Owner of renowned men's clothier to retire, store to close

After more than 38 years in business, the well-respected, fashion-forward haberdashery and community steward, The Shirt Box, today announced it will close its doors permanently at the beginning of 2020 as its owner, Ron Elkus, retires.

“I have to thank our loyal customers for putting us on the map and keeping us there all of these years,” said Elkus. “We’re honored that you trusted us to be your source to complete your best look, and we hope we always lived up to your high expectations.”

The store’s official retirement sale begins immediately and will continue through the end of 2019. In an effort to clear out inventory, Elkus expects to offer tremendous discounts on a variety of merchandise, including a wide range of men’s shirts, ties, sportswear and more. January 2020 will bring a final clearance on all remaining merchandise and store fixtures.

“Our customers showed us that brick and mortar is far from dead and that is hard to walk away from,” said Elkus. “This has truly been one of the toughest decisions of my life. This is how my career started and it just feels right to me to bring it full circle. The Shirt Box has been my life.”

Elkus added that his future plans include travel and increased time to his community volunteer efforts, “I still would be opening to selling and training a buyer,” said Elkus. “But it would have to be a very special buyer, committed to carrying on the tradition we’ve built here.”

FROM HUMBLE ROOTS

The history of The Shirt Box dates back to 1981. Inspired by his father Phil, who spent his own career in wholesale, and fresh out of college with a business degree from Michigan State University, Elkus launched his shop in a 600 square-foot house in Southfield, Mich. He sold only shirts and ties.

Over the years, Elkus kept up with customers’ changing needs and expanded the store to include sport coats, casual and business-casual wear, a “big and tall” section and even shoes and other accessories.

In 1997, after multiple expansions, The Shirt Box finally outgrew the space and moved into its landmark home on Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills, Mich.

A former The Shirt Box stock boy turned attorney, Rod Brown joined Elkus in the business as a co-owner in 2004 and helped grow and further cultivate clientele. Brown passed away unexpectedly in 2018.

Today, the spacious 3,100 square-foot showroom offers a wide array of dress shirts, ties, sportswear, slacks, jeans, shoes, outerwear, cufflinks and so much more. From small-to-5XL sized shirts, The Shirt Box built a reputation for covering every “body.”

But the dedication to exceptional customer service and trendsetting men’s fashion always remained The Shirt Box’s core value, often being referenced as the “Cheers” of men’s clothing stores.

The Shirt Box was built on a foundation of community giving and has conducted successful partnership events with countless metro Detroit nonprofit organizations such as Neighborhood Service Organization, JARC, JVS, Michigan State Hillel, Make-A-Wish Foundation,

Heart 2 Hart, Back Alley Bikes and more.

About The Shirt Box

Celebrating 38 years in October 2019, The Shirt Box has been the store-of-choice for men’s fashions. Trendsetters will find an extensive merchandise assortment of men’s fashion, including corporate casual wear and business wardrobe classics. Men’s footwear, accessories and gifts round out the assortment. The shop is located at 32500 Northwestern Hwy., Farmington Hills, MI 48334, (248) 851-6770.