Local Business Celebrating Fifth Anniversary

On April 5, a one-of-a-kind Concord Center shop will celebrate a benchmark birthday.

Blue Dry Goods, the lone mens clothing store among the downtown retailers, is coming up on its fifth anniversary and plans to mark the occasion with a celebratory event and sale this Friday.

The times were uncertain when Jeff Blue brought his style to Walden Street, but the shop seems to have made it through the economic downturn looking now worse for the wear. And says the reason he opened is the reason he survived.

“I think it’s just responding to the customers and trying to fill a need,” said Blue, a Carlisle resident.

A former marking executive for big-brand footwear and apparel companies, Blue and his wife Marty decided to open Blue Dry Goods in 2008 after they so often fielded questions about where local women can find nice clothes for their husbands.

Today, according to Blue, about 70 percent of the store’s customers are women and they probably account for 60 percent of the business. The difference being that women tend to shop for single pieces and gifts, whereas the men will buy an entire outfit and tend to spend more per trip.

Though it's the only mens clothing store in town, Blue said he's felt at home in Concord, where both customers and merchants passionately suppoort local businesses.

"Concord's a great town," he said."A lot of the experienced people have been very helpful. Everyone tries to stick together and help each other."

On the store’s website, the idea behind Blue Dry Goods is explained as offering men “comfortable, wearable clothing that walks the line between tradition and trend.”

The lineup has changed some over the years, as the store took cues from customers and grew inventory from a dozen vendors to 30 or 40. Today, the racks and shelves are filled with brands ranging from Vineyard Vines to Quicksilver to Blue’s expanding storebrand.

Buttons, denim and dress pants, polos and Ts remain staples. But as Blue Dry Goods enters its fifth year, the store is expanding its inventory of accessories, its online business and its store brand, which is growing from T-shirts and hats to include sportshirts and potentially pants.

To mark its fifth anniversary, Blue Dry Goods will host a celebratory event this Friday, April 5, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Walden Street store.

The event will feature refreshments, special discounts and raffle prizes donated by Vineyard Vines, Quiksilver, Moccatomic and several other brands sold in the store.

“We’re celebrating a milestone in part, but mostly we’re hosting this event to thank all of the great customers we’ve outfitted in the last five years,” said Blue. “We’re looking forward to celebrating with all of our friends who have become customers and customers who have become friends.”