Wednesday, November 25, 2009 • The Leader • A11
www.covingtonleader.com
Specialty vintage shop caters to men, women and home
Mitch Wood
By Sherri Onorati sonorati@covingtonleader.com Normally when you find a speciality boutique clothing store in a small town, it caters to women or children. That isn’t the case in Covington anymore. The Hatchie River Emporium & Haberdashery has recently relocated from Somerville to the historic square in Covington. Owner Gene Sneed has been in the clothing business for more than 25 years and specializes in vintage clothing, quality men’s clothing and furs. His business is actually made up of two different shops: one side houses what he calls the Emporium and the other, The Haberdashery. “The Emporium will have women’s vintage clothing, antiques, home decor, collectibles and instruments,” explained Sneed. “The Haberdashery will contain primarily men’s tailored clothing – better quality, soft shoulder with traditional neckwear. It will be distinguished from the vintage area which, depending on the era, could have padded shoulders and lapels of varying widths.” Sneed, originally from the Mid-South area, began his fascination with clothes right out of college. “After college I decided to do something a little more fun,” he said. “I had been collecting vintage clothing for years and had a good selection of neckwear and sport coats for men.” Sneed went to work for Evans Fur, Inc., one of the preeminent retailers of luxurious fur coats and accessories for women in the United States, where he stayed for 25 years. “I started out as a buyer for Goldsmith’s and then moved into their speciality store of better apparel,” said Sneed. “That kind of piqued my interest in the clothing end of it. In order to have more responsibility I started buying for their fur salons and that got me into the fur business.” Working for Evans, Sneed found his niche as a restyler, bringing new life to outdated apparel. Today, some of the updates he does to clothing includes adding fur accents and trims. “I like to recycle anything,” he said. “They would fly me to different stores across the country to update whatever it was they needed. Restyling was my speciality. One summer we went to Greece. That’s where the fur industry basically started, and I was one of 10 who was singled out for outstanding restyling.” Sneed is proud he can offer Tipton County what he feels is a missing fashion component. “It may just be a product of the times or it’s people understanding have changed, he said. “We buy used cars, used furniture and other things used and now they are more comfortable in
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Haberdasher Gene Sneed is pleased to offer upscale vintage clothing for men and women at Hatchie River Emporium & Haberdashery.
buying used clothing. An new Oxford blazer would probably start out at around $1,700. Here, if it’s almost in mint condition, I’m one tenth of that. Suits generally sell for $3,200 and up and again, it’s about 10 percent of that at my store.” Sneed said men will be happy to find such names as Oxford, Hickey Freeman and Hart Schaffner and Marx in his establishment. “These names appeal to a lawyer who wears pinstripes and wingtips,” he explained. “I have a group of young men from the University of Memphis law school who come out to see me. Then on the otherhand, artists and musicians buy the vintage men’s clothing.” Sneed explained although men tend to gravitate to specific types of clothing depending on their profession, women love to wear clothes according to their moods. “Women will buy vintage, as well as contemporary,” remarked Sneed. “I think they understand it’s whatever you feel like. You can never get a lawyer to put on a vintage outfit because they go, ‘oh that’s just old stuff.’” One of the lines Sneed is pleased to carry is from Michael Novarese, a Fayette County native who designed for Barbara Steisand. “Michael Novarese is retired now, but he still designs for Barbara Streisand. His stuff is really good. We have a real nice selection of ladies suits from the 1960s but they are so reminiscent of Chanel suits today.” Sneed’s other vintage clothing also includes several hand-beaded chiffon gowns and gowns from Academy Award designer Helen Rose. “We have one gown which has two layers of silk chiffon and each layer has 16 yards each! It is absolutely incredible. It is also hand-beaded, done in Iran probably in the 1970s. The workmanship is indescribable,” he said. “We have an exceptional gown from Helen Rose. She won two Academy Awards for costume
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Hatchie River Emporium & Haberdashery also offers antiques and musical instruments.
designs and she did Elizabeth Taylor’s gowns in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and she also did Princess Grace’s wedding dress. I had it on one girl and it looked super on her but she was looking for something to wear to a wedding and she was worried that it might over power the bride.” Sneed also sells various instruments, and has a vendor who demonstrates various guitars and other instruments every Saturday from noon until 3 p.m. Currently in the store is a 1935 Knave grand piano. “It is fully restored and is absolutely beautiful,” said Sneed. “I’m not a musician, but I love wood and I like any kind of music so I have music days on Saturdays. I offer grand pianos and all kinds of small instruments. I have a very nice section of guitars available.” Sneed spent two and a half years in Somerville but said the majority of his clients were from Covington, Brownsville and Jackson. He feels moving into the former law offices of Mike Whitaker was the best move he could have made. “I was really impressed when Mike started talking to me about Covington and why I would want to come,” he said. “After visiting Covington, it made total sense to me. I used to sell my designs in galleries in Chicago, then I thought I would try to develop base for it here in Tennessee. Interestingly enough,
most of my women’s vintage customers were from Brownsville, Jackson and Covington. It seems like there is a younger, more astute mix in Covington in general. There is a better understanding of fashion here that a lot of small communities don’t have. I think it’s going to be exceptional here.” The Hatchie River Emporium & Haberdashery is located at 118-120 East Court Street. Business hours are Tuesday thru Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information call (901) 921-0450 or email genesneed@yahoo.com.
On Thursday, November 19, a ribbon cutting was held for Speight Family Medical located at 76 Tabb Drive #E in Munford. Deanna Speight FNP is the owner. They are open Monday - Friday 8am-5pm. Let the friendly staff, Kim Byrd FNP, Sonika Johnson, Rachel Howell, Cindy Wilkins, Stacey Lyons, Crystal Jackson, Leslie Owen and Nathan Williams assist you. Call 840-2102 for an appointment!
An important issue for women CANNON CHIROPRACTICS’ COATS FOR KIDS ALL NEW PATIENTS!! Bring in a new or gently used coat during the month of November and you will receive your first 2 visits absolutely free! **Initial X-rays **Spinal Scans **Doctor Consultation **Written Report of Findings **1st Adjustment
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76 Tabb Dr. •*Located in Munford www.cannonchiropractic.com
One factor people often overlook is how the need for long-term care can impact their financial security and quality of life. Since women often serve the role of the family caregiver, and also have longer life expectancies than men,1 it’s important to plan ahead for your own future needs. By making long-term care insurance part of your financial plan, you can help: ◊ Protect your assets from the high cost of long-term care ◊ Reduce the burden of care that often falls on family members ◊ Maintain control over where you receive care, including in your home A free copy of “A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance Protection” can be obtained by contacting Trish Williams at 476-7137 or patricia@mcstitt.com 1 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care information, September 2008.
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Long-Term Care Insurance Specialist “My goal is to help you better understand long-term care and how long-term care insurance can help you protect your hard-earned assets.” - Trish Williams McBride Stitt & Williams 102 W Liberty Avenue • Covington, TN 476-7137