The Man Store: Testosterone on the South Hill
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| Marty Huddleston in The Man Store |
“We decided to open a consignment store for guys because of the success of Sequels,” said store manager Marty Huddleston, whose wife, Donna, owns and manages Sequels. “All the guys who came into Sequels with their wives kept asking for guy stuff. We hadn’t even thought about it before then but we probably had three to five guys per day asking us where the guy stuff was.”
Upon entering The Man Store, customers are met with an impressive inventory of items that appeal to the more masculine side of Bonners Ferry. Not only is there a large variety of men’s casual and dress clothes, shoes, belts, ties, hats, dress jackets and leather jackets, but Marty has assembled sporting equipment, camping and fishing gear, hand tools and power tools, knives, swords, cap guns, bb guns, pellet guns, telescopes and spy scopes as well. A healthy supply of boots for guys, such as hiking boots, work boots, cowboy boots and even the humble muck boot can be found nicely organized along the walls of The Man Store. For the musically inclined, Marty also carries a variety of musical instruments including guitars and keyboards.
In addition to the “gently used” items, The Man Store also carries many new items, such as flannel shirts, rocks, gems, jeans and ball caps galore.
“I’ll consign anything that anyone has that I think I can make a buck on for both of us,” Marty chuckled.
Marty stressed that The Man Store is not a pawn shop. Whereas a pawn shop loans money on an item for a specified period of time, he accepts items from consignors that immediately go up for sale. When the item sells, he writes a check to the consignor for 40% of the purchase price of the item. He feels that this is a great deal for residents of Bonners Ferry who may need a little extra cash from the items that they are not using anymore as well as for the customers who patronize The Man Store. He routinely sells items for one-third to one-half the cost of what the item would have sold for when new and has quite a few smaller items that are just $1.
Longtime residents of Boundary County, Marty and Donna have carved a distinctive niche for themselves among the retail merchants of Bonners Ferry. “We’ve been told that the thrift stores are not necessarily geared toward guys,” Marty commented. “We wanted a place in Bonners Ferry where guys were catered to with their interests.”
One very positive feature of The Man Store is the accessibility of its hours. Open from 11 am to 7 pm on Mondays and Thursdays, from 11 am to 6:30 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 11 am to 5 pm on Saturdays, Marty and Donna’s intent was to create a store that customers could drop into on their way home from work.
“Our main function is that we are geared toward guys who work until 5 pm,” stressed Marty. “Both Donna and I know how hard it is to have stores close at 5 pm when people are just getting off work. In fact, several guys have been in here to buy a clean, steamed shirt for an event in Bonners Ferry that evening because it’s easier to get a shirt at The Man Store than it is to drive home to Porthill or Eastport to change clothes.”
In addition to the guy stuff that Marty carries, The Man Store currently boasts an entire room devoted to antiques and collectibles. In fact, one of Marty’s goals for the future is to include more antiques and memorabilia in his inventory as time goes on. Some of the memorabilia he currently has in stock are from Harley-Davidson, classic rock and roll – such as The Beatles and Pink Floyd – and Coca Cola. As far as antiques, he has some furniture, tea cups and saucers and knick knacks.
“Whether you are looking for a unique belt buckle, race car memorabilia, antlers, swimming trunks or even a turquoise Harley-Davidson motorcycle, we probably have it,” concluded Marty. “You never know what you are going to find in here.”