Published: May 04, 2008 11:02 am            

Past U. S. leader inspiration for haberdashery

Haberdasher is the British term for a men’s clothier.

So in 1972 when it came time for Ken Miller to name his new clothing store, which at the time sold only men’s clothing, he thought what better name than Ken’s Haberdashery?

Miller said he thought of the name as he remembered stories he heard about how Harry S. Truman was a haberdasher before becoming president.

“Anything that’s good enough for Harry Truman is good enough for me,” he said.

The store soon grew to include women’s and children’s clothing, but the title of Haberdashery stuck.

Even back in 1973, Miller said a lot of people didn’t know what the term “haberdashery” meant.

“I think a lot of people stopped to find out what it was,” he said.

To this day customers continue to ask Miller what it means.

And he doesn’t mind telling them.

As someone who has always been a people person, Miller said the best part of owning his haberdashery is meeting people.

“That’s what makes it fun-the people,” he said.

“I didn’t know anyone when I came here,” Miller said. “And now I feel like I know most of the people in the country.”

Miller came to Woodward when he was only 26-years-old. A native of Pampa, Texas, he wanted to move his family from the metropolitan area of Jacksonville, Fla. where he was working as a consultant for an insurance company.

He wanted to raise his two young children in a small country community like his hometown. He also wanted to go into business for himself.

So, in 1972, Miller stuck a compass in a map of Texas and drew a circle. He then made a list of all the communities that were located inside that circle.

Calling town after town, Miller researched various data and statistics to determine which would be the best place to start a new business.

After gathering information on everything from water supply to sales tax receipts in the area, he determined that Woodward was his best bet.

So he got on a plane from Florida to Oklahoma City and then drove up to Woodward where he met with a real estate agent who showed him around all the commercial properties available at the time.

Miller selected a location at 13th Street and Texas Avenue, where his store remains to this day.

Having previous experience working in his wife’s family’s dry cleaning store back in Pampa, Texas, Miller had originally planned to open a dry cleaning business.

But because he was completely new to Woodward, he decided to partner his cleaning business, Jiffy Cleaners, with a clothing store in order to try to attract more business.

“I figured I needed as many ways I could get to make a living,” he said.

The idea to pair a clothing store with a dry cleaning store came from the thought that his customers “already had clothing on their minds” as they brought in an armful of clothes to be cleaned, Miller said.

The unusual pairing seems to have worked, because not only was Miller able to survive the oil bust in the 1980s which put a lot of other Woodward businesses out of business, but he has been able to expand his business.

In 2003, he purchased what was formerly a barbecue joint and transformed it into a clothing boutique, where he was able to sell more things, including cowboy boots and western hats.

“I didn’t start out aiming for two stores,” Miller said. “But as we progressed along, we wanted to do more. It just fit what we were doing so well.”

Miller noted that his wife Carol “has been a partner with me in every step of the way” and is now managing the second store which is located on Williams Avenue.

His daughter Melissa helps run the original store on 13th Street, Miller said, noting that he hopes the store will continue to be a family business and that one of his six granddaughters or his one grandson will be interested in continuing what has been an institution in Woodward for the last 35 years.

Should one of his grandchildren carry on the business, he said, “I hope it will give them a good of a life as it gave me. I hope that they would enjoy it.”

However, Miller said he is not quite ready to retire and leave it to his grandchildren yet.

“I really don’t want to retire, I like working,” he said, noting that it really isn’t work because he enjoys it so much.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.