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Mr. Man expands to suit a niche

By PAUL SWIDER
Published July 19, 2006

It is a father's wish: to have his young boys grow up to be Mr. Man.

"It's a great dream come true," said Tony Lolly, who owns the Mr. Man clothing store at University Mall in Tampa.

His sons have joined the business. "There's no way to put that into words. I wanted my family around me. I'm a blessed guy," he said.

Lolly grew up in Mr. Man, starting in the once-13-strong Florida clothing chain when he was 19 and fresh out of the Pittsburgh steel mills that could have been his career.

He worked and saved and learned for 13 years until he bought the last Mr. Man in 1986 before the original owners converted the other stores to another line. Now Lolly's two sons have decided to expand the family business with a store at Tyrone Square Mall and another in Brandon.

Mr. Man was once an institution, Lolly said, and people who remember the first store at Central Avenue and what is now Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street still ask him about those old days in the 1970s. He said people who knew the stores then recall fondly the fashion clothier.

"I'm waiting on their kids now," said Lolly, 51. "I never thought I'd get that old."

It almost didn't last that long. When Lolly took over Mr. Man, he incorporated what he'd learned to readjust the format for a niche others couldn't fill. But in the mid '90s, University Mall and surrounding roads were refurbished. The traffic dropped and he almost had to quit. In the end, his perseverance paid off and his example, particularly his skill at sales, impressed his children.

"He just loves to sell," said Tony Jr., 27, who moved to St. Petersburg to run the Tyrone store. "He's good. He could sell anything. It's his God-given talent."

Tony Sr. said his boys have the skill too. Tony Jr. and Billy, 24, both were romping in the Tampa store from the time they were in school. Customers were surprised and amused when a child would pitch shoes, but the boys could close the deal.

Still, Tony Jr. says, his father told them they had to get a complete education, not just jump into the business.

"Our parents said we could do whatever we want, but we had to finish college first," said Tony Jr., who graduated from the University of South Florida in 2002. His brother did likewise last year.

Tony Jr. tried selling insurance for a couple of years before deciding he wanted to be a Mr. Man too. "He came to me and said, 'Dad, I can't do this insurance anymore,' " said Tony Sr. The father was concerned about opening another store, but his son convinced him. "He said, 'Dad, I'm going to make this work.' "

The Tyrone store has been in business a little over a year but is just starting to get on its feet. It copied the store Tony Sr. runs but has had to adapt to mall traffic by promoting itself in churches and schools.

"Any time there's an event where people want to get really dressed up, we do well," said Tony Jr. "Homecoming, prom, Christmas, boxing matches, any kind of special events."

The clothing, like the business, is not what most people are used to. While Mr. Man can cater to the businessman who wants a private sitting with a tailor for a power suit, the store stock is what the family calls "fashion forward," cutting-edge styles from flamboyant microfiber shirts to zoot suits.

The Lollys stay abreast of trends through twice-a-year forays to a Las Vegas buyers' show, but also by paying attention to the customer.

"You can't find service today," said Tony Sr., who boasts same-day alterations on his merchandise.

"Everything is discount oriented today. That's what makes me. I'll go in the back and in 10 minutes have your pants hemmed up for you. In a department store, it takes 10 minutes to find somebody to talk to."

Tony Jr. says the business is also about relationships and education.

"This is a warm feeling," he said. "It's not like you're a number. I'm going to be here for you."

He said many men don't know how to shop, so he'll walk them through the process and help them create a look. Once he shows them how sharp they can be and their friends compliment them, they come back. If he can't help someone, he sends them where they can get help.

"I can't make a living helping you one time," he said.

Mr. Man is also unusual in stocking fashion even in large sizes and custom fits. That's why the elder Lolly's store is also something of a celebrity haven, its walls plastered with pictures of the famous who have done business there.

There's Joe Frazier and Cadillac Williams and Antonio Tarver, but also John Travolta and Will Smith. He says some people come in just to look at the pictures.

"We do custom work, but we also carry big sizes, even in fashion, all the way up to 7X," he said, adding that they also sell size 15 shoes. "It's hard for a big guy to get fashion clothing."

Lolly said he's excited about working with his sons and growing the business, but he's concerned about their reach exceeding their grasp.

Knowing that it's service that matters, he doesn't want to end up with lots of stores run like machines and his children scattered from home. He said he'd be happy with three stores.

Tony Jr. shares some of his father's sentiment.

"Our goal isn't to have 20 stores," he said. "Maybe five. We're just trying to build a good foundation."

Paul Swider can be reached at (727) 892-2271 or pswider@sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 18, 2006, 20:18:16]