Cavalier Shoppe closing after 38 years

By Jacob Brooks
The Daily News
Published/Last Modified on Monday, November 9, 2009 9:20 AM CST


FRANKLINTON — As a child, Johnny Passman’s mother always made sure her son was dressed extremely nice.

As he grew to adulthood, nice clothes stuck with him, and in 1972 he opened the Cavalier Shoppe, a men’s clothing store in downtown Franklinton.

“I’ve always been dressy,” said Passman, wearing a sharp black suit with a bright red tie.

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But after 38 years in the clothes business, Passman is closing down the Cavalier Shoppe.

He said it was tough decision, but at 61 years old, he is looking to relax and maybe do some traveling — something he has not time to do during the past 40 years or so.

The going-out-of-business sale started last Wednesday and will continue until the inventory of menswear and school uniforms is sold out.

“We have a magnitude of inventory in here — school uniforms, antiques,” Passman said.

He said more than 100 shoppers came to the store on the opening day of the sale, many saying they appreciate that the business stayed in Franklinton so long.

Passman said the Cavalier Shoppe, which also rents tuxedoes, is the only men’s clothing store in Franklinton.

“We’re going to back away, and hopefully somebody will rent our building,” Passman said.

Passman and his wife, Nancy, ran the Cavalier Shoppe for years, with Nancy also operating an adjacent bridal shop.

However, in 2005 Hurricane Katrina heavily damaged the business.

“The roof blew off — we lost a lot of inventory,” Passman said.

With the repair work, the Passmans dropped the bridal section, and built new offices in the back and expanded the school uniform area.

Passman will continue to work out of those offices with his land development business, but the Cavalier Shoppe will likely be closed for good by Christmas, he said.

The menswear store was a big part of his life, allowing him to invest in other areas.

“I learned how to sew and do tailoring work,” said Passman, adding he started the business as a one-man operation but was able to hire more people as the years went on.

Still, Passman said he always felt he had to show up for work.

But now, he’s finally hanging up the suit.

“I’ve cried about this, but it’s time,” he said.

Copyright © 2010 Daily News

Comments

    Reader Comments

    The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of downtownnews.com.

    Jim Richardson wrote on Nov 9, 2009 12:01 PM:

    " Johnny, everyone will miss the Squire Shoppe. It became a fixture in Franklinton. You and Nancy were always so nice to everyone which led to lots of success. You will be missed. "

    gator wrote on Nov 10, 2009 12:40 PM:

    " I believe the "Squire Shop" was Johnny and Nancy's competition across the street, operated by the Simmons family.
    Just a block or so away was another clothing store. That was only a few years back, when a small town would support three clothing stores.
    The Passmans always had the finest clothing around, and worked harder than anyone, no doubt about it. "

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Thank you for your comments!

Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of downtownnews.com.

Jim Richardson wrote on Nov 9, 2009 12:01 PM:

" Johnny, everyone will miss the Squire Shoppe. It became a fixture in Franklinton. You and Nancy were always so nice to everyone which led to lots of success. You will be missed. "

gator wrote on Nov 10, 2009 12:40 PM:

" I believe the "Squire Shop" was Johnny and Nancy's competition across the street, operated by the Simmons family.
Just a block or so away was another clothing store. That was only a few years back, when a small town would support three clothing stores.
The Passmans always had the finest clothing around, and worked harder than anyone, no doubt about it. "

Submit a Comment

We encourage your feedback and dialogue. All comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
(optional)
   

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