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Hornor and Harrison marks 90th anniversary

Photo by Jeff Baughan David Boone stands among the racks of men’s clothing at Hornor and Harrison in Parkersburg. The locally owned men’s and women’s clothing store is celebrating its 90th anniversary.

PARKERSBURG –Hornor & Harrison owner David Boone sat in his store, shortly before it opened.

“The men’s clothing market is always changing,” he said. “Right now, the look is going slim and new blue is the color.”

Despite the changing style market, Boone said the driving force for men buying dress clothes is quality.

“There aren’t a lot of stores like ours left,” he said as the Parkersburg men’s fine quality clothing store is celebrating its 90th anniversary this month. “The internet has affected so many businesses but nice clothes; people want to try those clothes on and want advice. There are few carrying and selling suits. The suit seems to be more of the special occasion dress.

“Slim doesn’t mean skinny,” he said.

Photo by Jeff Baughan The women’s department became part of Hornor and Harrison when it opened at the Grand Central Mall in the 1970s.

“The things they are doing with fabric now is amazing. Fabric development is huge right now. They made it to where it stretches, you can wash but don’t have to iron. Right now, it’s comfort and looks.

“People are still wanting nice but don’t need a lot,” he continued, ” Men used to want nice suits but now it’s more nice shirt and pants. Because of all that, we’ve increased the casual wear department. Few professions these days have men wearing suits on a daily basis.”

It hasn’t always been Hornor and Harrison, although it may seem like it.

It originally started as Howard and Harrison in 1927. It became Hornor and Harrison in 1932.

“The original location was across the street from the Blennerhassett Hotel in the building which houses the Judge Black Annex,” Boone said.

“The store moved to three different locations before moving to the (Grand Central) mall and then here.

“It was a men’s only store until it moved to the mall in 1977,” he said.

Just prior to the move to the mall, Boone began working for his father, Jess, in the store. He moved into the sales force in 1977 as a freshman in high school.

“I sold whatever needed to be sold,” Boone said.

“It was my job to get for the customer whatever the customer needed or wanted.”

There was a business decision behind that job.

“We want a customer, not a sale,” he said. “If it doesn’t look right on them, we’ll say so. That’s probably why we have generations of customers. They say they remember coming in here as kids and getting clothes.

“Good service with a good product keeps people coming back,” he said. “We know the customer’s name and usually what they’re looking for when they come in. Quality and service goes a long way these days.”

David’s brother Dean joined the business in the 1970s and retired in February, leaving David as the sole owner.

“Dad got involved with the business right after World War II,” David said. “They offered him the chance to buy into the business and he took it instead of going back to work at the Viscose plant.”

As part of the anniversary, Hornor and Harrison has been having weekly drawings for prizes. By the time the month is over, more than $12,000 of merchandise will have been given away.

The most extravagant is a $1,600 Hickey-Freeman men’s suit.

“We belong to a buying group,” he said. “It’s what gives us the buying power to be able to offer the suit sales we do. Better for us. Better for the customer.”

A Parkersburg Humane Society benefit is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Saturday. “We’re calling it a ‘pawject runway’ with dogs dressed like people and then people also modeling some clothes,” Boone said. “We have a lot of good customers with the humane society. It was their idea. Fun, food, people and animals. Good times.”

The next day, Boone said a representative from outdoor active clothing line Patagonia will be there for a trunk show.

“We’ll have had 15 different trunk show representatives in here during the month and they come with a bigger selection and we have discounts on the merchandize while they are here,” Boone said.

Today the ladies department occupies almost half of the store but it remains predominately a men’s clothing store.

Boone said the store just signed a new five-year lease to remain at its present location, “so we have no plans to go anywhere.”

He thought for a second and added, “When you think about all the locations, all the years, all the clothes, all the customers waited upon, it’s really kind of neat. It makes you feel good, like you’ve been doing it for years.”

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