New Cambridge Shop owner and longtime employee Terry Tant, left, stands with founder/former owner Stanley Routman in the store. Tant, former owner of Tant & Tant Formalwear, bought the men's clothing store from Routman. (The Birmingham News/Tamika Moore)VESTAVIA HILLS, Alabama -- When Stanley Routman started The Cambridge Shop men's clothing store in Vestavia Hills in 1965, the neighborhood along the busy U.S. 31 corridor was home to several thriving stores.
Among Routman's neighbors: Parisian, Yielding's, Kessler's and Sears, Roebuck & Co.
Forty-six years later, all of those well-known retail stores are gone, but The Cambridge Shop remains alive and well.
"It's our customer service that makes the difference," Routman said. "We know most of our customers by name."
Routman, 80, still works at his shop, though he has cut back on his hours. Now he is transitioning the business to new ownership.
A few months ago, Routman sold the business to longtime employee Terry Tant, whose family has deep roots in Birmingham's retail scene.
Tant, 61, has been involved in retailing since after college when he began working full-time in the family business, Burch & Tant Formalwear. He managed the chain's Hoover location and eventually became general manager of six stores in metro Birmingham and Gadsden.
In the 1980s, Tant and his father, John Tant, operated Tant & Tant Formalwear, where he served as president and expanded the chain across metro Birmingham. When his father retired in the early 1990s, Terry Tant sold the family business to focus more time on his wife and children, and joined the Cambridge Shop.
Terry Tant said he considers Routman to be a father-figure like his dad, and has soaked up knowledge over the past 17 years that will prove valuable now that he owns the business.
"He's been a great mentor," Tant said. "He and my Dad taught me three things necessary to make a business successful: provide quality merchandise, provide exceptional customer service, and affordable prices."
Routman called Tant one of his best employees. "Like (Alabama) Coach (Bear) Bryant used to say, you've got to surround yourself with good people," Routman said. "I've got many second and third-generation customers, and it's because of good people like Terry."
The Cambridge Shop specializes in men's suits and accessories, and Routman said he learned shortly after he opened the business at age 35 that in order to compete against the big chains he had to give folks the personal touch that would keep them coming back.
"That's how we've been able to survive so long," Routman said. "Most of the stores that used to be around us have closed or moved on to places like the Galleria, so we are thankful for our loyal customers who continue to support us."
Karen Odle, executive director of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, said The Cambridge Shop is a retailer built along the same principles as the neighborhood bar depicted in the old NBC TV show "Cheers."
"It's a place where everybody knows your name," said Odle, adding Cambridge Shop is her husband's favorite men's store. "They do the little things for the customer that the big chains don't."
Tant said he plans to keep many of the traditions Routman started at the shop, such as providing free alterations for the life of garment. He has also added some new perks, such as The Cambridge Club, an email newsletter to customers alerting them about specials and sending them gift cards on birthdays and anniversaries.
Tant has also started a Cambridge Shop page on Facebook. He said the shop will continue to cater to its current customer base, professionals such as lawyers, bankers and accountants who need to wear a suit five days a week.
"We are also continuing a tradition we started recently of seasonal decoration of our store front," said Tant, adding he changes the scenes depicted monthly. "A lot of our customers come by to see what type decoration we've come up with."
Odle said he is glad to see The Vestavia City Center containing The Cambridge Shop rebounding with new tenants recently. AIG Shopping Center Properties of Birmingham put Vestavia City Center in bankruptcy last year, and San Diego-based Excel Realty Holdings has spruced up the place since acquiring the center, she said.
Frio en La Paz, a Mexican eatery, opened earlier this year in the former Nonna Rose location, Birmingham-based Zoe's Kitchen plans to open a restaurant adjacent to La Paz, and a new meeting space facility is in the works, Odle said.
"We are starting to see Vestavia City Center revitalized and that is good for the area," she said.
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