Longtime Stanley Korshak leader Crawford Brock references Pat Conroy’s novel The Great Santini when he describes the store culture and staff. “They’re Meechams,” he says, “They have humble grit.” That humble grit, he says, is integral to Stanley Korshak’s values and strategy—even as it enters a new era on the heels of an acquisition by Connecticut-based Mitchells Stores.
Brock joined Uptown-based Stanley Korshak 38 years ago after an 11-year career with luxury retailer Neiman Marcus: He started as a men’s clothing buyer in Dallas before moving to Los Angeles to become the merchandise manager for the brand’s Beverly Hills store. “It was [producing] a record volume in sales and revenue when I left,” he says. Hunt family heiress and hotelier Caroline Rose Hunt then recruited him to return to Dallas in 1987 to run Stanley Korshak after the brand’s flagship location closed. “Korshak is a business that started in 1909 in Chicago,” Brock explains. “It was three brothers: Stanley Korshak was in the store; Marshall Korshak was a legislator for the state of Illinois; and Sidney Korshak was an attorney for Al Capone and the boys.”
Brock reached out to his mentor Stanley Marcus—son of one of the Neiman Marcus founders—to join the effort as a consultant. Over the next eight years, the duo grew the brand. “We just cranked it up,” Brock says. “As he said, ‘You take care of the customers, they'll come back. You take care of the merchandise, and it won't come back.’”
The two built an elite inventory of men’s and women’s clothing brands, including Donna Karan, Kiton, Carolina Herrera, and more. The company’s clientele now includes business and sports elites nationwide, with roughly 30 percent visit the store from outside of Dallas. The store’s location inside The Crescent includes its men and women’s clothing, ladies shoes and handbags, fine jewelry, a hair salon, a curated selection of home, gift, and cosmetic items, and newly remodeled fitting rooms inside The Shak.
In 2002—the year Stanley Marcus passed away—Brock bought Stanley Korshak from Hunt. A few years later, he met Jack Mitchell, the former owner of Mitchell Stores, on a flight back from a retail forum event. Mitchell asked Brock if he had thought about what his exit plan might one day look like. “Probably you all,” Brock responded. “We would love that,” Mitchell responded at the time. Twenty years later, in March, closed its acquisition of Stanley Korshak.
Now, Brock is working alongside the Mitchell family to expand Stanley Korshak’s ecommerce and technology capabilities. “They are bringing in technology that is truly advanced,” Brock says. Specifically, Stanley Korshak has already worked alongside the Mitchells to launch a store app and update its POS system. “The app gives [staff] the ability to see when all their clients last visited,” Brock explains, “[Staff] can also use the app to take a screenshot of a product—let’s say a men’s shoe—and the algorithm will pop out four people who would buy that shoe.” Stanley Korshak will also gain access to eight times its current inventory.
Brock plans to remain the brand’s leader, working alongside the Mitchell family to continue Stanley Korshak’s growth. “I think I’ll stay on and drive the top line, and let them deal with the other line items,” Brock says. “I do think the revenues will explode, and I can see another $10 million coming in here. Sixty million dollars is absolutely attainable.”
“I do think the revenues will explode, and I can see another $10 million coming in here.”—Crawford Brock