were they glad to call it quits or were they caught from behind by economics and market?


I recall they failed because they purchased The Custom Shop chain using lots of debt. And exactly at the wrong time: at the dawn of the casual Friday and then casual everyday eras. The result was disaster.

I thought the shirts were of fine quality for the price. I still have four or five Huntington ties, and I wear them all the time.

BTW, the guy who started The Custom Shop died within the last year or so. If you find his obit (I think in the NY Times), you'll find some interesting reading.


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## Acme (Oct 5, 2011)

^Yes, thank you for mentioning it, it is interesting.

*Mortimer Levitt, Clothier and a Patron of the Arts, Dies at 98*

The Custom Shop still exists, even if Huntington doesn't. Anybody know if their shirts are any good?


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## C. Sharp (Dec 18, 2008)

https://www.chipp2.com/blog/?p=76

Levitt wrote a couple of books also FWIW https://www.amazon.com/Mortimer-Levitt/e/B001HPFBGK


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## Cuttington III (Nov 15, 2008)

"if if was a fifth, we'd all be drunk." :aportnoy:


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