Harleys Celebrates 63 Years in Shorewood

Tim Ryan is so attached to his business that they effectually share an identity. They even share the same birth year: 1948.

“This is my business,” Ryan said. “What Harleys represents is what Tim Ryan is about.”

He’s not talking about the motorcycle company. Harleys, a men’s clothing store, is celebrating 63 years in Shorewood, and its second full summer at its new location, 3565 N. Oakland Ave.

Ryan says Harleys represents class and community engagement.

“We’re trying to reach out to the fashion-conscious male looking for quality fashion,” Ryan said.

Ryan’s office, emblematic of his attitude, is located in the center of the sales floor, his desk and bookshelf blending with the tables of ties and shelves of socks. It’s a prime location for inquiring customers.

“Customers never interfere because customers are the priority,” Ryan said. “I’m a people person. I like to take care of the people who come here to shop; I like to see people enjoying what they’re purchasing.”

Just when Harleys, in its formative years of the 1950s, was finding its niche in fine menswear, Ryan was finding an appreciation for fashion as a child.

“My father was a dentist, but he liked to dress well,” Ryan said. “I was always conscious of fashion."

When Ryan was attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, planning to be a lawyer, he started stocking inventory for Harleys. Ryan moved up the company ladder and abandoned his dream to be a lawyer as he saw new opportunities at Harleys. In 1987, he bought Harleys with a co-worker who later retired.

“Owning a business is a dream a lot of people have,” he said. “I was able to do it and I went for it.

Harleys spent over 10 years at its founding location at 4009 N. Oakland Ave. before moving to their new space south up North Oakland Avenue. The village granted Harleys $183,300 to help them relocate.

“The move was the most difficult business decision I’ve ever made, but the best,” Ryan said. “The move has invigorated business. It’s a more modern-looking space.”

“Modern” is not an easy characteristic to attain as a 63-year-old business.

"It beats the odds any time a small business survives that long," Shorewood Business Improvement Director Jim Plaisted said. "I think it's their attention to detail for their product line."

As a business in the fashion industry, Ryan said Harleys has had to continually adapt to changing styles.

“Some people think if you’re old, your product is old,” Ryan said. “But we’re forward thinking.”

As customers peruse the store around his desk, Ryan regularly checks retail-related media to track trending styles. He also keeps a diligent eye on buying-patterns to determine what customers like.

“We’re always changing inventory based on what sells,” Ryan said. “When you do good forecasting, you’re in a better position to weather a storm.”

It’s this careful attention to which Ryan attributes Harleys' success in Shorewood, especially during difficult economic climates.

“We’ve never questioned our survival,” Ryan said. “We have a broad range of price points. In a tough economy you adjust the structure to become more palatable without compromising quality.”

Ryan also credits the relationships between staff and customers.

“We have multi-generational relationships with some families,” Ryan said. “A number have become friends."

Plaisted said the village has benefitted from Harleys frequent introduction of new customers to the village from all over Wisconsin.

"It's literally a regional attraction," he said. "Shorewood wouldn't be the same without them."

Harleys has a lease at its current location until 2019, but Ryan said they hope to be in Shorewood long after that.

“Shorewood has been our home since we’ve been in business,” Ryan said. “We’re looking for Harleys to have many more anniversary’s in Shorewood.”