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(Mail Tribune / Jim Craven) Nathan James calls it quits The high-end Medford men's clothing store and its women's counterpart, Mary Elizabeth for Me, apparently weren't what Southern Oregon wanted By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune As family members and close associates gathered around Tom and Jan Monson's dining room table a couple of months ago, their son James knew what was coming. Like it or not, Nathan James, the fine men's clothing and accessories store, and its women's counterpart, Mary Elizabeth for Me, were in dire straits. After rocketing off the launch pad in mid-2005, exceeding expectations at times, Nathan James' sales were plummeting. Tom Monson, who owns Advantage Source in Medford and financially backed family members' retail efforts, broke the news. If things didn't turn around in short order, both stores' days were numbered. "It was nothing I didn't expect or already know," conceded James Monson, 30, who poured two years of his life into establishing a Beverly Hills-quality clothing store in downtown Medford. "There were no surprises." The Monday after Thanksgiving, the elder Monson pulled the plug and the high-end apparel stores began liquidation sales, run by Fresno, Calif., clothier Patrick James (no relation) last week. Advertisement "Sales were so much less this year than last and growth trends weren't where they should be," Tom Monson said. "We mounted one last advertising and direct mail campaign. Nothing changed, we ran a big sale and very little happened. It was time to cut our losses." The last shipment of Robert Talbott shirts arrived just over a week ago and 40 percent off signs are tagged on virtually every rack and bin, giving the shop a fully-stocked look for Christmas. But just as trees lose their leaves in fall, the walls and shelves will be depleted in a few weeks. "The last week we've sold a ton of product," James Monson said. "We've sold more in the last week than in the last three or four months." The location of the clothier wasn't a great one, since the store shared a building with Planned Parenthood and much of Rogue Community College's foot traffic. That, in the elder Monson's estimation, wasn't the determining factor. The housing downturn spilled over into Nathan James' bottom line, Tom Monson suggested. The builders, the mortgage lenders and other real estate-related customers stopped coming this year. Demographics don't always paint the total picture, but Tom Monson was convinced a high-end shop, with the right service and selection, would attract plenty of customers. Medford has one of the nation's highest per capita millionaire rates, but attracting enough of them proved a challenge. "It wasn't the really wealthy people who weren't coming," he said. "It's the people trying to get there and trying to look good. Medford just was wasn't ready for a store like that and two years ago we would've vehemently disagreed. Millionaires are generally millionaires because they're frugal; we found that out after the fact. So we're willing to close the stores and take the million-dollar loss and move on instead of trying to fix it." Seattle-based Nordstrom, the high-end retailer, "brags that its two biggest-spending customers come from this area," Tom Monson said. "I tried everything, direct-mail after direct-mail and couldn't find them." Ultimately the Rogue Valley's population base can't support such an endeavor. When it came to cutting losses, it was time for the family business to close. "The fact is that you can't subsidize a failing company with the success of another one, it's just bad business," said James Monson, who is considering going into the mortgage lending field. "The only way you can find out if you can do something is to do it; otherwise you can never succeed at anything. It just didn't pan out." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or at [email protected] Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com