Service Sustains HeMan Big & Tall Men's Shop

Jerome Dempsey is fully invested in men's clothing.

With more than 40 years in the business, the owner of men's shop wears a suit even when it's 90 degrees out.

The Route 4 store offers tailoring on premises, customer shirts, on-the-spot alterations, and brands like Polo, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Bahama.

"I really think our service is a great attribute to the store," Dempsey said. "A person can walk in the door, if they need a suit or a pair of pants, we can do on-the-spot tailoring right away."

Dempsey has owned HeMan since 1995. The journey to ownership was long, and dates back to 1969, when Dempsey was a porter in a Washingon, D.C. store called George and Company.

He payed his dues, cleaning bathrooms, stocking, and working until he was manager of the store. Dempsey wanted to be in the men's clothing business since he was a kid.

He worked at George and Company while he attended Federal City College, now the University of the District of Columbia. Dempsey came to New Jersey in 1993, following a coworker named Steven Adler, who had come to own 22 men's stores.

Dempsey bought one of Adler's stores on Route 4 across from the Garden State Plaza. After more than two decades working for someone else, Dempsey finally owned his own store.

However, his first store didn't last long. Soon after buying the HeMan store, the state used eminent domain to purchase the property where Dempsey was leasing, as part of a Route 4 widening project.

So in 1998, Dempsey moved HeMan further west on Route 4, next to Jennifer Convertibles. The store remained there for 10 years before settling in its current spot at 332 Route 4 East in 2008.

Dempsey has had to contend with chain stores and other larger competitors.

"When I first started, people didn't know who I was," he said. "I had to prove myself, and I think over the years I have proven myself."

While there are many places to buy men's clothing in Paramus, not many have the owner working at the store. Dempsey said he can take care of customers personally.

Another way the store connects with customers is via text message. HeMan texts customers on its cell phone list with pictures of new merchandise.

Dempsey plans to expand his web presence in the near future to allow customers to make purchases online. HeMan may also be growing physically with another location, Dempsey said.

"I think this company will be around for many, many years, even though the big box stores keep coming," Dempsey said.

HeMan Big & Tall Men's Shop is located at 332 Route 4 East. The store is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.