It was a shock to me when it was announced Sunday on Ch Hamilton that Jerry's Man Shop went into receivership.
The yellow awning overhanging onto James Street North at Cannon was a perfect fit as for the neibourhood as is the mustard three button suit jacket that I purchased a couple years ago from Mr. Sherman. (The one I'm wearing in the picture, above)
Bernard Sherman has since the late 1940s been the cities man to go to for their business and casual wear. So what happened? The reason why one of the city's iconic businesses, and oldest men's clothier, is in jeopardy is a mystery to even Sherman, who is 80 years old.
This is the busy season for most clothing stores and Jerry's is no different. The display windows were lit, decorated with Christmas ornaments, featuring pinstriped suits. Hopefully as Mr. Sherman said in an interview, this is only temporary and the multi-time winner of the Hamilton Spectator Readers' Choice Awards, will be back in business.
The business has been handed down from generation to generation in Sherman's family over the past 90 years. He sold it to a numbered company last year, and had planned to retire. But he says the new owners asked him to stay on and run it for a year, because of his experience and contacts.
Okay, I couldn't end this post on a sour note, so I would thought I'd share this funny moment that happened to me Monday afternoon while heading into work. I was on the Beeline heading into Stoney Creek, the number 10 was detouring into the Eastgate
Mall turning circle as it does before continuing east. So picture this, the bus stops for a women in the turning lane who also wishes to turn into the mall, to do so. A bus from a private company in the lane coming the opposite direction also wishes the women would make her turn. The man driving the other bus makes a clear gesture, heeding the right away to the women, who doesn't respond and decides blocking four lanes of traffic is a great idea. Impatient, but in a 'jolly' mood, the driver makes an exaggerated motion to turn the car and drive into the mall both with his hands and mouth. This apparently woke the women up, and she made her turn. The funny part is in case you didn't get the hint, the bus driver was dressed as Santa. This caused some laughter from the driver of the HSR bus, myself and the couple of passengers in front of me who had the perfect seats.
Later,
Kenaz
