Men's Boutique Diversifies Apparel Options in Seminole Heights

From the outside, the house at 5407 N. Florida Avenue looks like any other business on the high-traffic Seminole Heights street.

But inside, polka dot bow ties and Great Gatsby-inspired men's ensembles are arranged on tables in the Classic Gentlemen Boutique. They're designed for every occasion from a Sunday morning at church to a boardroom meeting.

We recently talked to Daryl House about his boutique, which relocated earlier this year from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Florida Avenue, about how he got into the men's apparel business and what customers can expect.

On how he got involved in men's apparel: "I started dressing at a young age. I have people who went to elementary school and talk about how fly I used to be. A lot of It was hand me downs. No matter what I  was doing, I was led back to it.

When I was in the Navy, and I had four to five years left in the Navy, I met a guy with a men's clothing store in Virginia. It was high-end. I would volunteer one day a week to learn the business. I always kept my hand in it. I retired and lived in Orlando. One day I am looking in the paper, and saw an ad for a tie rep. I called, and started working for a company Superba, the biggest neck ware merchandiser. They got brought out by Phillilps-Van Heusen. I did national training for them. I met a guy in Orlando called All Tied Up, and he and I partnered up and became close. I started going to trade shows with him, meeting people. In June of last year, I was laid off from Philip Van Heusen.

How he chose the Florida Avenue location: "I had a store on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. I was there for two years. The thing about it was, it was confined. I was just looking around, and I saw the sign here. In my mind, I envisioned that I wanted an old house. I thought it would be a neat setup."

On what he wants to bring to the Seminole Heights community: "I want to bring that kind of panache on a smaller scale. I think the big market here is alterations. I think that’s going to be a big thing for this community."

Some of his signature items: "We have the greatest selection of bow ties. Our major thing is shirts and ties. We've done weddings. We can start off with a basic product and take it to where everyone wants to go."