With a wide range of men’s suits and casual clothing, Mansour’s Menswear has been dressing Maritimers for over a century. What started from a door-to-door sales business has become a staple retail shop in Amherst, N.S. Having expanded into eCommerce and established a sister store for womenswear, the Mansour family keeps customers in style across the globe.

Traveling salesman

The story of Mansour’s Menswear began with Mike Mansour. After moving from Lebanon to Canada’s east coast in the early 20th century, he worked as a traveling salesman. He initially traveled on foot carrying a knapsack and later upgraded to a horse and buggy to sell food, dry goods, fabric, clothing and other general items door-to-door. As ready-to-wear fashion became more popular, Mansour felt having a physical retail shop could increase profitability. In 1924, he established Mansour’s Menswear at 27 Church Street in Amherst, Nova Scotia.

 

Growing through generations

Shortly after opening the store, Mike’s nephew Theo Mansour joined him in business. Theo eventually took over and in 1959 led a major expansion of the physical shop. Known in the local community for being a snappy dresser, Theo managed operations into his 90s when he passed the family business onto his son Robert.

Styles inside Mansour’s Menswear evolved with the times. Before carrying exclusively clothing, Mansour’s continued to sell dry goods and other items until it found its niche in menswear. While it still carries formal suits, coats and sports jackets like in the early days, merchandise has expanded into a full range of menswear, including athletic brands, underwear and casual clothing.

After 55 years of working in the family business, in 2015 Robert handed operations over to his son Mikhial.

 

Entering the digital era

As manager of the shop, Mikhial renovated the space to make it more open and also brought it to a digital era. A website was created and products were logged in a digital point-of-sale system, so everything can be sold in-store and online. While many customers are from the Maritimes, eCommerce has expanded Mansour’s Menswear’s customer base across the globe, having shipped products across Canada, the U.S., Europe and as far as Australia.

However, Mikhial Mansour says they still have many loyal in-store customers who’ve been shopping at Mansour’s Menswear for generations. “Many people shop here because their dad or their grandfather shop here,” he commented.

 

Still styling

Today, operations continue at Mansour’s Menswear, still at 27 Church Street in Amherst, Nova Scotia. In addition to expanding into online retail, the Mansour family has also opened ‘30 Church’, a clothing shop for women’s clothing across the street from their original shop.

Recognizing 100 years in business, there will be a celebration at Mansour’s Menswear on September 27 starting at 10 a.m. Mansour says there will be food and prizes as well as horse and buggy rides as a nod to Mike Mansour who started it all. He commented: “It’s a great way to appreciate all those integral to our growth since the beginning and for years to come.”

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