After more than four successful years in business in downtown La Salle, That Guy’s Secret, the men’s clothing store owned by Jeremy Reed, will now be venturing out to the Peoria market.
The second storefront is set to open in the coming months in Peoria’s Northwoods mall, and for Reed, it was a move that made sense.
“I don’t know if there was anything exactly that was like ‘Let’s really push to get into the Peoria market,’ ” Reed said. “It kind of fell into place to be honest.”
Last holiday season Reed was approached by a property manager shopping in La Salle and he mentioned Reed should look into the Peoria market.
“It started off pretty casual, I went down there and met with him and it went pretty well,” Reed said. “It pretty much came down to him saying ‘I wish your store was down here, I think it’d do great.’ We kept talking and it was a many month process.”
For Reed the decision made sense when he looked at the lack of other men’s clothing stores in Peoria that offer some of the high-end products his store is known for.
Chains, such as Joseph A. Bank, closed nationally leaving a hole in men’s dress clothes that That Guy’s Secret hopes to fill.
“You start looking in Peoria and it’s a quarter million people and they really don’t have anyone in that clothing category that I try to hit,” Reed said. “The closest thing down there would be a Men’s Warehouse or like a Kohl’s, which we have in Peru.”
Reed said he sees a hole in Peoria he believes his store can help to fill, much like what led to his initial opening in La Salle over four years ago.
“One of the core reasons that I opened up in La Salle was because I felt like it was necessary,” Reed said. “I felt the guy’s in our area needed it and I think a similar feeling kind of happened with me in Peoria.”
Reed said he gains more clients yearly.
While spending more time on the Peoria location, Reed said the response he has gotten from the La Salle-Peru community has been encouraging.
“So far everybody that I’ve talked to has been very excited and I think there’s a sense of hometown pride,” Reed said. “We have the shop here in La Salle and they know who we are and what we do and they take some bit of ownership in it and I think there will be a bit of pride that we will end up in a bigger market.”
Reed plans to offer most of the same services, such as personal shopping, custom clothes and a variety of style options in the Peoria storefront. One bigger focus for Peoria will be to put a stronger emphasis on dress clothes.
Reed wants to grow the business casual, business formal and tuxedo options he offers while still including some of the more casual or comfy clothes.
Work is being completed at the Peoria location as he hopes to host a grand-opening event on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Go to https://www.facebook.com/ThatGuysSecret for more information on That Guy’s Secret locations.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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