It’s a cool name, but there’s more to the story
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I never got to meet Joe Cool before he died in 2018. I wish I had, because besides having a cool last name, he was ... just a cool guy.
Well, that's my impression after hearing his son, Brad, talk about him.
I also found a 2004 MPR news story on Joe Cool and his clothing store while searching his name online. The first paragraph of the article stated:
"Mister Cool’s Clothing is the last men’s clothing store in the town of Marshall, Minnesota. There used to be four men’s stores on Main Street. But after the mall opened, one by one the clothing stores either closed or followed the crowd to the mall. But one man kept his business on Main Street. His store is the only place for about 80 miles where men can buy a suit."
Some other little tidbits in the article:
“If they come in to buy a shirt and a tie, I make sure when they leave here they know how to tie a tie. They’ll say, ‘Leave it tied,’ but I make them show me,” says Cool.
I found humor in that quote because I found the news story on Joe Cool's death in the Independent. The mayor at the time -- and still mayor -- Bob Byrnes was quoted as saying: "Years ago, he taught me how to tie a tie."
In the MPR article, Joe Cool was also quoted as saying: "If somebody says, ‘Well, I’ve been wearing a 34 forever,’ I say, ‘Maybe the pants are sized wrong now, and you’ll have to go a 36.’ I want them to look good, let’s put it that way,” says Cool. “When they leave here, I want them to feel good about themselves, look presentable and be the way I like to see it.”
Another fun quote from the MPR article: I've always said if it wasn't for wise mothers, daughters and girlfriends, I'd be out of business."
I enjoyed reading both articles after paying a visit to his son, Brad, this week in Mister Cool's shop on Main Street. The MPR quote about his dad wanting his customers to look good reminded me of something Brad told me during our visit.
Brad Cool said his dad taught him everything he knows about running a men's clothing store and loving your job.
"I’ve never met anyone who liked their job (like he did). I mean, I like my job, but my dad was on another level. He loved it," Brad Cool said.
And like his father, Brad Cool does face economic headwinds of running a men's clothing store in a community the size of Marshall. Like the MPR article stated, Marshall went from four such stores to just one store -- Mr. Cool's Clothing. And like his dad, the bulk of Brad Cool's business deals with funerals and weddings.
"If it wasn't for weddings and funerals, I'd probably be out of business," Brad Cool said.
He said this summer has been pretty good for sales.
"There’s a lot of weddings now," he said "There’s a lot more people buying suits now. We still rent a lot of tuxes as well. But you can buy a suit for a somewhat similar price to a rental now. So people choose to buy rather than rent."
Tuxedos are the exception when it comes to purchases because it's usually a one-time deal.
"The tuxedo styles have changed too. You know, in the '80s, you had tails, and there was a big difference between a suit and a tux. The difference between a suit and a tuxedo, there is still a difference, but it’s not as massive as it used to be. The cut and the fit is pretty similar. There’s just some touches of satin here and there," Brad Cool said.
Like most businesses, the Trump Administration's tariffs have made a difference in Mr. Cool's bottom line.
"Prices have definitely gone up and they (tariffs) were big factor of that," Brad Cool said. "The vendors did try to kind of hold the line as long as they could, but at some point they just can’t do it anymore. So some of them just raised prices across the board. You know, there were 10% increases here and there. A couple of them, rather than raise prices, they just would stack. When you got your invoice, they just had a tariff. Whatever your invoice was, that you had a 5% of your total for a tariff fee."
He said most of his customers are used to it at this point.
"The prices are up everywhere. It’s kind of par for the course," he said.
Online outlets are also a major competitor, but Brad Cool fights back with good service that he learned from his dad.
"You still want to feel it and try it on, and you can’t do that online, obviously," he said. "People that don’t wear a suit and tie every day, so they’re not used to it. We can get it tailored to fit them, and you know in the way that it’s supposed to be. That what you’re not going to get online."
Brad Cool says he makes sure the shop adapts to changing fashion styles.
"It’s finally going away from uber-slim fit a little bit. Tailored clothing is still still pretty trim fit, but like the baggy jeans are back in style," he said. "It’s been very slim fit for a long time, so it doesn’t surprise me. If there was anywhere to go, the only way to go was was looser because the style was about as slim as it could be."
While Brad Cool says he tries to maintain a good variety of clothing, "big and tall" sizes are a big seller for him.
"Obviously from the vendor side, when they’re looking at it nationwide, it’s easier for them to go smaller. Less stock they have to carry. So you know those outside sizes can be tough to find sometimes. if you’re big and tall, you can usually find it," he said. "The really skinny guys that are really tall -- that's like medium talls -- those are hard to find even for me."
Believe it or not, Brad Cool says his vendors are now sending him winter clothing that includes gloves -- which he says sounds crazy.
As we wrapped up our visit, Brad Cool shared another interesting fact about the Mister Cool's location.
"So my great-grandpa Joe Cool had Cool's Tavern here," he said, pointing to the back of the store.
"Those big white doors were there for bringing the kegs down the basement," he said.
The Independent news story on Joe Cool's death pointed out Cool's Tavern was a "3.2 tavern" serving drinks with 3.2 percent alcohol content. It also had a lunch counter in the back, explained Bill Cole, a longtime friend of Joe Cool.
Which -- can I say it again -- is another cool part of the Mister Cool's Clothing story.
"The people from Marshall know me as Brad Cool. But I still get a lot of people that aren't familiar with it. Like they just think Cool's Clothing is just like a quote, unquote cool name we came up with. And we like, 'no, that's actually our name. It works very well," Brad Cool said.
Yes it does, Mr. Cool.