According to Francis C. Ciccarelli, there are three ingredients needed to sustain his successful business: selection, sizes and quality.
Ciccarelli, owner and operator of The Clothier, 138 W. Fourth St., has garnered a reputation for his thread-bearing venue across the region and nation.
The Clothier carries mostly American-made men's formal and casual apparel that includes a selection of Italian and Canadian suits, shirts, shoes, and accessories.
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GREG HAYES/Sun-Gazette
Francis Ciccarelli, owner and operator of The Clothier, 138 W. Fourth St., sold his first suit when he was 6 years old. Today, the entrepreneur's 17,000 square feet of selling space offers 187 sizes of men's casual and formal apparel.
The venue's inventory has even caught the eye of at least one Hollywood costume department who regularly places orders for suits out of his store to dress stars from the television series "24."
And Ciccarelli does it all with obvious enthusiasm - meeting each customer or salesman with an exhibition of passion and excitement.
"People want to know how you do it," the owner said of his success. "It takes a lot of hard work and you have to know the customer base."
The expanse of his clothing outlet is - if anything - visual proof of his success.
One hundred and eighty-seven sizes of apparel inundates the 17,000 square feet of selling space, a space that has undergone expansion twice since he opened his doors in 1986.
The original store was a mere 2,500 square feet.
About 70 percent of Ciccarelli's client base filters in from areas such as Sunbury, Harrisburg, State College - even as far away as Ohio, New Jersey and New York.
Ciccarelli's wife, Karen, who helps run the business, said her husband's philosophy has always been "quantity with quality."
The same brand of suits and shoes are available in his store that presidents have worn, according to the owner.
Ciccarelli carries brand names such as Hart Schaffner and Marx and Jack Victor suits, Corbin slacks, Barbara Blank ties, Stetson hats, and names like Luciano Gatti from Italy and Allen Edmunds shoes.
He also carries Pennsylvania-based clothing as well, including Bill's khakis, manufactured in Reading, and Gitman shirts, made in Ashland.
Arranged neatly, Ciccarelli's operation is impressively stacked from floor to ceiling with more than enough options for his clientele to choose from - a way in which to try on, determine and leave the store with a tailored or custom-made suit, all within a visit.
"I can fit you from head to toe," he said.
Ciccarelli brings more than 40 years of experience to the job, having started with his father, who co-owned the now-defunct Varsity Shop on Pine Street with the owner's uncle.
"I sold my first suit at 6 years old," he said, when he began working for his father.
After having grown up in the business and upon graduating college, he said he wanted to branch off on his own.
Keeping up on clothing trends is easy he said, as he travels around the country to at least 15 shows a year.
While the owner doesn't see himself adding more onto his location - which already occupies half of the 100 block of the north side of West Fourth Street - he envisions creating more business electronically through the Internet.
"We see maybe more online sales," his wife said.
Much of what Ciccarelli loves about the job is the one-on-one interaction with the customer.
"That way you can compare quality, selection and price," he added.
