History
The original GARYS made its 1966 debut in a converted four-bedroom house located in Brentwood, California. Started by Gary Wasserman, the store sold upscale men's clothing to the area's elite clientele. Dick Braeger, then working as a sales representative for the prominent shoe manufacturer E. E. Taylor & Company, joined Wasserman as a partner in 1969. This pairing brought GARYS customers such fine shoes as Taylor Mades, British Walkers and Cole Haan. By 1984 when Braeger bought the business from Wasserman and became sole owner, GARYS had expanded to a company three stores strong: one in downtown Los Angeles, one in Marina Del Rey and one in Newport Beach.
Since those early days in Brentwood, Dick Braeger has brought The Garys Companies to the forefront of fashion in the United States by launching such coveted lines as Brioni, Canali, Zanella, Ermenegildo Zegna and Hugo Boss. His stores have pioneered some of the most well known casual-wear lines in the business including Nat Nast and Tommy Bahama. In 1999, continuing to pave the road to excellence in retailing, The Garys Companies became a part of the Forum, a join-by-invitation-only group of the top 14 independent, family-owned retailers in the country who come together to exchange information on finances, merchandising, advertising and personnel issues.
GARYS
Located in Newport Beach's upscale Fashion Island, the flagship store
for The Garys Companies is a unique, one-of-a-kind establishment that
has matured since its early beginnings in Brentwood. Five expansions
since 1987 have taken the high-end retailer from 3,500 square-feet to
today's 17,000 square feet. Braeger has intentionally kept the look of
the store simple: like several small shops under one roof where
customers can find everything from better clothing and sportswear to
furnishings and footwear.
GARYS offers some of the finest men's wear in Orange County, including such time-honored designer labels as Bontoni, Canali, Ermenegildo Zegna, Isaia, Hugo Boss, Brioni and Zanella. The store also carries an extensive collection of dress and casual sportswear lines to meet the needs of its elite customers.
The Denim department carries an unprecedented selection of designer jeans and specialty clothes by a fabulous array of designers from Italy, France and Los Angeles. Among the much sought after lines found in this department are jeans by Agave, Seven, Rock & Republic, True Religion and A.G.. Denim & Blues also carries an incredible selection of sports shirts to go with the jeans including unique checks and prints by Robert Graham, Georg Roth, Arnold Zimberg, and Seven Diamonds. Created as smaller shops within GARYS, and bringing the styles of GARYS full circle are the ever-popular Hugo Boss and shoe departments.
GARYS Cole Haan
With Dick Braeger as the founder of Cole Haan shoes, opening a shoe
department within the Newport Beach flagship store seemed only natural.
From the traditional Saddle Oxfords and Penny Loafers the company began
with, to wonderful contemporary shoe styles for men, GARYS carries it
all. Handmade in Italy by some of the world's finest craftsmen, Cole
Haan shoes signify the best of the best that Garys customers have come
to expect. Over the years the department has added such favorites as
Bragano, Gravati, Moreschi, Bontoni, Alden and John Varvatos.
GARYS Studio
The concept of the GARYS Studio store located in Del Mar, evolved
by demand from the many GARYS customers that made the trip from San
Diego to Newport Beach to shop at the renowned flagship stores: GARYS,
GARYS Cole Haan, and Garys Island.
Garys Rack
As The GARYS Companies continued to grow, it became apparent that a need
existed for another type of store: one that offered GARYS customers
end-of-season merchandise from all of the stores at attractive prices.
Recently donned one of Orange County's best kept secrets, Garys Rack was
established in 1990 in Tustin and carries everything from dress to
casual-wear, as well as accessories and a great selection of shoes for
men and women.