OUR STORY
Irvin Shapiro & Earl Pertnoy with Irvin's sisters, 1935 (Earl's mother next to him)
The Family Back Story
OUR STORY
Irvin Shapiro & Earl Pertnoy with Irvin's sisters, 1935 (Earl's mother next to him)
The Family Back Story
OUR STORY
Irvin Shapiro & Earl Pertnoy with Irvin's sisters, 1935 (Earl's mother next to him)
The Family Back Story
OUR STORY
Irvin Shapiro & Earl Pertnoy with Irvin's sisters, 1935 (Earl's mother next to him)
The Family Back Story
OUR STORY
Irvin Shapiro & Earl Pertnoy with Irvin's sisters, 1935
(Earl's mother next to him)
The Family Back Story
Working in our Fathers’ Business
Ron’s and Steven’s fathers, Earl Pertnoy and Irvin Shapiro, were nephew and uncle, although only two years apart in age. They grew up like brothers.
CLICK > ABOVE TO HEAR EARL TELL ABOUT THEIR FIRST ENTERPRISE TOGETHER.
After Irvin returned from Army service in 1946, he and Earl opened a clothing store in Miami Beach called Beach Men’s Shop, the first of a chain of stores eventually called Baron’s Men’s Stores.
Their children, all raised like cousins, brothers, and sisters, helped in Baron’s—starting with picking up pins in the dressing rooms and sweeping floors before moving on to more skilled jobs. By the time they were teenagers, Ron and Steven knew how to color-match clothing and how to tailor slacks.
We were partners in that first venture, and we just went on and on.
Earl Pertnoy & Irvin Shapiro
Working in our Fathers’ Business
Ron’s and Steven’s fathers, Earl Pertnoy and Irvin Shapiro, were nephew and uncle, although only two years apart in age. They grew up like brothers.
Earl Pertnoy & Irvin Shapiro
Click > above to hear Earl tell about their first enterprise together.
After Irvin returned from Army service in 1946, he and Earl opened a clothing store in Miami Beach called Beach Men’s Shop, the first of a chain of stores eventually called Baron’s Men’s Stores.
Their children, all raised like cousins, brothers, and sisters, helped in Baron’s—starting with picking up pins in the dressing rooms and sweeping floors before moving on to more skilled jobs. By the time they were teenagers, Ron and Steven knew how to color-match clothing and how to tailor slacks.
We were partners in that first venture, and we just went on and on.
Working in our Fathers’ Business
Ron’s and Steven’s fathers, Earl Pertnoy and Irvin Shapiro, were nephew and uncle, although only two years apart in age. They grew up like brothers.
Earl Pertnoy & Irvin Shapiro
Click > above to hear Earl tell about their first enterprise together.
After Irvin returned from Army service in 1946, he and Earl opened a clothing store in Miami Beach called Beach Men’s Shop, the first of a chain of stores eventually called Baron’s Men’s Stores.
Their children, all raised like cousins, brothers, and sisters, helped in Baron’s—starting with picking up pins in the dressing rooms and sweeping floors before moving on to more skilled jobs. By the time they were teenagers, Ron and Steven knew how to color-match clothing and how to tailor slacks.
We were partners in that first venture, and we just went on and on.
Working in our Fathers’ Business
Ron’s and Steven’s fathers, Earl Pertnoy and Irvin Shapiro, were nephew and uncle, although only two years apart in age. They grew up like brothers.
Earl Pertnoy & Irvin Shapiro
Click > above to hear Earl tell about their first enterprise together.
We were partners in that first venture, and we just went on and on.
After Irvin returned from Army service in 1946, he and Earl opened a clothing store in Miami Beach called Beach Men’s Shop, the first of a chain of stores eventually called Baron’s Men’s Stores.
Their children, all raised like cousins, brothers, and sisters, helped in Baron’s—starting with picking up pins in the dressing rooms and sweeping floors before moving on to more skilled jobs. By the time they were teenagers, Ron and Steven knew how to color-match clothing and how to tailor slacks.
