Kosins Clothes
today.
t one time, they were con-
sidered among the top
men's apparel stores in
the country. Show busi-
ness celebrities, sports
figures and plenty of
common folk regular-
ly headed to Lathrup
Village to shop at
Kosins Clothes and Kosins Big & Tall, lo-
cated one mile apart on Southfield Road.
Co-owner Harry Kosins was the stores'
very visible spokesman. He did local tele-
vision commercials with Detroit Pistons
Coach Chuck Daly while the team was win-
ning NBA titles and he was well-known
nationally and internationally in industry
circles, too.
Mr. Kosins' death at age 64 on Jan. 7,
1991 ended an era and filled the Ira
Kaufman Chapel with mourners. Now
Kosins Clothes, which has consolidated its
two stores at one location at 27881 South-
field Road at 111/2 Mile, is fighting for its
life.
This summer, the store is holding a do-
or-die sale of $3 million in inventory which
will decide the future of the 69-year-old
business. Kosins Clothes got its' start in
1925 when Max Kosins, Harry's father,
opened a store at 1430 Griswold in down-
town Detroit.
Born in Warsaw, Max Kosins immi-
grated to Detroit in 1921. He was a tai-
lor. His wife, Helen, became a familiar face
behind the cash register at the Griswold
store.
Kosins Clothes was located in one of the
busier spots of the downtown area. Shep's
Delicatessen was nearby and Mayfield's
restaurant was next door. The Jewish
News also was a neighbor. The newspa-
per's office was in the David Stott Build-
ing on Griswold.
The current Lathrup Village Kosins
Clothes store opened in 1979. Fire de-
stroyed the Griswold location in 1981.
"Thi.s is it. Our last chance to keep our
doors open," reads Kosins Clothes' direct
mail flyer for this summer's sale. 'This may
very well be our biggest sale in history ...
If it isn't, we're history."
At the store itself, large orange signs
in the windows say Kosins Clothes is
"Fighting for Survival" and proclaim that
merchandise is on sale at up to 68 percent
off regular prices.
Kosins Clothes CEO and President Nor-
man Wachler said the sale is no bluff.
"It's serious," he said. "Its success will
ensure our continuity. If it doesn't work,
we won't survive."
The sale began June 9. Six weeks into
it, "we're doing very well," Mr. Wachler
said. "It's been very gratifying. People we
haven't seen for years are coming in droves
because of the phenomenal values. It's been
nice to see so many old friends.
"All of our 45 employees are enthusias-
tic and working hard to make the sale a
success."
Mr. Wachler said plans call for the sale
to run through Labor Day, "but there would
be no reason to end it if we're doing well.
We're getting new merchandise in all the
time. That's what makes this different from
a 'going out of business' sale."
hat has happened to Kosins
Clothes?
Experts and those close to the
situation. say Harry Kosins'
death has hurt. So has a torrent of new
competition from both high-end stores and
off-price outlets and the cyclical nature of
the men's clothing business. The recession
which followed the November 1991 sale of
W