Paul’s Menswear closing after more than 60 years in Evansville
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Paul’s Menswear, a family-owned men’s clothing store, is closing its doors after more than 60 years on Evansville’s west side. The owners launched a retirement sale on June 1 with plans to shutter the West Franklin St. business this month.
Steve and Shawn Eickhoff co-own the store with Steve’s brother, John Eickhoff. Brian Eickhoff, Steve and Shawn’s son, came in from Colorado to help with the sale. He left the business more than a year ago.
“We’ve been dressing guys forever,” said Brian Eickhoff. “People say, ‘I don’t know where to shop now that you guys are going out. Because this is the only place I’ve ever shopped.’”
Last year, the Eickhoff family made plans to retire in 2024. Steve and Shawn are moving to Louisville to be closer to their daughter, Lynn Grigsby, who’s battling breast cancer while raising two sons with her husband.
“We both wanted to be there, but we knew we both couldn’t leave the store. Steve had to be at the store, so he’s been handling all that, and I handled the other part,” said Shawn Eickhoff. “[Lynn will] start her surgeries on July 17.”
A month into the closing sale, inventory is down to some clothing items, display items and racks. The Eickhoffs expect to shut down the store by mid-month and list the building for sale.
“I walked in after being gone for almost a month, and I’m like, ‘Good grief. I can see all the floor.’ I was like, ‘Where are the racks?’ It was crazy to me,” Shawn Eickhoff said. “A lot of customers have said, ‘We’re really happy you guys to get to retire, but we’re sad that you’re not going to be here.’ That’s a huge compliment. And it’s bittersweet for us, too.”
The store’s history
Paul and Ruby Eickhoff, Steve and John’s parents, bought the business in 1963, changing the name from Abel and Wesselman to Paul’s Menswear. Paul had worked at Abel and Wesselman once he recovered from injury after returning from World War II. Steve and Shawn joined the business later.
“It’s nice when you work with your husband, mother-in-law and father-in-law. If something’s wrong with a child, then I’d stay home or one of them would take care of the little one. It all worked out well,” said Shawn Eickhoff.
“I remember Levi’s were $12.90 whenever I first started working here,” added Brian Eickhoff. “I’d come in on Sundays with Dad and sweep the floors.”
John and Steve took over Paul’s Menswear in the 1990s after Paul and Ruby passed away. The business has moved a few times, but the store has always remained on W. Franklin St.
“We built this building where we’re at now in 1991 and doubled the size of the store. And I remember thinking at that time how did we keep all the inventory and everything in the other store?” said Brian Eickhoff.
Business has been good over the last five to 10 years, but the Eickhoffs have seen leaner times in the past.
“There are ups and downs. There are years when you do better. There are years when you struggle a little more. That’s just the nature of the business. And you have to make sure that whenever the business makes money, you have to put the money back into the business. If you take money out, that’s when things tend to go south quickly,” Brian Eickhoff said.
Closing and retirement
The Eickhoffs decided to close Paul’s Menswear this year so they could slow their pace and enjoy retirement.
“[Steve and John have] been working six and seven days a week for the last two or three years. I don’t know the last time they took multiple days off in a row. They’re at that time where they’re ready to move on and take a little bit of time for themselves because they’ve been spending a lot of time here stressing and worrying about the business,” said Brian Eickhoff.
Though Steve and Shawn were planning to move to Louisville before Lynn’s diagnosis, soon they’ll both be by her side as she continues breast cancer treatment.
“I would help her a lot. Take care of the boys and pick them up after school and take them to school. Get them ready when she was in her downtime,” said Shawn Eickhoff. “Recently, she got to go to the boys’ swim meet, which is amazing. So we’re getting closer.”
As far as someone else taking over the business, the owners talked with some potential buyers but nothing came to fruition.
“They’ve had a couple of options that fell through at the last second. It’s one of those things where you hope and pray that something works out, but if it doesn’t, then that’s the way it’s meant to be,” Brian Eickhoff said.
‘We’ve had the best customers’
With decades on W. Franklin St. under their belt, the Eickhoffs have seen several generations of customers walk through the doors of Paul’s Menswear.
“We’ve had the best customers,” said Brian Eickhoff. “We had a guy in, and I saw his last name. I said, ‘Was Richard your dad?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, that’s my dad.’ His dad used to come in when I was younger, and I remember waiting on him. He was just one of the nicest people.”
The family said dressing men for special occasions such as weddings and funerals has meant a lot to them over the years.
“How rewarding it is that, to talk to somebody new and help somebody plan a wedding, pick out suits, help make their day run a little smoother,” Brian Eickhoff said.
“When they have a funeral, and they come in, and it’s a terrible time, and you help them put something together,” added Shawn Eickhoff. “Try to do the best you can to help people through that time.”
Brian said the store has been part of a great area with good people who support each other.
“It’s just a community here. I shop at all the stores. There’s nothing better than a grilled chicken sandwich at Sportsman’s or a cold fishbowl from the Gerst Haus or going to Lamasco’s to hear music,” he said.
Shawn is grateful for the community’s professional and personal solidarity in the past, present and future.
“I just want to thank all of our great customers for the years of support,” she said. “And I know there are tons of them out there praying for Lynn, too. And it just really warms my heart.”