Burns Clothing opened on East Main St. in downtown Forest on August 1, 1978. The family owned and named department store is beginning its 40th year in business this month. Tom and Margaret Burns opened their doors only a few months after marrying in April of 1978. When they began their journey, Tom’s mother and father, Loucile and Roger joined them to help at Burns Clothing.
Loucile and Roger Burns had previously worked at the Thomas Great M Store on Main Street. Roger Burns had worked there for over 50 years before retiring. Loucile and Roger helped get things started in the mornings at Burns Clothing and helped fill in when Tom and Margaret had their first son, Michael the next year. Four years later, the Burns family would welcome their second son, John in 1983.
Tom Burns said, “When we opened, there were six or seven department stores in Forest. That’s the way towns were back then. The Jackson Metro Center mall was just being built.”
Margaret said, “There was no Walmart in Forest and no internet shopping.”
Tom described how technology has streamlined business. In 1998 the store installed a computer system to track inventory. It has also changed how orders are made.
In the days before the internet retailers would make orders from catalogs and at retailer markets. Tom said, “We would go to the Jackson market and the Dallas market, and we would get big brands.”
Tom said that the markets gathered the brands together and allowed you to see the merchandise in person like a shopper. This allowed you to examine the stitching and feel the texture of the material with your own hands.
Tom and Margaret described the retail world in the late 70s saying that there were no big box stores with variety of products. Things were specialized — you had shoe stores, hat stores, formal wear, bridal dresses, etc.
Tom said, “We were a destination store for the whole county.”
Forest to this day is a hub city for the county and bordering towns. To the west is Morton, to the east is Lake and Newton, to the south are Homewood and Raleigh, and north there is Hillsboro, Sebastopol, and Carthage.
The Burns said that with the introduction of the shopping mall to the American landscape and the opening of Walmart, mom and pop stores started folding.
Margaret described how Burns Clothing has evolved to service the local community, saying, “We’ve narrowed our focus. We carry items that are high quality.”
The Burns said that they are focused on a specific customer that is looking for strong craftsmanship and classical design in their clothing. Burns Clothing has also offered alterations and tailoring since opening to personalize clothing items for optimal fit.
The Burns said that they aim to provide a strong customer service and to make repeat customers feel a personal relationship with their locally founded and owned retailers.
