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When the mayor took the city councilor on a shopping trip
By adamg on Mon, 11/03/2014 - 8:23am
Former City Councilor John Tobin has been posting Tom Menino stories on his Facebook feed, including one this morning about how the mayor was displeased with the old suits Tobin was wearing:
He said, "meet me after the breakfast and we will take a ride." I said "ok" having no idea where we were going. About 8:15, he finishes his talk and he leaves and I go with him. We go down to his car and I get in. His driver takes us on a short drive to Downtown Crossing where we go into an alley behind Filene's Basement. We get out the car and he raps on the back door. A splendidly dressed man meets The Mayor and I at the door. We walk thru the dark back rooms of the Basement and onto the floor which was still dark because the place was not open yet. The Mayor says to the Suit Man, whom he obviously knows quite well, " take my friend John here to the suits that are going on sale Friday."
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Comments
Great story
Awesome! Many will see this as scandalous and make ethnic/stereotypical comments. Its great and a leader of a large community should have oft hour access to clothing.
"Many will see this as
"Many will see this as scandalous and make ethnic/stereotypical comments"
What on earth is this supposed to mean?
I think the dude has to
I think the dude has to lighten up some. PS I am watching the Menino ride by live , they just went through Grove Hall , wow , you come a long way , baby ! Who knew? I used to pick up Pearl hotdogs at the plant proximate to the Hall , back before power steering , air conditioning , and piss tests, amongst other things. No more Elm Farms or First Nationals, we gots Wholesome Foods and other fine emporiums of food. The Brothers are still around , a lot more of them too ! RIP , Mayor !
Filene's is a private business
They can open early and have special customers treated to advance sales if they like.
Not if it can be viewed as a
Not if it can be viewed as a bribe. Special treatment of public officials is often illegal.
A bribe?
Tobin paid for his suits; Menino paid for his ties. So they let them in a little before opening. If that's the worst you got, it's to laugh - it's not like he ever beat somebody with a fireplace log or got convicted on federal racketeering charges.
Menino
Tom Menino- The shining beacon of style and fashion. May he RIP. :)
Terrific story.
Terrific story.
It's only right !
It's only right !
So menino thought he was badly dressed and took him to...Filenes
...department store suits.
Right...
Yes, he did. Menino shopped
Yes, he did. Menino shopped there all the time, like many Bostonians.
Maybe the man had previously
Maybe the man had previously been shopping at the toilet store.
We sold suits sometimes you
We sold suits sometimes you know!
What's wrong with department store suits?
Most people can't afford individually tailored clothes.
I know, right? Filene's?
Why would Mayor Menino waste money upstairs at Filene's? I thought the Mayor was wiser than that and shopped at the Basement.
excuse me?
One of us missed something.....They were shopping in the Basement.
Mea culpa
Moral of the story: Don't comment on UHub during meetings.
I thought the Mayor shopped at the Basement which is why I was surprised at the thought that he'd be upstairs.
It says twice in the brief
It says twice in the brief article that it was the Basement.
Filenes had good stuff
Maybe you weren't around, but Filenes had good stuff. The bargain basement was known for having sales on high-end stuff, and it would be freakin' nuts. The stuff they sold was definitely good enough to take a badly dressed man and make him look good.
You must not be from here.
He was talking about Filene's Basement where every well-dressed Bostonian male I have ever known got suits, from Brooks Brothers to Joseph Abboud and Luciano Barbera during those much-anticipated days when the stuff from Louis and Barney's would pour in. Not to mention countless ties, Loro Piana sweaters, handmade English and Italian shoes, etc. For the savvy male shopper, F's B was a hunter's paradise. RIP, Tom Menino and the Basement.
Had your own salesman
In the 60s and 70s my mother bought all my father's suits at FB. She would travel the 26 miles in by car and subway to shop. She had a salesman who would phone her when he had a suit he thought she would like (my father wore a larger size). He either held it for her until the next day, or would mail it out COD. Better service in the men's department there than at any store.
One of the hardest things I had to do was to go into the Basement to tell the salesman when my father died.
FB's closing was truly the end of an era for Boston.
Guys did
As best I could tell, men had a much more civilized shopping experience at FB than did women. They had private shoppers, women were supposed to fight for our clothes.
But no matter. the Mayor knew a good deal when he saw it, and didn't mind being teased about his tie addiction. Love to hear that he gave sartorial advice along with the political.
Et Pourquoi Pas?
"Le Grenier chez Filene" was one of the places along the Freedom Trail that my Frenchie friends were most interested in.