Working in our Fathers’ Business
Ron’s and Steven’s fathers, Earl Pertnoy and Irvin Shapiro, were nephew and uncle, although only two years apart in age. They grew up like brothers.
Earl Pertnoy & Irvin Shapiro
Click > above to hear Earl tell about their first enterprise together.
We were partners in that first venture, and we just went on and on.
Running The Other Half: “Hippie” Entrepreneurs
Steven Shapiro & Ron Pertnoy
It was 1969 when Steven, who was attending the University of Miami, convinced Ron’s father to modify part of the store to sell “hippie” clothing. They called it The Other Half.
The target customers? Students at the University of Miami, Dade Junior College, and other area schools. About 900 square feet of floorspace in each of five Baron’s stores were outfitted with wood planking, and young people were invited to sign their names on the floor or leave messages like “Make Love, Not War. I’m Available If You Need Assistance.”
Bins held bell-bottomed jeans priced at six bucks. Racks were a riot of flower-patterned shirts going for nine to fifteen dollars. Baron’s and The Other Half meant fathers and sons, with different needs, could shop in the same store.
(And the clothes fit men and women alike. The day a woman called Ellen came to the store, Steven met the love of his life. Ellen became his wife, despite him selling her what she describes—even to the owner of the jeans company himself—as “one ugly pair of green corduroy jeans.” Steven thought they looked great on her.)
The day a woman called Ellen came to the store, Steven met the love of his life.
THE LANDLUBBER CONNECTION
One of the best-selling brands in The Other Half was Landlubber Jeans. Years later, we were sitting and talking with a client for whom we had built a home, and he mentioned that he owned Landlubber Jeans. Steven exclaimed, “Landlubber? I met my wife selling her a pair of your jeans.” That client not only became a good friend but an investor in several of our future real estate projects—neatly connecting our first business venture with The Shapiro|Pertnoy Companies.
Steven Shapiro & Ron Pertnoy
Ron’s and Steven’s fathers, Earl Pertnoy and Irvin Shapiro, were nephew and uncle, although only two years apart in age. They grew up like brothers.
The target customers? Students at the University of Miami, Dade Junior College, and other area schools. About 900 square feet of floorspace in each of five Baron’s stores were outfitted with wood planking, and young people were invited to sign their names on the floor or leave messages like “Make Love, Not War. I’m Available If You Need Assistance.”
Bins held bell-bottomed jeans priced at six bucks. Racks were a riot of flower-patterned shirts going for nine to fifteen dollars. Baron’s and The Other Half meant fathers and sons, with different needs, could shop in the same store.
(And the clothes fit men and women alike. The day a woman called Ellen came to the store, Steven met the love of his life. Ellen became his wife, despite him selling her what she describes—even to the owner of the jeans company himself—as “one ugly pair of green corduroy jeans.” Steven thought they looked great on her.)
The day a woman called Ellen came to the store, Steven met the love of his life.
THE LANDLUBBER CONNECTION
One of the best-selling brands in The Other Half was Landlubber Jeans. Years later, we were sitting and talking with a client for whom we had built a home, and he mentioned that he owned Landlubber Jeans. Steven exclaimed, “Landlubber? I met my wife selling her a pair of your jeans.” That client not only became a good friend but an investor in several of our future real estate projects—neatly connecting our first business venture with The Shapiro|Pertnoy Companies.
Steven Shapiro & Ron Pertnoy
Ron’s and Steven’s fathers, Earl Pertnoy and Irvin Shapiro, were nephew and uncle, although only two years apart in age. They grew up like brothers.
The target customers? Students at the University of Miami, Dade Junior College, and other area schools. About 900 square feet of floorspace in each of five Baron’s stores were outfitted with wood planking, and young people were invited to sign their names on the floor or leave messages like “Make Love, Not War. I’m Available If You Need Assistance.”
