|
by Carol Gore Wikoff
Not many retail uniform stores can boast oversized parking spaces set aside for fire trucks, but Guidry’s Uniforms of Lafayette, La. has been dedicated to providing its customers with such conveniences since 1980.
For over 50 years, Guidry’s Uniforms has been one of the city’s retail anchors, servicing local customers as well as those in Texas, New Orleans and Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. Founded in 1948 by the Guidry family, the establishment has been owned and operated since 1980 by Tom and Joan Meagher. With growth in mind, Meagher purchased an acre of land adjacent to the store at the time he purchased the business. During the summer of 2001, construction was completed on their new 5,500 square foot building.
“We’re very pleased with our new space,” says Tom Meagher. “We’d been thinking about a new facility for the past two years. We’ve virtually doubled the size of the store and now we are ordering in larger quantities because we have ample storage capacity. And the nice thing about building right next door is that we could literally watch out the window as the construction progressed.”
The retail sales area occupies the front portion of the 55 by 100 foot store. There is a spacious 30-foot cash register station for customer checkout. The offices are situated in the middle of the store, with shipping and receiving on one side and alterations and in-house monogramming services in the rear. Meagher notes that the layout creates a good flow, adding, “You can always see the customer coming in from anywhere in the store.”
Both Meagher’s management background in men’s retail and his visits with other uniform dealers around the country helped him envision a design scheme for the new store. “We were intent on providing a sales space that had a more upscale feel. On the exterior, we went with a metal frame. But we’ve used a tan siding and stucco material on the front so that the building does not look at all like a metallic structure.” Meagher also selected a dark green vinyl canopy with Guidry’s logo, the fleur-de-lis, and floodlights, so that the window displays and canopy are attractively lit at night.
The interior of Guidry’s is coordinated in the same tan together with cream and green hues. Meagher notes, “We selected loden green flooring with wood trim and purposely built higher ceilings to enhance the retail ambiance. We’ve placed solid oak fixtures at eye level inviting the customer to see and feel the quality of the merchandise. With the added space we are able to stock and display the full realm of jackets, apparel and raingear on chrome hanging fixtures. Our footwear is exhibited on shelving on an oak slat wall.” With nice lighting and memorabilia such as miniature horse drawn fire and police wagons, John Deere tractors, old tools and a huge poster of Barney Fife attractively positioned throughout the establishment, the retail ambiance is unmistakable.
When looking around the new store, Meagher cannot help but recall his early days in the uniform business. “Joan and I started out in 1980 with two employees [they now have 16]. Although we had purchased an established name, business had already slowed down. So we basically started with no records, inventory or customer lists. We opened our doors and began making the rounds, picking up customers and making sure we took care of their needs. About a year or two after we bought the business, we began hearing about bad times this is an oil-driven region of the country and by ’84 or ’85, the whole industry was severely depressed, not just Lafayette, but the entire coast. At the time we were doing industrial and municipal, so the diversity helped and we had then, as now, quite a few out-of-area customers from north and western Louisiana and that certainly cushioned the blow.”
The decision to retain the name Guidry’s has proven to be prudent, given the area’s distinct French heritage, according to Meagher. “It’s a very common name down here. The fleur-de-lis on our logo is the French symbol for Acadiana. There is a lot of French still spoken here and people like the comfort of doing business with a familiar local supplier.”
Meagher estimates that today the store does about 75 percent municipal with the remainder industrial and about 5 to 10 percent in career apparel. They’ve concentrated in the municipal area because there are eight to 10 other uniform companies within a radius of 25-30 miles that do primarily oil field/industrial business.
He notes, “We’re the only one that has gone in the other direction. We like the relationships with our customers we’ve developed over the years and take care of them by selling a full complement of uniforms and accessories, and offering first-rate service.”
Casual apparel has become an increasing portion of their overall sales.
Meagher points to its popularity with their municipal accounts. Many members of the police and fire departments and various utility company employees who don’t necessarily wear a uniform in the strict sense, still wish to be dressed in identity apparel. He says, “The logo’d golf shirts and pleated slacks have been very successful.”
