In 1977, a Lafayette local by the name of Frank Camalo opened a clothing business called, F.Camalo Men’s Clothier.
F.Camalo is a high-end menswear clothing store with a wide variety of suits, sports coats, pants, ties, and anything that completes a look, F.Camalo offers it. Worried about size? Don’t be. F. Camalo and his family-owned business will custom-fit a garment to your measurements so that a great fit is achieved.
“Back around two thousand or two thousand one Esquire magazine came out with a list of who they consider to be the top 100 menswear stores in America and we were on the first list, and we’ve been on every list since.”
Frank, believes in earning customer loyalty through establishing a relationship, rather than rushing to make a sale. It’s no wonder that F. Camalo has been able to make Esquire’s list of the top menswear store in America. Anyone can sell a product, but not everyone can deliver on service. Frank suggests anyone getting into the clothing business to work retail, any retail, just learn how to treat people in all situations. Ultimately, learning to work with people should be a good trait for any business owner who expects to last longer than a year.
“Fathers are bringing their sons in, and I have certain clients that I take care of three different generations. I really, really enjoy that aspect of the business.”
Candidly, Frank states that he is past retirement age but, he thoroughly enjoys his business, and it’s something that he looks forward to as long as it is fun and makes a living.
