A SHORT HISTORY

BIG MARKET BOOMS IN CLOTHING FOR THE SHORTER MAN
Short men have become "big business" for clothing retailer Short Sizes Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio.

Short Sizes issues several color catalogs yearly offering suits, sport coats, slacks, shirts, shoes, sweaters and sportswear from such companies as R Lauren, J. Victor, Calvin Klein, Riviera, Jaymar, Hathaway, Florsheim, Brutini, Boston Harbour, etc…

Company president, Bob Stern, said that through various marketing efforts, his mailing list has grown to over 300,000 names.

"We supply hard or impossible to find merchandise," said Stern. "Most clothing retailers don’t carry size ranges such as short, extra short and portly short from sizes 34 to 50. We even have dress shirts in 29, 30 and 31-inch sleeve lengths. It is just not a viable alternative for shorter men to buy clothes in the boys’ department or to buy clothing that has to be downsized because the basic proportion will be distorted. Having clothes custom-made is often a costly and disappointing option."

The 5-foot-2-inch Stern started the Short Sizes store in 1972 because he had trouble buying clothes for himself. "I recognized a need that was quite obvious to me - I knew there had to be a market out there. I took a good look at the growing success of stores offering big and tall men’s fashions and decided that the same thing could---and should---happen for shorter men." According to Stern’s research, about 20 percent of the male population is under 5-feet-8-inches tall. "That is a lot of potential customers. In fact, the mailing list has grown to over 300,000 names" according to Stern.

An accountant and lawyer by training, Stern gave up a job with the Internal Revenue Service to open his business because, he said, "The world had enough good lawyers, what it needed is a good clothing store for shorter men."

Stern said that he got into the mail order business because he had received hundreds of catalog requests and that direct marketing had come of age. He felt that it was time to reach out and get in touch with the shorter men in America who did not have access to his store though his "Shop in a CatalogTM" and later as a “Shop on the InternetTM”.

"Our selection includes items such as sweaters and sportswear that had been difficult to obtain in the appropriate proportions," said Stern. "We emphasize quality merchandise at a reasonable price. We give the shorter guy a much broader selection."

According to Stern, men want to buy clothing that will not go out of style in a few years. "They look at clothes as a long-term investment, which means they want clothes that will wear well and stay in style."

"Since I started the store in 1972, we have developed into the nation’s most extensive and complete business catering exclusively to the shorter man," said Stern.