Bins held bell-bottomed jeans priced at six bucks. Racks were a riot of flower-patterned shirts going for nine to fifteen dollars. Baron’s and The Other Half meant fathers and sons, with different needs, could shop in the same store.
(And the clothes fit men and women alike. The day a woman called Ellen came to the store, Steven met the love of his life. Ellen became his wife, despite him selling her what she describes—even to the owner of the jeans company himself—as “one ugly pair of green corduroy jeans.” Steven thought they looked great on her.)
The day a woman called Ellen came to the store, Steven met the love of his life.
THE LANDLUBBER CONNECTION
One of the best-selling brands in The Other Half was Landlubber Jeans. Years later, we were sitting and talking with a client for whom we had built a home, and he mentioned that he owned Landlubber Jeans. Steven exclaimed, “Landlubber? I met my wife selling her a pair of your jeans.” That client not only became a good friend but an investor in several of our future real estate projects—neatly connecting our first business venture with The Shapiro|Pertnoy Companies.
It was 1969 when Steven, who was attending the University of Miami, convinced Ron’s father to modify part of the store to sell “hippie” clothing. They called it The Other Half.
Steven Shapiro & Ron Pertnoy
The target customers? Students at the University of Miami, Dade Junior College, and other area schools. About 900 square feet of floorspace in each of five Baron’s stores were outfitted with wood planking, and young people were invited to sign their names on the floor or leave messages like “Make Love, Not War. I’m Available If You Need Assistance.”
Bins held bell-bottomed jeans priced at six bucks. Racks were a riot of flower-patterned shirts going for nine to fifteen dollars. Baron’s and The Other Half meant fathers and sons, with different needs, could shop in the same store.
The day a woman called Ellen came to the store, Steven met the love of his life.
(And the clothes fit men and women alike. The day a woman called Ellen came to the store, Steven met the love of his life. Ellen became his wife, despite him selling her what she describes—even to the owner of the jeans company himself—as “one ugly pair of green corduroy jeans.” Steven thought they looked great on her.)
THE LANDLUBBER CONNECTION
One of the best-selling brands in The Other Half was Landlubber Jeans. Years later, we were sitting and talking with a client for whom we had built a home, and he mentioned that he owned Landlubber Jeans. Steven exclaimed, “Landlubber? I met my wife selling her a pair of your jeans.” That client not only became a good friend but an investor in several of our future real estate projects—neatly connecting our first business venture with The Shapiro|Pertnoy Companies.
It was 1969 when Steven, who was attending the University of Miami, convinced Ron’s father to modify part of the store to sell “hippie” clothing. They called it The Other Half.
Steven Shapiro & Ron Pertnoy
The target customers? Students at the University of Miami, Dade Junior College, and other area schools. About 900 square feet of floorspace in each of five Baron’s stores were outfitted with wood planking, and young people were invited to sign their names on the floor or leave messages like “Make Love, Not War. I’m Available If You Need Assistance.”
Bins held bell-bottomed jeans priced at six bucks. Racks were a riot of flower-patterned shirts going for nine to fifteen dollars. Baron’s and The Other Half meant fathers and sons, with different needs, could shop in the same store.
The day a woman called Ellen came to the store, Steven met the love of his life.
(And the clothes fit men and women alike. The day a woman called Ellen came to the store, Steven met the love of his life. Ellen became his wife, despite him selling her what she describes—even to the owner of the jeans company himself—as “one ugly pair of green corduroy jeans.” Steven thought they looked great on her.)
THE LANDLUBBER CONNECTION
One of the best-selling brands in The Other Half was Landlubber Jeans. Years later, we were sitting and talking with a client for whom we had built a home, and he mentioned that he owned Landlubber Jeans. Steven exclaimed, “Landlubber? I met my wife selling her a pair of your jeans.” That client not only became a good friend but an investor in several of our future real estate projects—neatly connecting our first business venture with The Shapiro|Pertnoy Companies.
Those years of being mentored by our fathers as we worked at Baron’s Men’s Stores and started The Other Half embedded in us a strong work ethic, a customer-service mentality, and other fundamental principles which became the guiding ethos of The Shapiro|Pertnoy Companies. Here are the main things we learned.
