ROANOKE, Va. – Davidsons, a menswear clothing shop that has been in the Roanoke community for more than 100 years, is switching ownership.
“I just feel really positive about it that I have been fortunate enough to enjoy my life, enjoy working in the community being part of the community and knowing that that legacy is gonna continue,” said current Owner Larry Davidson.
Davidsons is a family-owned business that has been run by three generations in Roanoke City.
Davidson said he has worked at the store for 55 years, and his sons are pursuing other careers.
They are selling the business to James Bower, who owns a Lynchburg shop called R. Coffee Ltd.
“I was introduced to this business and worked in the background as a high school student on the weekends and a matter of fact, even as a little kid was brought in to help in some small ways. So, I’ve been doing this for a long time. And I was fortunate enough to have somebody approach me who is James Bowers from Lynchburg who owns R. Coffee, which is a very fine men’s store,” said Davidson.
R. Coffee Ltd’s owner, James Bower, bought Davidsons and will take over in September.
“It’s very surreal and I’m very very grateful for the opportunities with this one, especially with this one with Davidsons. It’s really nice,” said Davidson.
R. Coffee Ltd. Sells has about five to 10,000 customers subscribed to its emails. The company also has clients in New Zealand, New York and Sweden.
They sell similar brands, and they’ll continue to sell the clothing that is sold at Davidsons.
When Bower takes over, R. Coffee Ltd. and Davidsons will sell the same brands that way people can shop at both stores for the same clothes.
Bower also plans on merging the two shops’ websites, so people can buy the clothes online.
“Maintaining that legacy of friendship, customer service, beautiful clothing and being philanthropic for the communities that we’re in, that’s definitely gonna be a big priority for us to help maintain their legacy,” said Bower.