King James Big or Tall Store Announces Quitting Business Sale After 26 Years as Naples Retail Icon

NAPLES, Fla. – King James Big or Tall Men’s Fashions, a retailer of high-end men’s clothing for more than 25 years, is quitting business and will sell its entire inventory, owner Jim Montoney said today.

Montoney began his retail clothing career in 1978 and owned 12 men’s clothing stores by 1996. He began to sell off and close stores that year in response to industry trends and will own a single store in Sarasota following the closing of the Naples store.

“At one point, we had a captive audience. Back then, you didn’t have the competition from the big box stores and department stores that you do now,” he said.
“What’s always set us apart from all the other stores was that we carry the top brands. That will be just as true on our final day because I didn’t make the decision until the end of January to close the store and we have our full line of spring merchandise in store.”

Montoney said the public sale will begin on March 17. The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday during the quitting-business sale.

A long-running national trend toward the casual workplace has contributed to the closings of many Main Street men’s clothing stores in the past decade – and the Naples area was no stranger to that change. “Men aren’t wearing suits like they used to and young guys rarely, if ever, wear suits,” Montoney said.

He also noted that a shift in the local retail universe played a part in his decision to close the store, which has been located at 1082 Fifth Ave., South, since opening in 1985. “Fifth Avenue used to be the spot in Naples retail. It was the place for very expensive, very high-end stores,” Montoney said. “Most everything is moving north these days toward Bonita Springs.”

“He added, “The Naples has been a very good store over the years. We’ve been blessed with truly exceptional, loyal customers. It’s been an honor and pleasure to serve them for so many years. We’re going to concentrate on our Sarasota store and, obviously, hope that we’ll continue to see many of our Naples customers there.”

Montoney noted that a number of celebrities visited the store over the years, including National Basketball Association star Larry Bird. Nationally syndicated radio personality Wolfman Jack was a frequent customer in the years before his death in 1995.

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