"The boys" in the 1970s (Ron Pertnoy & Steven Shapiro are at the far right)
KEEP CUSTOMERS HAPPY.
Steven recounts, “Many times a Miami Dolphins player showed up and said, ‘We’re playing in New York. I need my pants.’ We may have done some tailoring to the pants but they may not have been quite ready. I would go to the back and press them for him. A few times I took out a needle and thread—I wasn’t great at it, but I could do it. Still can. Just don’t tell my wife.”
THE CUSTOMER IS KING.
Our fathers drilled that into us. They said, “If you treat customers right and give good value, they’ll always come back.” Baron’s offered free alterations for the life of the garment. So, if clients got taller, shorter, fatter, or thinner, they could have the item altered accordingly. A tailor department was in the back of every store.
“See You” customers, who ask for you by name, are gold.
Ron notes, “I kept a record of all my See You’s—hundreds of people—and what they liked. If I knew Bob needed a blue blazer, I would call him up and say, ‘Just wanted to let you know—you told me you wanted a blue blazer, and we’ve got one now.’”
Be the best at what you do, and your reputation will follow
This requires asking questions such as, “How do we achieve that? How do we become even better? How do we deliver a better product? How do we make sure we are better than all of the other guys?” We constantly self-analyze, refine, and think outside of the box while optimizing ourselves.
Those years of being mentored by our fathers as we worked at Baron’s Men’s Stores and started The Other Half embedded in us a strong work ethic, a customer-service mentality, and other fundamental principles which became the guiding ethos of The Shapiro|Pertnoy Companies. Here are the main things we learned.
"The boys" in the 1970s (Ron Pertnoy & Steven Shapiro are at the far right)
KEEP CUSTOMERS HAPPY.
Steven recounts, “Many times a Miami Dolphins player showed up and said, ‘We’re playing in New York. I need my pants.’ We may have done some tailoring to the pants but they may not have been quite ready. I would go to the back and press them for him. A few times I took out a needle and thread—I wasn’t great at it, but I could do it. Still can. Just don’t tell my wife.”
THE CUSTOMER IS KING.
Our fathers drilled that into us. They said, “If you treat customers right and give good value, they’ll always come back.” Baron’s offered free alterations for the life of the garment. So, if clients got taller, shorter, fatter, or thinner, they could have the item altered accordingly. A tailor department was in the back of every store.
“See You” customers, who ask for you by name, are gold.
Ron notes, “I kept a record of all my See You’s—hundreds of people—and what they liked. If I knew Bob needed a blue blazer, I would call him up and say, ‘Just wanted to let you know—you told me you wanted a blue blazer, and we’ve got one now.’”
Be the best at what you do, and your reputation will follow
This requires asking questions such as, “How do we achieve that? How do we become even better? How do we deliver a better product? How do we make sure we are better than all of the other guys?” We constantly self-analyze, refine, and think outside of the box while optimizing ourselves.
Bred in the Bone: What Our Fathers Taught Us
Those years of being mentored by our fathers as we worked at Baron’s Men’s Stores and started The Other Half embedded in us a strong work ethic, a customer-service mentality, and other fundamental principles which became the guiding ethos of The Shapiro|Pertnoy Companies. Here are the main things we learned.
"The boys" in the 1970s (Ron Pertnoy & Steven Shapiro are at the far right)
KEEP CUSTOMERS HAPPY.
Steven recounts, “Many times a Miami Dolphins player showed up and said, ‘We’re playing in New York. I need my pants.’ We may have done some tailoring to the pants but they may not have been quite ready. I would go to the back and press them for him. A few times I took out a needle and thread—I wasn’t great at it, but I could do it. Still can. Just don’t tell my wife.”
THE CUSTOMER IS KING.
