Hellman Brothers Men’s Clothing Quitting Business as Owner Prepares to Move to the Twin Cities
BISMARCK, N.D. – After more than 15 years in business, Hellman Brothers Men’s Clothing will sell its entire inventory and close its doors, owner Randy Hellman said today.
The store’s inventory sale opens to the public next Thursday. Hellman Brothers, located at 717 E. Main Ave., will be open 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 3:00 p.m. Sunday during the sale.
Hellman has accepted a job in the Twin Cities as executive director of N.W. Buyers, the nation’s largest menswear buying group.
“I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished since opening the store in 1997 and will miss so many of the good friends we’ve made during that time but the opportunity to guide a truly stellar industry leader into its 100th year and beyond was simply too good to pass up,” Hellman said.
The N.W. Buyers Group, formerly known as Northwest Buyers, was founded in 1920 to attract East Coast clothing makers to the Minneapolis/St. Paul market by combining purchases and lowering the cost of goods. Its mission today is to be “the premier competitive edge business alliance for independent menswear retailers.” It provides special group pricing and other services to help independent clothiers compete with chain stores and other large competitors.
Hellman said he and his wife began to consider the move in April as the executive director of the buyers group announced his plans to retire. “We took a look at it, sat down, prayed about it.
Hellman will assume his new role early next year and has set a tentative goal of moving his family to the Twin Cities in July. “We have two boys and we want to let them finish out the school year,” he continued. “This decision was not hastily made in any way. We have a great life here and that has allowed us to make this decision. We know the plan God has for us. He has supplied us with everything we need and we’re very grateful for that.”
Hellman began his retail career in high school and worked in a menswear store in Fargo during his college years. After working at several other stores, including a menswear store in Bismarck, Hellman and his brother decided to open their own store in April 1997 at 108 N. Fifth St.
Hellman moved the store to its current location about five years ago. “The old store had just a little over 1,000 square feet of selling space. Now, we have 3,200 square feet of selling space. That allowed us to add to our product selection,” he said.
Like any business, Hellman Brothers has experienced its share of economic ups and downs during more than 15 years.
“It’s retail; it’s always a roller coaster. But because of our great customers, the ride has been fun! You plan for the downs and celebrate the ups. We did the right thing by taking good care of our customers, always treating them fairly and that helped our business grow and succeed,” Hellman said. “We are very grateful for the 15 years we’ve had and the relationships we’ve built with our customers and the community.”
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