Fargo’s newest Halberstadt’s is ready to turn any man into a sharp-dressed man – InForum

FARGO — Halberstadt’s on 32nd, the newest store in Barry Gruchow’s growing list of men’s casual to formal wear stores, is looking sharp.

Entering, your eyes fall first on a helmeted mannequin, dressed in back, astride a muscular, black Triumph motorcycle from Red River Triumph in Moorhead.

Steady, strong techno music beats from the store’s audio system.

The message is clear: youth and masculinity will be served at 4600 32nd Ave. S

There’s a simple, sharp Scandinavian quality to the layout and decor, but at the same time a warmth that comes with neatly hung racks of woven wool sport coats and suits, crisp cotton dress shirts, smartly patterned and richly hued silk ties, and dress shoes waiting to be dropped on.

Owner Barry Gruchow is suitably proud of the new shop, and after a quick tour, makes a beeline for a room in back, devoted to made-to-measure closing by Atelier Munro.

Gruchow says the Amsterdam-headquartered firm takes customization up a notch for Halberstadt’s customers.

“So people can do shoes, casual wear, sweaters, sportcoats, tuxedos. They make everything. It’s like a five-week turnaround,” Gruchow said Wednesday, Aug. 28.

He opens up a drawer full of swatches.

“If someone wanted to pick out suits, there’s over a thousand different fabrics and styles that they could” use to design that, he said. “They can configure the design of the garment to whatever they want. And they do that with denim, sweaters, knitwear, outerwear, and shoes,” he said.

There are also plenty of garments available to determine a close fit, before customization.

“A lot of times, if someone is buying a custom garment, until it gets in, there might be a little bit of I hope this fits. But with the garment try-ons, we can get them into something really, really similar, then modify (it) with measurements and put it into the system to ensure a proper fit.”

Tailoring is also done with off-the-rack suits and sportcoats, “but this just takes it up a notch and you can get really, really get a nice fit,” he said.

All of the Halberstadt’s team members are trained to properly chalk up garments, which are then sent to off-site tailors, who make the alterations.

Among the Halbertstadt’s stores, Atelier Munro is only offered at the Blu 32 business district shop, Gruchow said.

“We wanted to give the line the attention it deserved,” Gruchow said.

The Blu 32 shop opened in late May, but held its grand opening celebration on Thursday, Aug. 29.

In addition to Halberstadt’s on 32nd, Gruchow also owns Halberstadt’s on Broadway in downtown Fargo, two shops in Bismarck (downtown and the Kirkwood Mall), and one in Minot, North Dakota.

(The Halberstadt’s at Fargo’s West Acres mall has a different owner, Gruchow said.)

The downtown Fargo and 32nd Avenue South Halberstadt’s have adjacent Your Day By Nicole bridal shops, which are owned by Barry’s wife, Nicole Gruchow. A third YDBN is in Bismarck.

Beyond the custom Atelier Munro area, Halbertadt’s carries a wide variety of brands, including Hart Shaffner Marx suits (which can be custom fitted), David Donahue shirts, Johnston and Murphy shoes, and fashions from Mizzen+Main, PAIGE, Peter Millar, Ballin , Robert Barakett, and more.

Gruchow also talked a bit about fashion in general.

Forum: Are suits, nicer clothing coming back in style?

Gruchow: It’s very cyclical. Over the last few years, we saw a big pivot into more casual, day-to-day streetwear. And the business world is now business casual, for the most part.

But there’s always a little bit of a renaissance that happens over the course of time where people get more interested in getting dressed up and want to have that type of wardrobe. It really depends on the individual.

Are weddings and other events a big part of your business?

It’s a huge part of our business, with weddings. There’s still a lot of galas, black-tie events, weddings and proms, graduations. A lot of reasons…maybe it’s not a full suit and tie, but for them (customers) to elevate a little bit” in their fashion choices.

Do you anticipate more business with the return to back to the office?

Yeah, especially in our area, our region. The fall is always a little bit more suit-and-tie wardrobe in the workplace. In the summer there’s a lot of polos and casual wear to be had. I think once the weather turns, it’s not so hot, people get a little more excited about throwing on a sportcoat, a suit.

From your perspective, what are the fashions that are most popular?

“I would say for our customers, we do a lot of casual wear with certain brands that we carry. We have a really strong denim presence. Just because that’s something that people can wear to the office or they can wear it on the weekends.

And, if someone is dressing up, we’ve been seeing a lot more formal, like people going all the way, tuxedo looks, formal dinner jackets, if they have an event that they need to dress up for. And in the workplace, we sell a lot of sport coats with denim or slacks.

Will it cycle back to more formal?

I think we’re seeing a lot of that from the younger crowd. Social media, Instagram, everyone has access to look at anything. And when they see something that catches their eye, they’ll come in and say, ‘Hey, can you get this for me? Can you make this for me?’ I think with the younger (customers), we’ll see a lot more of that happening.

With us, we try to match someone’s comfort zone with their style. Not everyone wants to throw on a suit. I’m 90% of the time, one of those people. There’s ways to obviously create their own style or vibe in the more casual feel.

Are there things you’re seeing (elsewhere) that you expect to start appearing in the Upper Midwest?

Double-breasted jackets and suitcoats are kind of coming in hot. We’re seeing a lot of green, burgundy, and a lot of earth tones as far as colors go.

And a lot of tech fabric. If people are in a more casual style, they want more performance fabric, easy care. Stuff that’s not going to need dry-cleaning. They can throw it on and it’s comfortable. The way that it moves and stretches, a lot of people find comfort in that.