This one hurts as I’ve so enjoyed my conversations with Jess Draper, the owner of Hog Mountain, the menswear shop on Fifth Avenue. Open just one year, this was the first foray into retail for Draper, an actor who was born in Alabama. He wanted to create a southern style general store for men with rugged classic clothing, accessories, tools, shoe polish, shaving accessories, cologne and more. He even had an old fashioned refrigerator filled with beer (for those who were curious enough to open it).
Draper wears the same pair of leather work boots he’s worn since he was 14 and strongly believes that shoes and clothing should be built to last.
Speaking to him during the holiday season I know he was frustrated that shoppers were turning to the web for the merchandise he was carrying. They’d come into the shop to try things on and then jot down size and number and buy it online.
The plan is to close on January 19th and he’s having a huge closeout sale in the meantime. Sadly, it’s that time of year again (during an economic downturn), when stores start to close. Hope we don’t lose too many this year.
Sad to see you go, Hog Mountain. Good luck to you, man.
I am a champion of the entrepreneur and was very hopeful for Draper when he first opened his business. It’s always sad to see a dream die but it’s even more painful keeping it alive when no one is supporting it. I wish him well in his future endeavors.
sad to see another one go, especially a store with this much attention to detail and brand, but… c’mon, their stock was not exactly brooklyn-friendly.
there was no hook! their oversized flannels and ll bean-style fashion were exactly that — no hybrid, no counterpoint, none of the cross-pollinated fashion sense that makes brooklyn not just a mishmash of genres, but an acute remix of disparate styles. i’m certain that the stock is the problem, because they are great as people and as store designers.
they are simply too focused on bringing country workhorse fashion to the park slope set. the market’s just not there for that, considering all their items are available cheaper online.
Yeah, people just don’t seem to get it.
If we don’t want a lot of empty store fronts in our neighborhood, we have to
support our local merchants.
They are what makes the neighborhood special and gives it it’s character,
making it more enjoyable for everyone.