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Milford store weaves fabric of community |
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Michigan was not yet a state when Ansley Arms and Jabesh
Mead opened their general store in Milford in 1836. Western Oakland County
was little more than wilderness at the time, and one can imagine pioneering
farmers and traveling fur trappers mingling in the store around the warmth
of an iron stove, swapping tales from the wilds of Michigan.
Motley and his sole employee, Ron Barnette, a 28-year
veteran, always have a friendly word for the people who parade through
the store each day: customers, fellow downtown retailers, locals seeking
advice, former Milford residents looking for news of old friends, kids
on their way to music lessons using the store as a shortcut. “I never know who’s going to walk in the door,”
said Motley. “I meet the nicest people. That’s what makes this
business fun.” Motley says focusing on people is a big reason for the
store’s long history of success. “Personalized service is what has kept us in business
for 166 years,” he said. “If you’re nice to people, they
will be nice back. I think that’s why Ron and I have survived.” Arms Brothers was honored by the Michigan Retailers Association
last year as a Michigan Centennial Retailer. It is the oldest store discovered
so far in the two years of the program, which recognizes retail businesses
that have been in operation for 100 years or more. The store’s history is apparent in its oak display
cases, leaded glass windows and the vintage items displayed throughout
the store: antique sleighs, radios, musical instruments, bikes, skis and
even a wooden canoe. Motley still uses a 1914 cash register to ring up
sales. “If there’s a power failure, I can still wait
on the customers,” he said. “And it’s a good conversation
piece.” The atmosphere may be nostalgic, but Motley makes sure
his merchandise - which includes formal business attire, casual wear,
shoes and accessories - isn’t stuck in the past.
His biggest challenge is getting the new people who move into the rapidly growing community to begin shopping at his store. Once they come in the first time, he’s confident that high-quality merchandise and service will win their business. Those characteristics have already won the loyalty of
his current clientele, some of whom have moved out of the area but still
come back to shop from as far away as Lansing, Flint, Ann Arbor and Detroit. “You’ve got to have new customers to survive,
but you’ve got to take good care of your current customers because
they already know you’re there,” he said. “Word-of-mouth
is the best advertising I can ask for.” Motley, a Milford native, bought the business in 1979
after working under the third and fourth generations of the Arms family
to operate the store. He began working at Arms Brothers in 1952 as a freshman
in high school. His father had recently died in a car accident, and owners
Theron Arms Sr. and Theron Arms Jr. helped fill the fatherly void in his
life. Motley came in before school to sweep, dust and run errands
and returned after class to clean up and prepare for closing. He earned
$8 per week for his labors. “That’s how I got started,” he said. “I
saved money, too - I put $2 a week in the bank.” Taking over the business was “a dream come true,”
said Motley. He originally planned to open two additional locations, but
decided to concentrate on the Milford store rather than deal with the
headaches of being an absentee owner. “As a retailer you’re not going to get rich,
so why not be happy and be involved in your business and your community?”
he said. Community involvement is a major part of Motley’s
life. He was the first chair of the Downtown Development Authority and
continues to serve on the board. After chairing the Milford Business Association
for 20 years, he now serves as treasurer. He organizes the downtown’s
annual Christmas Open House, which features live bands and choirs and
a visit from Santa and his reindeer. Motley was also a longtime board
member of the Huron Valley Chamber of Commerce and Milford’s Zoning
Board of Appeals.
Motley anticipates retiring from retail in the near future
and hopes to turn the business over to Barnette, who does most of the
buying and is more of a partner than an employee. But Motley has no intentions of withdrawing from the community
scene. In fact, he’s already filed to run for Oakland County commissioner
this year. “I have too much energy left to give to go out and
not do anything,” he said. Meanwhile, he enjoys the daily interaction in the store
with customers and potential customers, many of whom are descendents of
people he served in the store as a teen. “I don’t call this a job,” he said. “I
call it an adventure. Every day is a new adventure for me.” This article was written by Michigan Retailer staff writer Rachel Whitaker. |
There’s
no iron stove with a crackling fire in today’s store, but Arms Brothers
- now a men’s clothier - is still a community gathering place. Owner
Thomas Motley, after nearly 50 years in the business and decades of involvement
in community organizations, usually knows the latest news on people and
events around Milford. 
“You
have to stay one step ahead of consumers or you’ll lose them,”
he said.
“Being
in business has given me the opportunity to be involved in the community,”
he said. “If you’re going to take from a community, you’ve
got to give back.”