Miltons Expands Chestnut Hill Square Store
Dana Katz, owner of Miltons Store for Men, just completed major renovations of his Chestnut Hill Square location. Katz tell us, “The newly expanded store enables us to feature nearly 16,000 sq. ft. of tailored clothing (our specialty), as well as furnishings, accessories, sportswear, shoes and boys clothing. We now have an easy-to-shop environment with a great team of associates who are ready to serve and help our customers get what they need.” In celebration of the re-opening, Katz hosted a huge party with more than 200 guests! Most special was that the event raised over $10,000 for The Ron Burton Training Village. Here, we chat with Katz about this wonderful organization and the new and improved Miltons Store for Men.
Why did you remodel the space? What changes did you make?
14 years ago, right after we finished a million dollar expansion of the store, there was a tragic fire next to our property where five people lost their lives. The parcel was tied up in lawsuits for years, and finally New England Development bought the land and embarked on a project to create Chestnut Hill Square, a neighborhood mixed-used development. We worked with the developer for the past 10 years, and decided that, with the design elements the city sought for the project’s approval, it would make sense for us to orient our entrance across from the main parking field of Chestnut Hill Square.
Naturally, our work didn’t stop at the entrance: we expanded the footprint by about 10 percent and added 1,600 sq. ft. to the building. It allowed us to relocate our Bank of America ATM tenant, reconfigure space for more efficient use such as our front desk, shoe stock room, tailor shop, and create these wonderfully comfortable customer lounges filled with vintage pictures dating back to 1947. Our project took about five months to complete and was finished by Thanksgiving. We waited until now to officially “open,” (although we never really closed), because Wegmans just opened three weeks ago, joining Equinox, Soul Cycle, Anthropologie, Seasons 52, Sweet Green, Athleta, True Runner, DryBar and more great neighbors!
Tell us about the opening night party—we wish we could have been there!
The opening night party was a first in Boston Sports Market History: it was the first time that the talk radio show hosts of 93.7 WEEI, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and Dave Portnoy “El Prez” of Barstool Sports all got together. It was unprecedented, as they don’t always agree or see eye to eye! Boston-born comedian Lenny Clarke of Rescue Me fame emceed the evening and ran the auction. Mayor Setti Warren of Newton was in attendance, along with Rob Donohue of David Donahue, Anthony DiGirolamo of Garage Clothing in Brooklyn, Ken Giddon of Rothman’s New York and a number of local business leaders and friends.
Why did you choose to raise funds for Ron Burton Training Village?
The Ron Burton Training Village is a unique organization that literally saves lives. Underprivileged kids come to train and attain personal growth in every facet of life. Ron Sr. knew this success was far more important than success on a football field. Even as the number one draft choice of the NFL, AFL and Canadian Football League, and the first draft choice of the New England Patriots, he realized it was his positive lifestyle that helped him succeed even more than his physical training. His life was, and his legacy continues to be, a beacon of guidance and light. The Burtons have been longtime customers of ours, and after we saw the camp, met the campers and met the graduates, it was clear we needed to play a small part in all of this. Every year, before the camp graduates go on to college, we give them a complete outfit from suit to shoes to shirts, ties, patterned socks and pocket squares, so they are comfortable in the way they look. The most amazing thing about RBTV is the Burtons themselves, who so selflessly give of their time to save these kids.
All photos by 13 photography.