Lafayette’s temperate climate lends itself to uniform layering. Because of climate, cost and efficiency, the trend in their part of the country is toward the year-round uniform. Meagher suggests that they have borrowed from the ski industry with the layering of turtlenecks, sweaters and jackets made from Gore-Tex, waterproof and wind resistant fabrics for law enforcement apparel. “We can have chilly weather where it is in the 30s at night, 50s during the daytime for three or four days and then it will get back to 85 a week later with 90 percent humidity so the options are really beneficial to our customers.”
Guidry’s pays attention to fashion and customizes almost all of the programs it services. Logo’d collars and cuffs on turtlenecks and knit shirts have been a most welcome addition. Meagher says, “We add piping on the pockets, striping on the pants. We do a lot to ordinary uniforms to give them a fresh, unique look. We’ve had two small departments win honorary mention in the NAUMD’s Best Dressed Competition and about five years ago one of our customers, the Concordia, La. Sheriff’s Department won second place. They were thrilled with the publicity, and it also was great advertising for our company. In fact, we still have the photographs of their program on display. We really take great care when we put these programs together and our customers take great pride in their appearance.”
Guidry’s Uniforms is indeed a family enterprise. Tom and Joan’s son Eddie joined the family business 12 years ago when he was 21. “Eddie said he would like to give the uniform business a shot and it has worked out beautifully. We depend upon him a great deal. He handles everything from shipping, receiving and selling to customer care and follow-ups. He is an invaluable asset and it is great to have his youth and enthusiasm on a daily basis. While our other son and daughter both have worked here on and off, they’ve gone on to pursue other careers.”
Their sales staff is composed of five people including Tom, with a combined total of 100 years of sales experience. Of this total, approximately a half century reflects employment with Guidry’s. “We haven’t had much turnover. Our employees are a part of our extended family. I believe the key is that they care as much as we do about taking care of the business.”
Meagher says, “We’ve recently purchased some new software that enables us to track inventory, sales, customer sizing, program requirements, reorder dates, etc. Our office staff has been working diligently on getting the new software system operational in addition to their regular responsibilities and their efforts are greatly appreciated. This point of sales system, with barcoding of merchandise will assist the sales staff in taking orders and tracking inventory.
“By attending our state’s police and sheriff conventions and hosting uniform apparel seminars, we’ve established contacts, but we also go out and sell on a regular basis. Whether it is cold calling, convention contacts, or word-of-mouth referrals it’s not unusual for us to travel long distances to show merchandise or make appointments to measure personnel. People in that area will say, ‘Oh we wish you had a location in this area.’ But for 21 years we have continued to maintain these long distance customers.”
Meagher is quick to credit his staff for the success that Guidry’s has enjoyed over the years. Among them, five employees take care all of the alterations and in-house monogramming. Meagher notes, “It is amazing to see how they can take a shirt or pair of slacks and do all of the necessary adjustments to make the uniform fit perfectly and exactly to the customer’s liking.” Two people handle shipping and receiving (one of whom Meagher met right out of college).
According to Meagher, the Lafayette economy is sort of unique in that when the national economy is good, Louisiana’s economy is slow and vice versa. In the past the local economy was always tied to the energy sector. Since the mid-’80s, however, the area has diversified with new plants, technology and computer companies relocating to Acadiana. Immediately after the tragedy of 9/11, everyone was in shock and business came to a grinding standstill. Once the reality set in that something of this horrific magnitude could happen, business returned to normal. Meagher attributes much of the increased sales to security issues in the oil industry. “We’re not far from many of the major refineries in the country petrochemical plants, oil companies, helicopter companies they’re all putting security personnel in place. It’s a new work force that they’ve never considered in the past. Because we already clothe so many of the various local guard agencies, we’re getting an influx of these new hires.”
Active in the Chamber of Commerce and in the redevelopment of the city’s north side, the Meaghers are firmly entrenched in the Cajun heartland. As they continue to build relationships based upon quality, service and value, their prospects are unlimited.
Guidry’s Uniforms
3909-A Moss Street
Lafayette, LA 70507
800-573-1363; 337-234-1363
Fax: 337-232-2267
|
