Old Friends

Rodger Kowall came to Princeton to visit us yesterday. He has been a friend of mine for more than forty years. Rodger and his wife Patty founded Cuffs Clothing Company in the early 80s and I took a chance, at least it seemed chancy at the time, by alienating his prior employer, Bunce Brothers, a prominent Cleveland landmark, by selling Norman Hilton to him. It was a decision I never regretted.

Because ours was never just a business relationship. He was one of those customers with whom you have a relationship that transcends commerce, and our memories of the time we shared are the part of our business lives we cherish most. We stayed at one another’s homes; celebrated each others’ children’s birthdays (born a year apart on the same day,) at 21 in New York; traveled together to visit factories and fabric fairs in northern Italy; were treated to lavish celebrations thrown by dodgy vendors in Paris. We argued about style, of course, of where the customer was headed; Rodger had a better idea than I. He’s still going down to his shop on East Orange Street every day, while my life only more recently became so settled.

In the photo here, taken at Delizioso Cafe next door to us on Witherspoon Street, underneath his outer jacket you can see the edge of a Norman Hilton Castlereagh jacket that Rodger has kept and worn (“cherished,” I believe he said,) since 1984. It’s a symbol of a friendship, of enduring quality, and of the timelessness of classic taste.

Thanks for coming all this way to visit, buddy.