I still get phone calls asking, "Can you let out a pair of trousers on a 10-year-old suit?" Now, I did promise my customers that they could bring back their suits for alterations at any time, and there would be no charge. But, I've closed the store. Yes, after 32 years in business, it's closed. And this clown calls me at home wanting to know if I'll still honor my pledge.

Should I laugh or cry? Can you think of anything so audacious? However, you have to give this guy credit for his resolve. He found me even though the store has been closed for three years already.

Actually he's the second previous customer who has contacted me. I helped the first guy. He had torn his suit pants, and I called the manufacturer to see if he would sell him just the trousers of his $1,800 suit.

What was it like closing the doors of the store for the last time? I had a lot of emotions tied up in the business--32 years is a long time. I couldn't find a buyer for the business. And honestly, I kept it open four years longer then I should have.

My accountant would remind me, "It's only a business. You're too emotionally connected." I never understood what he meant. To start a business you have to have passion; you need to be a dreamer of sorts. And then once it becomes a viable entity, you're supposed to look at it as only a P&L statement.

Now don't get me wrong, I cared a lot about the numbers. My bookkeeper used to joke that my books (and in those days, it was a real ledger book) were handcuffed to my arm. My top salesman wanted to know if I let go when I would wipe my butt in the john. (He could joke, but I paid that mortgage on his suburban split-level.)

I started the business, because I had a dream of offering quality products, great service (remember, alterations for life), and a smile. I was also an entrepreneur with a very small 'e.' I even opened a second store in a new mall.

What will I miss the most? The Christmas Eve card games. I'd keep the store open late just in case a customer needed something. I'd let all of my employees leave early and I'd wait around. A few of my buddies (two Jews and a Hindu) would stop at the store, and before I knew it we had this tradition of a poker game on Christmas Eve with lots of cigar smoke.

I don't want you to feel bad for me. Nowadays, I'm in business with a guy who used to work for me. We've been opening European-style coffee bars. Even with the dozens of Starbucks in our town, there is still room for a few independents like us.

When I was a haberdasher, I always had to be careful about what I wore. Even if I were washing my car, I'd put on a pair of pressed Dockers with a hard crease. Today, I need to be up-to-date on shade grown coffee beans and be politically correct about where they are grown. And I don't even drink coffee.

P.S. If you spill some coffee on your Armani suit, give me a call. I'll let you know an old haberdasher's trick to remove those nasty stains.

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