Jeffrey Brown with father Lou Brown 

WHAT GOT YOU STARTED?

by Burke Campbell

Published in the Financial Post

January 14, 2008

Lou Brown and son, Jeffrey, own and operate Brown’s, a retail store specializing in proportioned clothing for shorter men. (www.shortmanbrowns.com). Lou Brown tells Burke Campbell what motivated him to become an entrepreneur.

START AT THE TOP: “I got an early start in retail. You see, I was born here, upstairs. My parents opened at this location in 1928 and lived here, on Queen West. Today, we have two locations in Toronto .”

MIND OVER HEIGHT: “As a kid, I was short and didn’t do well in school. I was bullied. But I had something that others didn’t. I had an eye for fashion.”

A CLASS ACT: “My father sold second-hand clothing. But I wanted us to carry new apparel. When I took over the store, I focused on clothing for the shorter guy, but the finest clothing, expertly proportioned. Brown’s became known as a place that catered to the shorter man.”

WHY THEY COME: “We don’t get street traffic. People come to us for a reason. Brown’s is the largest store of its kind in the world, with this range and quality of merchandise.”

PERFECTION EVERYWHERE: “I’m a shopkeeper. A shopkeeper makes sure every detail in the store is right. Absolutely everything.”

DEEPER SATISFACTION: “This is a family business. My son and I run it. I’d like for it to continue, for generations.”

THE PLAN: “I just turned seventy-nine years old. I plan to retire, when I get older.”

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