Editor's note: After the story below went to press, the owner of Tin & Oak changed focus and now plans to sell furniture at his North Fourth Street location. He says he is currently searching for another location to open a men’s clothing store. The online verison of the story has been updated to reflect those changes.

With men’s clothing now the fastest growing sector of the fashion industry, two Wilmington business owners are trying to capitalize on the expanding market.

Harrison Sasser and Gary Pennington hope current projects with their stores, The Gentlemen’s Corner and Tin & Oak respectively, can leave a stylish mark on an industry that is expected to make $402 billion in 2014, according to MarketLine research.

Local style consultant TJ Dunn said the increase in men’s clothing stores is a step forward for Wilmington.

“The different stores around here cater to very different crowds depending on your style and budget,” Dunn said. “But one thing that is awesome with the community in Wilmington is that everyone here loves to support local mom and pop stores.”

Dunn went on to say the Port City is a great place for men’s fashion to thrive, citing April’s Wilmington Fashion Weekend, which Dunn founded, that was almost equally attended by both women and men.

“There are a lot of hungry people out there,” Dunn said. “Wilmington kind of has this ‘if you build it they will come’ mentality, which is good for these businesses.”

When Sasser opened his own franchise of Pinehurst-based The Gentlemen’s Corner in Lumina Station, he was one of the first in a recent trend of men’s clothing boutiques to open in Wilmington.

“We felt the area was underserved in the men’s market,” Sasser said about the opening in 2010. “This area deserved a quality men’s store with a focus on customer service.”
Now with more competition, such as Bloke Apparel, Sasser’s store continues to perform well in the Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach markets.

“We are going into our fourth year and have seen a steady increase in sells each year,” Sasser said.

With lines ranging from companies in Europe to North Carolina, The Gentlemen’s Corner provides men throughout Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach with “clothing and products that can be appreciated by a 16-year-old and his 80-year-old grandfather,” Sasser said.

This spring, Sasser expanded to Chapel Hill, opening his second location of The Gentlemen’s Corner on Franklin Street. It is the fourth The Gentlemen’s Corner retail location, with the other two in Pinehurst and Palm Beach, Florida.

Sasser said that Chapel Hill offers his store the opportunity to really break into college markets. Furthermore, Sasser said the store in Chapel Hill gave The Gentlemen’s Corner the chance to do something completely new.

“We are one of the few in the country to have a Peter Millar Crown Shop in Chapel Hill,”
Sasser said.

“The opening of the Peter Millar Crown Shop celebrates our partnership with one of the leaders in the men’s clothing industry.”

Even as The Gentlemen’s Corner continues to expand throughout North Carolina, Sasser said he remains devoted to his Wilmington branch where he can “hang his hat for many years to come.”

Pennington is still looking for a location to set up shop for a new menswear boutique.

“I believe that affordable men’s clothing is what Wilmington has been missing for quite some time,” he said.

He said he initially looked at downtown’s Brooklyn Arts District to attract “young professionals and college students from Cape Fear Community College and the University of North Carolina Wilmington."

Pennington has since decided to use the space at 709 N. Fourth St., which was formerly a gym, as a spot to sell furniture and gifts.