By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
Special to Hays Post
It was planned as a celebration of life for a popular Hays businessman who died during the COVID pandemic.
For those who attended a get-together on Oct. 6 at The Strand Event Center in downtown Hays, it was a trip down memory lane for many reasons.
Russ Clark was the former co-owner of the Village Shop, a men’s clothing store where The Strand is now located at 1102 Main. Clark died at the age of 96 in December of 2020 during a time when large gatherings were discouraged.
Two of Clark’s six children had milestone class reunions during this year’s homecoming activities for Hays High School in October. So they decided to organize a celebration of life for their dad at The Strand during that time as well.
“We had always watched what was going on at 1102 Main; it was a big part of our family,” said Steve Clark, the third born of the six Clark siblings, who made the trip to Hays from New York for the weekend.
After the Village Shop closed in 1990, the building housed some retail businesses and even a Goodwill store for a few years. It sat empty from 2009 until Hays entrepreneurs Dustin and Laney Roths bought and remodeled the building, then opened for business in 2020.
“When we heard the building was going to be turned into an event space, we were excited about that, thought it was a great use of the space,” Steve said. “So when we were talking about having some kind of get-together to honor our dad, this seemed like a logical place to have it.”
People came from near and far to honor Clark and to reminisce about days gone by.
After hugs and hellos for those attending – many who hadn’t seen each other in years – most conversations were started off with one common question: “Do you remember …?”
For those who didn’t know (or remember) certain facts, folks who lived during the Village Shop days were more than happy to fill in some blanks.
Russ Clark had opened the Village Shop in 1963 with Don Volker. In 1977, Volker sold his interest in the business to Jim Schiffelbein, then the manager of Browne’s for Men, another men’s clothing store across the street.
Clark and his wife, Dora Lou, opted for retirement when Schiffelbein took a job with Wolverine Worldwide in Michigan. Dora Lou had worked as bookkeeper for the Village Shop for decades, and the Clark couple was able to enjoy 28 years of retirement together before her death in 2018 at the age of 93.
Schiffelbein talked about how during the 1970s and ’80s, the men’s clothing stores never had to go looking for help. They always had plenty of applicants from down the street at Fort Hays State University.
He also mentioned how many of those young men went on to become successful professionals no matter what career they chose.
“You won’t get a better education than meeting with the public on a day-to-day basis,” Schiffelbein said. “We’re one of the few professions that you have to train the mind and the body.”
One of those young employees was Jerry Moran from Plainville, who went on to excel in a career other than a men’s clothing salesman.
“I learned a lot as a young college student, watching how Russ Clark conducted himself,” said Moran, who went on to succeed as an attorney and in local and state politics and now is in his second term as a U.S. Senator.
While attending Fort Hays State, Moran worked in Browne’s for Men, in which Clark and Volker had ownership shares along with the Village Shop. Therefore, Moran frequented the Village Shop – which specialized in men’s suits but also sold sportswear and other outerwear – and says he was a customer there until the store closed.
Moran admits his first college employment experience set a solid foundation for life.
“Russ Clark was a good role model for all kinds of professions, an honorable person,” Moran said. “I learned a lot just watching his relationship with customers. He always stood straight and tall, and his clothes seemed like something out of a magazine.”
Moran said he remembers the Village Shop being a “center of attention in Hays.”
“People from all over our part of Kansas wandered into the store to shop, not only to shop but to have a conversation with Russ Clark,” he said. “He had an aura about him where people not only liked him, but they respected him, too.”
Those who worked alongside Clark day in and day out had similar feelings.
“Russ was like a father to me,” Schiffelbein said in a telephone interview. Schiffelbein still lives in Michigan and was unable to make the celebration because of a prior commitment.
“He would tell what he thought about something,” Schiffelbein said, “and although you might not agree on everything, he was easy-going.”
He added that a big reason for the business’ success was it service, which included professional in-house tailoring.
“Tailoring was an art back then,” Schiffelbein said. “You were basically rebuilding the suit. That was a service that people really appreciated."
In its early days, the Village Shop occupied about half the building, and a men’s shoe store was in the other half.
Joe Pflaum, an assistant manager for that shoe store (Brown’s Shoe Fit Co.) at the time, said he remembers having to keep the Village Shop’s front door locked right up to opening time because customers would be standing outside waiting to get in.
“It was a really popular store, and it was really enjoyable to work there,” Pflaum said. “It was so family-oriented.”
The get-together on Oct. 6 resembled a family gathering as the Clark siblings mingled with the crowd, getting reacquainted with several. Three tables displaying memorabilia from Russ Clark’s life brought back a lot of memories for many and prompted more “remember whens.”
Steve Clark and his younger brother, Patrick (Sibling No. 5 who lives in Overland Park), entertained visitors with stories of their first jobs at the Village Shop.
“My first job was to sweep the sidewalk or vacuum the carpet,” Steve said. “I spent a lot of time down here from grade school through my first year of college at Fort Hays State.”
“Shining shoes – that was the first thing I got paid for,” Patrick said with a laugh, adding that he got proficient at removing tack stitching that is sewn on suit pockets to keep the shape of the suit during shipping.
“They watched me the first several times I removed those stitches,” he added, “but I got pretty good with that seam ripper after a while.”
Other Clark siblings in attendance were sisters Cindy Maddux from Randolph and Sara Clark from Oregon. The family’s oldest sibling (sister Lynne Burke from Mississippi) and youngest (Robert Clark from New York) were not able to make the trip.
Russ Clark survived the Dust Bowl and World War II and enjoyed a good, long life. And most everyone who knew him would tell you his No. 1 priority was family.
He would have been pleased that his family – immediate and extended – could get together for another visit at the Village Shop.
“Our parents enjoyed Hays, and Dad enjoyed interacting with people,” Steve Clark said. “Speaking for all my siblings, we agreed he would appreciate the serendipity that his final get-together was at 1102 Main. Dad was a good man. He made the world a better place.”