Asheville's Hunter and Coggins, once rated best suits in America, to close after 52 years

ASHEVILLE - Imported sweaters from Scotland, colorful brilliantly patterned ties and bowties, and a well dressed man behind the counter have been staples of Hunter and Coggins clothing store since its opening in 1971. But, after 52 years, owner Jim Hunter is closing his doors.

Jim Hunter and Greg Coggins opened Hunter and Coggins in 1971 at 565 Merrimon Ave., in a building that is currently Whit's Frozen Custard. Hunter had previously worked in the clothing industry where he "cut his teeth" as a teenager at a store in West Virginia and later at JW Bell's in Asheville.

Hunter moved the store into the current 28 N. Spruce St. location, "five or six" years later, where he has been ever since.

"We're a profitable operation — the both of us," Hunter said. "It's just a matter of — I'm 83 years old."

Hunter had originally opened the store while the upper half was Mary's Folly, a women's clothing store. When that store closed, Hunter asked his then girlfriend, Ann, to work in the space along with her friend and co-worker Lucy Stella. The ask came with a catch.

"And so, Ann answered, 'Yeah — but we'll have to get married first,'" Hunter said. "So we got married and the girls opened up the shop, and they've been very successful."

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Ann Hunter and Stella have helped run the upper half of the store for the past 35 years.

"I wish I had 20 or 30 more years," Jim Hunter said.

Ann Hunter said she "owes it all" to Lucy for helping run the women's section of the store.

"She's just been wonderful," Ann Hunter said. "For two women to get together and be together that long is pretty amazing, really. I attribute it all to Lucy. I really do."

After coming to Asheville in the '70s, Stella had been searching for her main "gift in life." Clothing, it ended up, was that gift.

"I couldn't sing, so that was out. Instruments were not my thing, so that was out," Stella said. "I did a lot of of sewing. So when we moved down here, and I went to work for Bell's, it somehow clicked that I could put things together to make people feel good."

"Maybe this is my gift from God, you know?" Stella said.

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Locals get the credit

While some recent business closures have coincided with or been directly attributed to a decline in tourism, Stella said that business from tourists was never the driving factor for stability at the shop. Rather, it was Asheville locals.

"I have to say, yes. Tourists have helped some, but it was our local people here. I'm going to give them credit," Stella said. "They would faithfully come in and shop their seasonal wardrobes. When we would get a tourist, we would always say: 'Icing on the cake.' But the cake was our local people."

Stella and Jim Hunter recalled visiting houses to fit customers and deliver clothing, where Stella still uses a small book entirely filled with customer names, phone numbers and addresses. The book has been with Stella since they started.

Stella and Jim Hunter shared advice to those who might be looking to start their own business.

"I think you really have to enjoy people to make it work," Jim Hunter said. "If you don't, you're in the wrong business."

Stella said the professional relationships that she built during her time at the store were vital.

"They'll go out of their way and find you that one pair of pants that a customer needs if it's available," Stella said.

The store's strong customer connections could be a reason for the store's 52 years of life.

Jeffrey Kaplan, director of Venture Asheville and director of entrepreneurship at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, identified why some businesses run longer than others: the connections you make.

"You know, it's not too surprising. The larger the size of the network, the longer run rate of your business," Kaplan said.

Hunter and Coggins was once rated by The Wall Street Journal as the best location in the country to purchase a seersucker suit — a thin, puckered suit typically made of cotton.

Jim Hunter said that he doesn't know the last day for the store yet, but expects that it will be within the next month. With only three racks of shirts, dresses and pants left, Stella said that she expects to be sold out by Sept. 30.

Jim Hunter said making friendships and spending time with customers was part of his love for the job.

"The more you get to know know them, the more you talk to them, the better you like them," Jim Hunter said. "Some people come across pretty tough and rough, but all they need is a little bit of time — and you just need to spend it with them."

"If you can't make a customer, make a friend," Jim Hunter said.

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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville's Hunter and Coggins to close, reflects on 52 years open