Garrison’s: A Tradition of Customer Service
If you are in the ranks of the people who believe customer service is a thing of the past, you need to take a little trip to 100 South Main Street in Morgantown. There you will find Garrison’s, a family clothing store that has been in business since 1957.
Walter Garrison, son of Jewell and the late Murray Garrison, is the present owner-operator of the business. Except for the holidays, when his three sisters (Malissa Jane, Derotha, and Rosemary) offer their assistance, Walter is a one-man operation. He is one of those people who seems to be able to be in three places at once; greeting a customer by name, “Hi, Sue, how are you?”; locating a specialty item, “These are the Velcro shoes we carry. They’re light as a feather and really flexible”; and going over a receipt item by item, “This is your pocket knife, this is your striped shirt, and this is your Levi shirt.”
Walter learned this efficiency and emphasis on customer service from his parents, who established the first Garrison’s at 109 Logan Street (currently G.L. Smith Street) in 1957. “Dad was working in Louisville, and just coming home on week-ends, and they wanted something so Dad could be at home,” says sister, Malissa Jane. Jewell’s father, Walter Forsythe, who owned a furniture store at the time, owned the building where Jewell and Murray set up shop, creating a business which Butler countians have depended on for years.
The family moved the business from Logan Street to the present location at 100 South Main Street in July of 1997. Sadly, Murray passed away the following September, leaving Jewell and Walter to continue together until Jewell retired. She currently lives with her daughter, Rosemary, in Bowling Green.
Although the customer service side of the business hasn’t changed, the way merchandise is bought and delivered has. Murray and Jewell stocked their store by driving to Nashville to the wholesale businesses located there; filling their car with merchandise, and bringing it back to the store shelves on an as-needed basis. Today, Walter orders from more than fifteen different companies. Some of his brands include: Levi, Carhartt, Redwing, Wrangler, Lee, Justin, Eastland, Clark, Double H, Dockers, Nunn Bush, Liberty, Dickies, Van Heusen, and Arrow. He also carries University of Kentucky and University of Louisville apparel, as well as several brands of pocket knives.
It would be a mistake to assume that because Garrison’s is a small, local business, the merchandise would be more expensive than that at the larger retail chains. Because Walter Garrison runs a tight ship, he is able to keep his overhead low, and offer his customers a good value. “I can offer everyday prices that match or are below the other retailer’s sale prices,” he says.
“He also does a lot of special ordering for people,” Malissa Jane adds. “And I don’t know if he’s ever been able to get out of here by 2 pm on Saturday (referring to the hours of operation posted on the door). I think that was just a dream,” she says, with obvious pride in her brother’s work ethic.
It is obvious that this extra mile attitude is what keeps people coming back through the doors. Walter, however, gives all the credit to his customers. “I couldn’t have done this if it weren’t for all of my loyal customers,” he says, “They’re the ones who have made it possible for Garrison’s to be part of the Butler County Community for all of these years.”
Store Information: Holiday hours: Mon. – Sat. 10 – 5 (closed Sundays)
Regular hours: Tues. – Fri. 10 – 5
Sat. 10 – 2 (Closed Sunday and Monday)
Gift Certificates Available
Story and photos by Cheryl Hughes, Beech Tree News
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