Tania's grandparents

Tania's parents

Tania and her partner, John

Fred’s Emporium Pty Ltd trading as Stanley’s Mens & Boys Wear is a third generation family business. Originally established in 1932 by my grandparents, Fred & Rosie Kohn in Bairnsdale, country Victoria.

In 1943 they moved to the city and opened a small shop in Yarraville called Fred’s Emporium. They stayed in that location for 35 years and one shop grew into an entire block. It was the first suburban business to have a lift & employed up to 50 staff members.

I started working in the shop and attempting to serve the customers at the grand old age of three. My grandmother was in charge of training me and by the time I was six years old I spent every school holiday and Saturday morning working. I especially use to love working over my school holidays. My grandfather would pick me up & take Grandma & I out to all the manufacturers to purchase stock. I would then go back to the shop spend the next hour saying hello to all the staff, have some lunch and then in the afternoon do some real work.

In 1979 when my grandparents retired the family decided to sell the business in Yarraville and my parents, Stanley & Laura Moss opened up Stanley’s Mens & Boys Wear. My father was a menswear specialist & my mother’s passion was the children’s wear department and administration. I worked in the family business part time while I was still at school and then joined the team full time 7 years later.

Under Stan's guidance, Stanley's Mens & Boyswear became a Bentleigh landmark and Stan himself a very well-liked and respected member of the community. Stan retired in 2001 and handed over the reins to me so that he could devote himself to more leisurely pursuits.

Keeping on with the family tradition, John, my partner joined the team when Stan retired. John is in charge of the floor. He ensures that the customers are properly looked after and supervises the staff. John is affectionately known as the Mad Hatter. He does all the hat buying and is the best hat fitter I have ever met. My mother Laura still works 4 days a week and is in charge of the administration. As for me, I do everything. I am in charge of the marketing & buying. I also serve, merchandise, do the displays and make all the big decisions for the business. I have 30 years experience in Men’s & Boys Wear & my staff treat me like a walking encyclopedia.

Over the years our customers kept telling us that if they couldn’t find it at Stanley’s that they wouldn’t be able to get it anywhere. One day, after it had been said again, I turned to mum & dad and said this should be our shop slogan and then branded it accordingly. “If you can’t find it at Stanley’s you probably won’t find it anywhere”

We believe that we are successful because we give excellent customer service, fit men of all different body shapes and sizes (including the big guys), stock hard to find items, which allow people to be as quirky or individual as they like and we always sell at reasonable prices. Stanley’s Mens & Boyswear caters to men of all ages. We are a one stop shop and can fit you from head to toe (excluding shoes).

I am extremely proud of our family history. We are honest, ethical & reliable. We have a fantastic reputation, a team of staff who are well trained and want to help you. A commitment to our customers to provide true old fashioned customer service and also pride ourselves on looking after our elderly and special need customers.

Regards

Tania Moss