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Chelsea Menswear & Tuxedos Suits Up With Solar Panels

Chelsea Menswear & Tuxedos is a family business that was started by Gilbert Rose's father in 1943. There are two stores located just a half block from each other on Biddle Avenue in Wyandotte, Michigan. One is a men's clothing store that rents tuxedos that is called Chelsea Menswear & Tuxedos while the other is a women's apparel store called Willow Tree.

Gilbert graduated from college and began law school before leaving to join the army. Afterward, because of his love of music, he got into symphony orchestra management. When his father took ill, he was called upon to come back home and help out with the family business. Once he returned and became immersed in the menswear business, he discovered that he really enjoyed the work.

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"We are now saving anywhere from $400 to $600
per month. When DTE Energy came out, they took notice
of all the things we had done, and said, 'You did good.'"

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What made you want to get into the business of symphony orchestras? Do you play a musical instrument?

"No, I'm just an aficionado. I happen to love classical music and I like the whole symphony orchestra scene. I found it very challenging, very stimulating, and I just wanted to try it. While I was in the army, I was writing to major symphony orchestras all over the country seeking employment. When I came out, I got into the field and I was in it for three years – I probably would still be in it today... No, they would've retired me by this time." [laughs]

 

Was it hard to transition from the symphony to menswear?

"Actually, there wasn't all that much difference in the way the businesses operated. We were selling classical music in the symphony business and in this business, we were selling clothing."

 

Do you think you will ever retire from the family business?

"Never! I absolutely love it and I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

 

What makes it so exciting?

"Everything changes every day. Every day is a challenge. Every day there are new fields to conquer, whether it's merchandising with things that we purchased for our stores and the feeling one gets when those purchases resonate with the public or, conversely, when you have to take a markdown because you made a mistake. It's all part of the game. I also like the challenge of keeping up with the technological changes that we are all wrestling with – they seem to change dramatically almost every day. It's constantly stimulating and constantly challenging, that's what I like about it."

 

Even though you don't use DTE Energy for your electricity, they still came out and did a walk-through to help you save money on your bill. What was that like?

"We've had solar panels installed on the building. We did that five years ago. It cost us some money but it saved us money in the long run. We put some internal sensors on our light switches so that when somebody goes out, the lights turn off automatically. When DTE came out, they looked around, took notice of all the things we had done, and said 'You did good!' We got a thumbs up on the changes that we made."

 

What was the most impactful change that you made?

"We added solar panels and that was a very good move for us. It cost us about $60,000, but we completely replaced the old, out-of-date electrical service at the same time. We moved to a lot of motion detectors and smaller, more energy-efficient lightbulbs where possible. I would venture to say that we are now saving anywhere from $400 to $600 per month on our electric bill and we feel good about it."

 

What makes your company stand out from the others?

"We are really good at what we do. We're good buyers, we're good merchandisers, we carry quality products, and we buy as much 'made in America' products as we can. When we can't buy that, we buy a lot of Canadian goods because we're right on the border, across the river is Windsor Ontario – we are the only place in North America where you actually have to go south to get to Canada! We give a lot of personal service and we stand behind everything that we sell. We are an old-fashioned, old-line, but up-to-date kind of operation."

 

Support a local Detroit business and your fellow business owner:

Chelsea Menswear & Tuxedos
Address: 2944 Biddle Avenue
Wyandotte, MI 48192
Phone: 734-282-7755
Email: grose@wyan.org
Websites: www.chelseamenswear.com and www.willowtreefashions.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChelseaMenswear

 

For more tips and inspiration for small business owners,
visit CBS Small Business Pulse Detroit.

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