In 1985 my wife to be, Debbie, had taken over her mom’s store, Renee’s Fashions and she was just out of college and just finished a short career as a buyer for Lord & Taylor in New York. At that time I had a restaurant in the shopping center called Cinema Café and she talked me into opening a men’s clothing store with her help. Being young and full of energy (before kids) I said “Sure”… but didn’t know anything about it. I know I was artistic, , had great taste and a good sense of fashion. Debbie said she could teach me everything I needed to know. In the summer and fall of 1987 we started going to trade shows and the show rooms in New York City, and I was hooked and it was very exciting to see all the new fashions and deciding how we could blend the new with the old for what I call “updated traditional” clothing for men on the North Fork of Long Island.

In Spring of 1988 Chaps Corner Haberdashery was born. Debbie and I were married and opened the store in the same year and have been growing and expanding as a family and business ever since.