Not Just a Store, It’s an Experience
At Stackpole’s, some things change, other things stay the same.
If you wandered into the Morneault’s Stackpole Moore Tryon store on Trumbull Street in Hartford, chances are you’d either leave with an unexpected purchase or with three new friends. Or, more likely, both.
Owners Ron and Jody Morneault are there every day along with Mary Dunn, who has been with the company for 20 years, greeting customers with wide smiles, expert knowledge, and, of course, dog treats and coffee.
“I’ve never sold anybody anything,” Jody said. “They buy it because they love it.”
The Morneaults offer more than a retail storefront with quality garments. They create an experience. A recent customer found the store online then called, saying he needed a suit in two weeks for his wedding. Jody told him to measure himself with a metal tape measure and send her the dimensions. When he came in, he tried on the suit, and it fit like a glove.
“He’ll be back because of that experience,” Ron said.
In an era where direct-to-consumer models seem to be thriving, the Morneaults see themselves as offering water to the parched consumer, weary of the online oasis that promises easiness but often delivers headaches.
They know clothes the way a musician knows her instrument; intricately and intimately, and with passion and consideration. Even if you bought directly from their online store, there are prompts that you must click through before purchasing, to ensure it’s the right fit for you and your lifestyle.
“When the customer is smiling, and she’s happy, and she’s motivated to come back, because of what I do – it’s everything,” Jody said.
Don’t expect to walk in, try on a jacket and have Ron and Jody flatter you profusely. You’re more likely to get it straight: “That doesn’t fit right,” or “We are currently out of stock with what you need.” Mary, meanwhile, loves taking clients “out of their boxes.” To them, building relationships is more important than racking up sales – a philosophy that is a “lost art” in the retail fashion space, Jody said.
It all started in the summer of 1970 when a single Ron Morneault opened up Tuesday’s, a couture menswear shop, in a 350 square-foot building about two blocks from Stackpole’s, which had already been around for 60 years. Eventually he connected with Jody who shared his fashion sensibilities. After they were married, Ron’s bookkeeper quit, and Ron offered Jody the job. Without any accounting experience, she gave it a go.
“She figured it out in two weeks,” Ron said.
They quickly became known in the luxury fashion world, with designers like Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace calling them to pitch their designs. In 2007, after enjoying a friendly relationship with Stackpole’s in which they’d send each other customers, the Morneaults bought Stackpole’s.
They see trends before they happen, and they plan accordingly. That foresight also helped them weather the pandemic, as they pivoted to create what Jody calls “stores within a store,” like a mall without doors, with different brands occupying specific spaces in their building.
Owning a retail fashion business is no easy feat these days. But by focusing on service, creating an experience, and reinvesting in the local community through myriad programs spearheaded by Jody, the Morneaults are positioning themselves for many more years of satisfied customers, and neighbors.
