LORD CHESTERFIELD MENSWEAR His strong suit? Perseverance

An 83-year-old retailer intends to run his business for the rest of his life.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
BOARDMAN -- Nothing has been able to stop Nick Polito from doing what he does best -- selling clothes.
Nearly six decades of changing styles haven't done it.
When he started Lord Chesterfield Menswear in 1947, he flourished by selling custom-made matching pants and skirts to teen-age boys and girls. Later, it was by offering bright-colored shirts and then casual wear.
Even the closing of his retail store didn't put him out of business.
He shut down the store in 2001 because he was unwilling to sign a five-year lease. Instead of giving up his business, he slimmed down to selling just suits by special order. He handles that from a small office at 6960 Market St.
Age? He vows that will never stop him.
Going strong
At 83, he works six to eight hours a day, consulting with customers, measuring them and ordering suits. He takes off early only to play golf on slow summer afternoons.
Polito said Lord Chesterfield has become such a part of him that he could never quit.
"Lord Chesterfield to me is like a son. For me to give up on a son after 57 years is not feasible," he said.
Faithful customer
Eugene Butch, who picked up two suits from Lord Chesterfield last week, is glad Polito has no plans to retire. Butch said Polito gives him the latest styles, the best fabrics and a good fit.
"I have tried many times to go to different stores, but I could never wear a suit unless it comes from Lord Chesterfield," said Butch, who is co-owner of Butch & amp; McCree Paving Co. in Hillsville, Pa.
He has been buying regularly from Lord Chesterfield for 45 years.
"If you could see my closet, it's like one of his stores used to be," Butch said.
Polito opened his first store in the boom days of downtown Youngstown. He was just out of the Army and had no intention of returning to the limestone quarry in Hillsville, where he had worked before entering the service.
"My mind was made up. I was going to be successful," said Polito, who grew up in Hillsville but now lives in Boardman with his wife of 55 years, Mary.
Starting out
Back in 1947, all he knew about clothes was that he enjoyed his custom-made suit. He used his savings of $3,500 to buy the inventory of a downtown retailer and set about learning the trade from tailors and sales representatives.
Even though downtown had 15 other clothes shops, he figures he was able to prosper because he was willing to try new fashions and he made sure garment makers weren't selling the items at Lord Chesterfield at other area stores.
Being a people person helped, too, he said.
"Everyone was my friend, whether they were doctors, lawyers or mill workers," he said.
For a while, he owned a store in Warren but sold that store about 40 years ago when he realized it stretched him too thin. The Warren store closed last year.
His original store stayed in downtown Youngstown at several different locations for many years. He later moved it to Boardman-Poland Road, where it operated for 10 years, and to Market Street, where it was for five years.
During Youngstown's boom years, his store had four salesmen, a bookkeeper and two tailors.
Just him
Today, it's just him. But he doesn't mind.
He enjoys working with customers such as Butch who seek him out because they trust him.
"Some customers just say, 'I want a black suit. You know what I like.' And I do. After 57 years, I know what my customers want," he said.
For those who want to be more involved in the sale, Polito keeps a few suits in his office as samples. He has fabric swatches to show what styles are available for each of the suits.
Some men have such unusual sizes that they prefer a custom-made suit. Polito uses a tailor shop in Illinois to handle these orders.
Prices for a custom-made suit start at $775, compared with $495 for other suits.
Keeping name alive
Money, though, doesn't matter much to him any more, he said. His reason for coming to work is to keep the Lord Chesterfield name alive as long as he can.
"The only way I'll leave Lord Chesterfield is if they take me out on a stretcher," he said. "But I feel I will die with the Lord Chesterfield name still existing."
shilling@vindy.com