The upscale clothing store has more than a century of history in business.
Now, Stackpole Moore Tryon — in Hartford — will remain a fixture in downtown, even though its owners are closing the store’s location at the corner of Pratt and Trumbull streets Wednesday.
Owners Ron and Jody Morneault will re-open Stackpole on March 1 in a storefront at the corner of Asylum and Ann Uccello streets in a building they own. The new, far smaller storefront is just a short walk from where the clothier has been located for nearly 40 years and only the second move downtown since the store was founded in 1909.
The Morneaults have owned and operated Stackpole since 2007.
“I don’t want the name to just vanish,” Jody Morneault said. “It can’t vanish, It’s too important to Hartford. If we ever are going to have an opportunity to rebuild downtown, the last thing we would need is for me to leave. Not good. Not good.”
With their lease set to expire and unable to negotiate a new one, the Morneaults decided earlier this year to close the 10,000-square-foot store and downsize to a space that is less than a quarter of the size. It wasn’t clear if the store would reopen elsewhere in downtown, with the options of moving out of the city or even out of the state on the table.
The city of Hartford approved the permits for the new space this week, and Jody Morneault said she intends to apply for up to $100,000 in grants from a new, $2 million program intended to spur retail development around the newly-renovated PeoplesBank Arena.
Jody Morneault, co-owner of Stackpole Moore Tryon, outside the store in 2022. (Courant file photo)
The store’s downsizing acknowledges the post-pandemic reality of plummeting sales of women’s clothing — once their strongest lines — as women no longer needed as many high-end outfits for the workplace. The store also has seen a downturn with less foot traffic, as a broad cross-section of office workers, spending only part of the work week, if that, in the city, the Morneaults said.
The downsizing is tough to take, Jody Morneault said, and comes after years of investing in Stackpole and working to improve conditions for downtown businesses. Those include the recent efforts to revitalize Pratt Street.
“If Covid didn’t happen, I’d still be here,” Jody Morneault said. “That’s what did it.”
The new store, which will focus solely on men’s clothing, will have a sleeker, more modern design. The plans also call for even more personalized service — already a hallmark of the store — with the introduction of a “concierge” option.
Concierge means knowing a customer’s preferences, shopping history and making appropriate suggestions.
Stackpole’s approach also will tailor to a customer’s specific time constraints. This will include hours in the morning before the store opens and in the afternoon after it closes, catering to customers whose time is short or don’t want to be interrupted, Jody Morneault said.
“And then, on Tuesday, I’m going to dedicate the whole day to private shopping for my customers,” Jody Morneault said. “And this doesn’t mean the customer has to be wealthy. It just means the customer is so busy and that they want my undivided attention.”
If approved for the grant, administered by the Hartford Chamber of Commerce, the funds would be used to create a new storefront, signs and make interior improvements, Jody Morneault said.
“And I feel like — you know what — I’m a sure bet,” Jody Morneault said. “They’ve given grants to a lot of people. Stackpole has been around a long time, and I believe that we need to keep that alive in our community.”
“And the other thing is when you get those grants, you have to match them yourself,” Jody Morneault said. “So, it’s not like a freebie.”
Since announcing the store’s closure in late October, Stackpole launched a “retirement sale” in recognition that Ron Morneault, soon to be 81, will be stepping back from daily involvement in the store’s operations. He will still be there a couple days a week.
Jody Morneault, 67, said she is bringing in a new partner to the business, longtime friend and former Bloomfield school superintendent James Thompson. Thompson once worked part-time at Tuesday’s, the ultra high-end, downtown clothing store Ron Morneault opened in 1970. Thompson was best man at the Morneaults’ wedding.
The new Stackpole store will be located in the same space once occupied by Tuesday’s and currently by an expanded dining area for the Vietnamese-inspired restaurant Bahn Meee. Tuesday’s was combined into the store at Pratt and Trumbull streets shortly after the Morneaults purchased Stackpole.
The retirement sale has offered not only clothing but fixtures and furniture.
And then, there was the mannequin collector from New York, Jody Morneault said, reportedly with the largest collection in the country.
“He was very eccentric,” Jody Morneault said. “He was very cool. He came in and he noticed that my mannequins weren’t perfect. So he starts putting them all back together perfectly. He must have gotten about 20 from me. You’re not going to be believe it but I had 50.”
Jody Morneault said she hasn’t abandoned the idea of opening a second location in Westerly, R.I. and if that came to fruition, she would bring back women’s clothing.
The Stackpole space — across from the Trumbull Street entrance to PeoplesBank Arena — isn’t likely to be empty for long because it already is drawing interest from potential tenants. The new tenant could be a casual bar, restaurant or both — paired with an attraction that is “experiential,” brokers say.
Jody Morneault said she is closing the store on an upbeat note, throwing a party at Stackpole, from 4-6 p.m., during the First Night celebration. She’s hired Nat Reeves, the legendary jazz bassist, and his trio to perform for the event. She’s also planning food and then a disc jockey from 6-8 p.m.
“It’s going to be a fun time,” Jody Morneault said. “There is stuff left to buy, but men are late shoppers. The women’s department is almost all gone.”
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at [email protected].