jhoutfitters
Sometimes ill health forces someone to shutter their beloved business forever. But every now and then, someone comes along to rescue the business, and in the case of J&H Lanmark in Lexington, keeps it thriving into its 40th year.
Named after original owners, Danny Johnson and John Hall, J&H began as an Army surplus store, the kind that was popular in the 1950s through the 1970s. The store opened on North Broadway downtown. Later it moved to West Main Street across from the civic center.
In the late ’70s and early ’80s, the store moved into the work-wear business, selling to farmers, landscapers and to county government workers. There seemed to be more demand for and a better profit margin for those product lines. Customers purchased a lot of Carhartt work clothes and Red Wing safety toe shoes for work inside factories.
Hall bought out Johnson, and in 1993, he opened a store on Moore Drive. It was around this time that Hall called a teenager he knew to offer him a job. The young man, George Lathram, was the son of one of Hall’s best friends.
“My job was janitorial services and to help open the Moore Drive location,” recalled Lathram. “I was painting and doing all of the not-so-fun stuff. I still have my first pay stub from back then — for $4.40 an hour.”
Lathram went off to start his own financial career, but an unfortunate event brought him back into the J&H circle. His friend, mentor and groomsman at his wedding — Hall — was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Hall’s options seemed to be to close the business, which was realistic considering his illness; sell it to a stranger, which he didn’t want to do; or to sell it to someone he did know.
Longtime J&H shoe buyer Woody DePerna remembered how Lathram reacted to the prospect of J&H disappearing forever.
“George said to all of us buyers, ‘We can’t let this happen. The business has been here 34 years, and it’s kind of an institution. It’d be a shame for our regular customers and those who enjoy it so much,’” DePerna said.
Lathram said he screwed up the courage to approach the Hall family about buying J&H. They approved, and the deal was struck in 2006.
Today, the store caters to people who love the outdoors.
“We have a broad array of customers, from Cub Scouts to retired people who are looking for their next peak. There’s a portion of society that is very interested in staying fit and getting outdoors,” he explained.
J&H has gear for hiking, backpacking, camping, climbing and many more activities. Having the beautiful and challenging Red River Gorge nearby also inspires the buying public.
“There are basically two buying seasons in our business: the fall buys from vendors, which includes winter, and the spring buys, which includes summer,” Lathram said.
He said people may think they’re getting a better price from a chain sporting goods or outdoor store, “but that’s a myth.”
“We all have to sell at about the same basic price,” Lathram said. “It just may be that the big chains will have a sale during a different 10-day period than we will.”
Lathram added that quality is important, too.
“When you buy something from J&H, like a tent or backpack, it’s probably going to last your lifetime if you take care of it. You get what you pay for,” Lathram said.
Aside from the merchandise, what else is responsible for the store surviving the ups and downs of the retail marketplace?
“This may seem like a boring answer, but it’s because of good employees,” Lathram said. “You can’t provide good customer service without employees who care and have a passion for the products they’re selling.”
DePerna, who manages the store’s footwear product lines, has been at J&H for most of the past 20 years.
“It’s a really special place. If you come in on any given day, I think you’ll get a feeling for what I am talking about,” said DePerna. “It’s a warm and inviting atmosphere because of the people we’ve had there. We’ve attracted excellent staff. They love the stuff we sell and what they do at the store.”
A few years ago, J&H opened a second store on Romany Road that didn’t make it. “The timing was wrong,” Lathram said. “It was 2007. The economy started to tank. That taste is still fresh in my mouth. But if it makes sense, we would definitely consider expansion.”
Despite that setback, Lathram thought it made sense recently to increase the size of the Moore Drive store by 50 percent to 15,000 square feet by acquiring additional retail space next door.
J&H is also into social media and very active with Facebook. There’s a loyalty club that informs customers monthly about promotions or coupons.
“I’m a very blessed individual,” Lathram said, “because I’m living my dream and carrying on the legacy of John Hall. J&H was his life. I am very proud of the success we have had.”