Inside Blackwells Fine Men's Clothiers

With two years under their belt, jeff and lindsay seifried have fully transitioned into their role as owners of Blackwells Fine Men’s Clothiers (The Brentwood Center, 2716 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield, MO, 417-887-8200). The pair are the third owners of Blackwells since it first opened in 1896 under the name Braithwait’s in Bolivar. The Seifried’s bought the store from Rex Blackwell in September of 2022. “We wanted to own a unique small business that had a lot of history, and a lot of legacy, and Blackwells checked all of those boxes,” Jeff says. “Once we met Rex and got to visit the store, we could see the passion and energy he put into the business, and we could see ourselves being the next generation to take it to the next level.”

Having years of experience as entrepreneurs but not much experience in the world of men’s clothing, the Seifried’s benefited from Rex temporarily working in-store with them as they learned the ins and outs from his 40 years of experience with the shop.

While the Seifrieds strive to stay true to Blackwells’ origins, down to the antique cash register from the original shop, they are also always looking for new, innovative ways to help their customers. One of the many ways they are currently accomplishing this is by maintaining their made-to-measure custom fitting services, but elevating it to a whole new level with an automated 3D customization process. Wanting to add a more modern twist to the traditional custom fitting process, the Seifrieds had Formcut’s 3D body scan technology installed in their custom fitting room to scan measurements in seconds.

Blackwells has a shelf filled with a variety of different fabrics, colors and patterns for each piece of your custom outfit. After you pick out your desired color and fabric for each piece of clothing, the automated program tells you where and how to stand and does a 3D scan of your body, providing exact measurements. Then the measurements and fabric choices are sent to garment makers where they are custom-made with the label “Blackwells Custom” and are then shipped to customers within three weeks.  

Despite the new technology, traditional custom fitting still remains a big part of the business that the Seifrieds conserve, and they offer extensive custom fitting options for their guests in their Made-2-Measure fitting room.

They offer traditional made-to-measure custom suiting and shirting with a sales associate, where you get to choose your custom materials and your measurements are taken and kept on file for future use. Costumers can also take advantage of consultations, where a sales associate can go over options and pricing with you, and even pre-select options and style you.

“That personal touch and high level of customer service is a really cool experience, so we’ve leaned into that,” Lindsay says.

Additionally, the Seifrieds have continued to prioritize quality brands since they took over ownership of the shop. Currently, they have expanded to over 35 designer brands, most of them originating from Europe and other countries all around the world.

They work to have top-tier products and keep up to date with current trends to provide their customers with the best quality experience all the way from fitting to check out.

“It has just been so cool to meet these men who play an instrumental role in their jobs and lives, and getting to help them with things like weddings or suits for big job interviews,” Lindsay notes. “It’s really special.”

Blackwells offers men’s sportswear, suits, shoes and accessories. Along with their new 3D customization process, the store also offers complimentary tailoring, alterations, gift wrapping and delivery for its customers.