Our fathers drilled that into us. They said, “If you treat customers right and give good value, they’ll always come back.” Baron’s offered free alterations for the life of the garment. So, if clients got taller, shorter, fatter, or thinner, they could have the item altered accordingly. A tailor department was in the back of every store.
“See You” customers, who ask for you by name, are gold.
Ron notes, “I kept a record of all my See You’s—hundreds of people—and what they liked. If I knew Bob needed a blue blazer, I would call him up and say, ‘Just wanted to let you know—you told me you wanted a blue blazer, and we’ve got one now.’”
Be the best at what you do, and your reputation will follow
This requires asking questions such as, “How do we achieve that? How do we become even better? How do we deliver a better product? How do we make sure we are better than all of the other guys?” We constantly self-analyze, refine, and think outside of the box while optimizing ourselves.
Bred in the Bone: What Our Fathers Taught Us
Those years of being mentored by our fathers as we worked at Baron’s Men’s Stores and started The Other Half embedded in us a strong work ethic, a customer-service mentality, and other fundamental principles which became the guiding ethos of The Shapiro|Pertnoy Companies. Here are the main things we learned.
"The boys" in the 1970s (Ron Pertnoy & Steven Shapiro are at the far right)
KEEP CUSTOMERS HAPPY.
Steven recounts, “Many times a Miami Dolphins player showed up and said, ‘We’re playing in New York. I need my pants.’ We may have done some tailoring to the pants but they may not have been quite ready. I would go to the back and press them for him. A few times I took out a needle and thread—I wasn’t great at it, but I could do it. Still can. Just don’t tell my wife.”
THE CUSTOMER IS KING.
Our fathers drilled that into us. They said, “If you treat customers right and give good value, they’ll always come back.” Baron’s offered free alterations for the life of the garment. So, if clients got taller, shorter, fatter, or thinner, they could have the item altered accordingly. A tailor department was in the back of every store.
“See You” customers, who ask for you by name, are gold.
Ron notes, “I kept a record of all my See You’s—hundreds of people—and what they liked. If I knew Bob needed a blue blazer, I would call him up and say, ‘Just wanted to let you know—you told me you wanted a blue blazer, and we’ve got one now.’”
Be the best at what you do, and your reputation will follow
This requires asking questions such as, “How do we achieve that? How do we become even better? How do we deliver a better product? How do we make sure we are better than all of the other guys?” We constantly self-analyze, refine, and think outside of the box while optimizing ourselves.
Bred in the Bone: What Our Fathers Taught Us
Those years of being mentored by our fathers as we worked at Baron’s Men’s Stores and started The Other Half embedded in us a strong work ethic, a customer-service mentality, and other fundamental principles which became the guiding ethos of The Shapiro|Pertnoy Companies. Here are the main things we learned.
"The boys" in the 1970s (Ron Pertnoy & Steven Shapiro are at the far right)
KEEP CUSTOMERS HAPPY.
Steven recounts, “Many times a Miami Dolphins player showed up and said, ‘We’re playing in New York. I need my pants.’ We may have done some tailoring to the pants but they may not have been quite ready. I would go to the back and press them for him. A few times I took out a needle and thread—I wasn’t great at it, but I could do it. Still can. Just don’t tell my wife.”
THE CUSTOMER IS KING.
Our fathers drilled that into us. They said, “If you treat customers right and give good value, they’ll always come back.” Baron’s offered free alterations for the life of the garment. So, if clients got taller, shorter, fatter, or thinner, they could have the item altered accordingly. A tailor department was in the back of every store.
“See You” customers, who ask for you by name, are gold.
Ron notes, “I kept a record of all my See You’s—hundreds of people—and what they liked. If I knew Bob needed a blue blazer, I would call him up and say, ‘Just wanted to let you know—you told me you wanted a blue blazer, and we’ve got one now.’”
Be the best at what you do, and your reputation will follow
This requires asking questions such as, “How do we achieve that? How do we become even better? How do we deliver a better product? How do we make sure we are better than all of the other guys?” We constantly self-analyze, refine, and think outside of the box while optimizing ourselves.
