By Michaela Bankston
Photos by Piper Campbell & Contributed
Seventy-five years ago workers affixed a new sign with three words to a building in downtown Leeds. It extended out over the sidewalk and rested perpendicular to the building for all to read as they walked or rode by. Though the words did not fully indicate everything inside Taylor Gee’s new store, the people had already coined the name.
According to his grandson Michael Gee, Taylor started his career as a pant wholesaler. He purchased pants from the Solomon Trousers Factory in Leeds and other manufacturers that he in turn sold to retailers. Once he opened a warehouse, locals started coming there to buy pants directly from him, and they called it, “The Pants Store.” By the time Taylor decided to open his retail location selling more than just pants, the name had already stuck.
“We’ve kicked around the idea of changing our name over the years, but in the end, it’s what we started with, and we’re proud of it, and we’re going to stick with it,” current co-owner Michael said.
Family Ties
Michael and his brother, John Gee, began working at the store under their father’s leadership in 2001. At that time, their grandmother, Helen Gee, lived just down the road, and according to Michael, she loved to cook for them. The Gee brothers along with their dad spent weekly lunch breaks at her house. The three generations gathered around the table to enjoy Helen’s cooking and especially her chicken and dumplings.
In 2006 Michael and John purchased the store from their father and became the third generation to own Pants Store. However, their dad remained active with the business, which Michael called a “true blessing.”
“Some people can’t get along with their parents when they run family businesses,” Michael said. “We definitely had our differences, don’t get me wrong, but I treasure the time I had to work with my dad.”
More than a decade later, Michael’s and John’s teenage children have the same opportunity and currently represent the fourth generation of Gees working at Pants Store. As to whether they will follow in their fathers’ footsteps and take over, Michael said they’re all too young to know, but “that’s certainly a possibility.” The sentiment feels familiar as Michael nor John planned on it. Both went to college and had jobs in other fields before they joined forces at the store.
Beyond Blood
The Gee family members are not the only ones who had other aspirations for their life. Kady Gray Oczypok strolled into the Crestline location on a shopping trip with her grandmother the summer before her senior year of high school. She overheard a conversation about hiring and decided to apply on a whim.
“When I started at Pants Store in Crestline, I thought I was going to be a pharmacist,” Oczypok said. “I was going to go to pharmacy school at Samford, but I just love retail so much. I love clothing, and I love that we can make money selling clothes, so my two loves combined.”
Oczypok has now worked for the only company she has ever known for almost 15 years.
She began her Pants Store journey as a shy 17-year-old retail associate, who found Michael “very intimidating,” and kept herself busy refolding tank tops when she did not have anything else to do. That shifted within her first month after Michael “scared the daylights out of [her]” by walking up and pointing out a man who needed help finding a shoe.
“I was a changed woman,” Oczypok said. “I was always interacting with customers where I used to be shy and scared to go talk to them.”
After another month, she began running the store on Saturdays. In the spring, the Gees decided they would open a store near Michael and Oczypok’s alma mater. They wanted her to work there, and the decision was easy for her to keep a job in college. However, for her freshman year, that meant coming home each weekend until the Tuscaloosa store opened in April.
Oczypok started going on trips to market in college and is now one of two buyers for the ladies’ side, which Michael said accounts for around 70 percent of the business. In addition to that, she also spearheads the e-commerce, social media and marketing team.
“At the end of the day, Kady is probably one of my bosses now,” Michael Gee said.
Growth and Evolution
When the Gee brothers purchased Pants Store in 2006, they took over a single store with 56 years behind it. The next year they opened the Crestline location, followed by Tuscaloosa in 2011, Huntsville in 2017, Auburn and Hoover in 2022. Just earlier this year, they opened their first out-of-state location, where John went to college, in Oxford, Mississippi According to Michael, it is the final Pants Store location.
“We don’t want to grow too large and become too corporate and lose sight of what we want to do and who we are,” Michael said. “We feel like at seven locations we’re able to maintain who we are and what we want to do and keep a thumb on what our customer wants and needs.”
In the ever-changing fashion industry, not only do their wants and needs change, but over time their primary customer has evolved. When Taylor opened his doors in 1950, he primarily served working men, who dressed up much more than they do today. Over the years, Pants Store clientele has become more and more female as men like Michael are less apt to seek out new clothes if their existing ones fit and look nice.
“If it wasn’t for our women’s business, I’m not sure we would still be in business,” Michael continued.
Oczypok elaborated that while the target customer is female, they have to keep in mind the different shopping preferences among women. Stores like Leeds see many moms, who shop not only for themselves, but also for the entire family. Meanwhile, the Tuscaloosa, Auburn and Oxford locations see huge boosts from college girls prepping for sorority recruitment and game days.
In all this, Michael said the key to success in their business is the willingness to adapt. In just the couple of decades since he and his brother took over, they have seen two major shifts in addition to constant stylistic changes. The year 2007 started the decline in T-shirts adorned with script A’s and the rise of crimson blouses and houndstooth skirts in what Michael called, “the Nick Saban effect.” On the contrary, 2020 saw all other outfits become more casual as people stayed home and relied more on comfort.
“Fashion is ever-changing, and so you just try and keep up with the times the best way possible,” Michael said.
Even in more consistent industries, not much stays the same over the course of three-quarters of a century, but one thing has remained constant in the Gees’ business.
“It all boils down to customer service and helping your customer and listening to your customer and giving them what they need because the customer is the lifeblood of our business, and that will never change,” Michael said.
The original Pants Store is located at 8029 Parkway Drive in Leeds. It is open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. For information on their other locations or to shop online, visit pantsstore.com or follow them on social media.
