In 1971, Jim Davis traded in his whistle and gradebook as the Starkville High School football coach for selling double-knit polyester slacks and colorful leisure suits.
The leap of faith eventually turned into Jim’s Clothing, a Columbus fixture on Highway 45 for more than half a century. Now at 81, Davis is ready to hang up his jacket, closing the store after 54 years.
Even with the store closed Friday to prepare for a public closing sale, Davis continued to unlock the door to sell suits to a few convincing customers.
It’s that level of service and care Davis credits for the store’s longevity, along with generations of loyal customers – the part of the job he’ll miss the most.
“I always wanted to be a salesman, and that’s my strength and just customer (relationships),” Davis told The Dispatch. “I enjoyed (that) most, and now the enjoyment is all these families, these relationships that you build up. That’s the icing on the cake, and it’s very enjoyable. And I’ll miss them.”
The store will hold its public closing sale from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Merchandise will continue to be sold from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jim’s Clothing will maintain hours Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays until the remaining inventory is sold.
Davis said recent business has remained strong, and if he had the option to sell Jim’s Clothing to a younger owner, he would. Unfortunately, that opportunity hasn’t materialized.
“The repeat business, the families have been the key,” Davis said. “… We’re now on third and fourth generations (of customers). By giving service, we maintain a good return business.”
Keeping up with trends
Davis hadn’t had any particular interest in men’s retail sales when Dorris Jones, an area clothier at the time, approached him about partnering to open their own store with him and Metz Holcomb, a Georgia clothing salesman.
The timing was perfect. The growing popularity of polyester fabric in the early ‘70s brought with it wrinkle-resistant, inexpensive suits, allowing customers to buy more outfits. Business boomed.
“It was kind of a fad that started on this polyester garment,” Davis said. “They talked me into the idea that we were going to have several, and that’s where I got stars in my eyes.”
But with good business comes competition, and the store had plenty of it with national retailers anchoring Leigh Mall and other independent stores filling up the downtown market.
The store in the beginning stocked high-quality basics while also keeping pace with changing fashions, including the sharp decline of polyester suits a few years later and a brief craze of gaudy-colored leisure suits trimmed with piping.
One move that set the business apart was adding a big-and-tall department, Davis said.
“We noticed none (of the other retailers) offered big-and-tall,” Davis said. “We were trying to stay in business, and … we were on the computer for a while, and we saw some numbers – big-and-talls were turning and weren’t having as many markdowns (as) the basic goods that everybody had.”
All the while, good service, quality items and customer care guided the store’s success. A few years after the store opened, Davis bought out his two partners, but the level of service never changed.
“Mr. Jones was the primary guy that got (the store) started. He was a gentleman and believed in giving service and treating people right,” Davis said. “That’s what he taught us, and so we maintained that.”
The store stayed steady as the American economy rose and fell throughout the decades, surviving the Great Recession of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping the store successful through all the ups and downs was a challenge, Davis said, but it managed to outlast most of his competitors in Columbus, like JCPenney and Reed’s.
“I’ve always said if you can buy the right size of stock, right style in stock (and) the right color in stock, you’ll make a lot of money, but it’s difficult,” he said.
A great run
Davis said his wife, Janice, helped drive that success. Janice returned to the store after teaching for nearly 25 years at Heritage Academy, often balancing Jim’s easygoing demeanor with a firmer hand when necessary.
“She’s done it all, including running the store at times,” Jim said in a press release. “Her involvement and support have meant everything and I’m so grateful to have her with me every step of the way.”
Jim retained his teaching mentality at the store, Janice told The Dispatch, with many employees going on to lead their own successful clothing companies after leaving Jim’s.
“Just whatever time they were here, that was a great learning experience because he’s going to teach you from the bottom up,” she said. “… He is too kind. I’m the meaner one.”
Janice agreed customer service has been integral to the store’s success, but what keeps customers coming back is the personal connection Jim builds with everyone who walks through the front door.
“He likes everybody,” she said. “Doesn’t dislike anybody really, and that’s amazing. He’s had (no telling) how many customers, you know, older guys and they put him in (their funeral) as a pall bearer.”
Once the store is officially closed, Janice and Jim look forward to traveling together, visiting all the places in Europe Janice once taught her students about and perhaps making a few stops at World War II sites, one of Jim’s interests.
“And then just generally easy trips to the coast, just interesting places,” Jim said. “And then we’ve got some friends that we haven’t spent much time with over the years, like to just visit with them or meet them somewhere or something.”
As he prepares to close doors after 54 years of business, Jim said he’s grateful to the community that has supported the business from the very first day.
“It’s been a great run, but like all good things, there’s a time when it has to come to an end,” Jim said.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
