From the 1973 archives: New premises for business

The tailoring and menswear business conducted by Mr Gordon McDonald is undergoing a major expansion.

Mr McDonald has been in business in the same site in Maitland Street since 1947.

However, when he first commenced business at the present address on September 1, 1947, he operated from much smaller premises.

In fact, the shop only covered half the area it was immediately before the latest additions.

Other extensions were made two and a half years ago to make more room for the tailoring department which is an important part of the business.

Mr McDonald is the only master tailor specialising in men’s clothing in Narrabri and the only practical tailor with his own workshop over a wide area of the north west, including Narrabri and Moree.

When he began in 1947, Mr McDonald started purely as a tailor, but 11 years ago he branched into retailing menswear.

“It’s not that the demand for tailor made clothes is fading out, but people are buying more clothes off the hook now because there is a much greater range to choose from,” said Mr McDonald.

He is a carrier of an extensive range of the latest men’s and boys’ wear at present.

“However, there are many people who prefer to buy tailor made clothes because they can’t get the styles or sizes they want ready made, or just because they are used to having them custom made.

“The margin between tailor made and off the hook is getting less.

“Some people won’t have anything else except custom made and many of my present customers came to me the first week we opened and have stayed with me ever since.”

It’s a family business and Mr McDonald’s wife works in the shop with two trained tailoresses, and his son John McDonald is training to also become a master tailor.

The additions to the shop will more than double the floor space to about 600 square feet.

The extensions became possible when the adjoining shop, formerly occupied by Dave Thomas and Sons’ barbershop for many years became vacant when the shop moved to a new address.

The wall between the two shops is being removed.

“When the opportunity presented itself out of the blue, we decided to go ahead and buy it,” said Mr McDonald.

“We will be running extended lines in men’s clothing and doing up the interior when the extensions are completed, which will probably by this week.”