The Art of the 'Custom' Suit in 1885 Seattle
A reporter goes undercover on Front Street to find out how local haberdashers are surviving the 'dull season' with high-end, custom-ordered fashion.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
While pounding the pavement on Front Street yesterday afternoon, the attention of a reporter was attracted to a patch of large boxes in front of W.P. Boyd & Co.'s store. Entering the establishment, the writer found all hands busy with customers. Waiting until J.H. Broiles, who has charge of the gentlemen's furnishing goods, had finished fitting a suit of clothing on E.A. Terry, the reporter buttonholed him with questions, which he appeared willing to answer.
'Our business has kept up unusually well during the dull season,' Mr. Broiles said, 'and we have no cause to complain. Mr. Boyd, who is currently in San Francisco, has just forwarded a very large and fine line of goods for the spring trade.'
At this juncture, Terry interjected: 'Well, Mr. Reporter, how do you like my new suit?' The writer assured him that the suit was a first-class fit, in fact, much better than what is ordinarily obtained at a clothing store.
'That is easily explained,' said Mr. Broiles. 'We act for Brummell & Co.'s tailoring house of New York. We have a large lot of samples on hand and when a customer wants a fine suit and desires a perfect fit we take his measure, as we did Terry's, and send on the order. The result is we can furnish a first-class article 30 percent less than San Francisco prices for the same class of goods.'
“Our business has kept up unusually well during the dull season, and we have no cause to complain.”
The hustle of the 1885 'dull season' sounds strikingly familiar to modern Seattle retailers navigating economic fluctuations. While the 'custom fit' model has shifted from mail-order tailoring to e-commerce and digital personalization, the core struggle—using high-quality service to compete with distant markets—remains the hallmark of the local merchant.
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