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Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Since We Asked Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend August 9, 2006 Nathan James copes with vendor problems Even though they look up front, suppliers still periodically disappear, leaving retailers in a bind By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Few things cause more consternation for retailers than late-arriving shipments. Unless those orders never arrive. Last winter, James Monson placed a $5,000 order with Tenka 24 for designer shirts to arrive this fall. Four months later, the owner of Nathan James, an upscale men's clothing store in downtown Medford was informed his order wouldn't be coming. Tenka 24, whose shirts are carried by retailers such as Neiman Marcus, had gone out of business. "Any time you pick up a line of anything — jeans, dress shirts, whatever — you have to look at ordering some of this and that to go with it," Monson says. In this case, Monson had ordered DKNY, Kenneth Cole and a few Agave jeans. "Luckily, I have other vendors, I'll have time to fill the gap and I'm going to have the shirts I need," Monson says. Advertisement The Tenka 24 scenario, however, pales in comparison to what the men's clothier encountered when ordering sweaters for last Christmas. Tundra sweaters, produced by Standard Knitting of Winnipeg, Manitoba, had been in business 25 years and appeared to be just what Monson wanted when he attended a Las Vegas show to order winter styles. "I sat with them in their booth for half an hour and made them my primary sweater vendor," Monson recalls. "I put in a nice little order and the rest of time I was in Vegas I didn't worry because I thought I had it covered. Later, I had to track down my Tundra rep, because they weren't going to even call me to tell me they had gone out of business. Sometimes you can do all of your homework on a vendor, it looks good on paper, and you still end up not getting what you expected in the end. I'm sure it affects a small operation like me more than a bigger one. But one thing it has taught me is not to put all my eggs in one basket." Even with those frustrations, 15 months after opening the doors on Central Avenue, Monson says Nathan James is running ahead of projected sales. "This month is really strong for us and so was last month," he says. "A lot of the national retail stuff doesn't apply to us. Some of the slowest months in retail are actually a pretty good for me. A lot of places have been slow the last few months, but for some reason didn't effect me. Of course, some places will be busy for back to school, but that's not going to really affect me very much." Then there's the challenge presented by the sort-of-new-kid on the block — a veritable 800-pound gorilla compared to Nathan James — Macy's. With Meier and Frank's nearly 150-year run (20 years in Medford) ending Sept. 9, Macy's is making a point to attract high-end customers. "I'm sure Macy's is going to affect me to some extent," Monson admits. "There will definitely be a honeymoon period when everybody is going to want to check them out. I'm sure it will have some impact, but on the flip side, I have some really loyal customers. My clients are used to being catered to in a certain way; I imagine it will be hard for a department store to go to the extent we do." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems California Casinos Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Advertisements Advertisement