By Theodore Tollefson

The owners of the BeLoved Bridal and Schoolhouse Scoop in Hastings are opening a new men’s wear store downtown across the street from BeLoved Bridal. Amy and Mike VanZee, the couple who owns all three stores, opened VZ Haberdashery for business Thursdays through Sundays with limited hours.

“Directly across the street is the same landlord as I currently have,” said Amy VanZee. “So when that space became available, we decided we’d always be looking at doing men’s wear in our current spot, but just with confusion of naming and stuff like that, we thought it would be better to kind of just have a standalone morning business.”

Originally, the VanZees thought of moving Schoolhouse Scoop from its current location to where the men’s wear store will open on Sept. 30. However, the age of the downtown location brought concerns with how it could impact health and safety measures for food service. So the VanZee’s decided on the men’s wear store being directly across from BeLoved Bridal instead.

“Our hopes are to have a sustainable business down there as far as not only formal wear, but also casual clothing vendors. Men need stuff to wear. Men don’t necessarily take time to go outside of Hastings to shop and we’re not expecting to cater to everyone. Obviously, people have their own style and we’re okay with that. So we’re not a department store. We’re a small shop,” said Mike VanZee.

The VanZees plan to have primarily suits and tuxedos for rental. They hope to attract engaged couples who will visit both their stores for the formal wear they will need for their weddings. They will also offer casual wear, such as button-up shirts, T-shirts, pants, sweaters, joggers and dress shirts. Many of the current products are imported internationally from places such as Portugal and India.

Although Mike VanZee will be running the management side of operations at VZ Haberdashery, he credits his wife Amy for the ownership and idea of the store’s existence.

“This is her business. Ultimately, it’s her business, but I don’t like to call myself an owner. She’s my boss. She helped me get involved as far as picking some of the items I needed. We also have a daughter that’s 20 years old. She knows what’s trending. And you know, I’m old. I’m 50 now, so there’s certain things that I’ll never wear that are the trend right now,” said Mike VanZee.

With help from his daughter and guidance from his wife, Mike VanZee is sure that VZ Haberdashery will be a success as they open the doors for business in downtown Hastings.

VZ Haberdashery can be found in between SC Toys and Quaint and Quirky Gifts on Second Street. The VanZee’s plan to have a grand opening for VZ Haberdashery on Thursday, Sept. 30.

Haberdashery Store Front. Photo by Theodore Tollefson

Mike VanZee. Photo by Theodore Tollefson