Cheap & Comfy: The Legend of Steve & Barry's

For a long time, I had created an alter ego for myself called “The Novelty T-Shirt Man.” I usually would wear a T-shirt and jeans everywhere, and there was a system to which shirts I would purchase. They had to be under $10, representative of me, perhaps clever but not those too jokey or lame shirts, and there was plenty of pop culture nostalgia that went into my decision making. This portion of my life spawned a young man who wore T-shirts of Mr. Bean, The Secret World of Alex Mack, and Ghostbusters with pride. Some of these shirts have headed to the racks of Goodwill, but others still remain in my closet to get a random kudos from a stranger when I may wear them out in public.

There was one place that “The Novelty T-Shirt Man” did not take full advantage of in his time, and that was Steve & Barry's. The now defunct store chain likely drew most of its attention from its 2-year span of celebrity endorsements with a Sarah Jessica Parker fashion line and Starbury, a cheaper alternative basketball shoe produced by Stephon Marbury. (On a side note, I had no idea that Starbury still existed. Considering Steve & Barry's demise and Marbury's random involvement in the Knicks' sexual harassment insanity, I figured it was done, but in fact it is not, and there's a Marbury workout DVD at their website!)

Steve & Barry's offered plenty of clothing at too good to be true prices. Most of the apparel was related to college teams. When the spreading of the chain expanded beyond colleges to many malls and shopping plazas across the country, it allowed for the explosion of randomness. I distinctly remember going to the Steve & Barry's in my hometown, which had racks and racks of the same $10 Ohio State winter jacket. To this day, if I see a person wearing that jacket, I know that it's a Steve & Barry's original. It also opened the door for schools like North Carolina State to have their apparel appear in Ohio for no particular reason other than savings.

I'm not sure of Steve & Barry's business model, but whatever logic that showed that everything in a store being under $10 could turn a profit didn't work in the long haul. The chain as a whole closed up rapidly in 2008, and that's where my role in the madness of Steve & Barry's comes into play.

Seizing on the going out of business sale, my parents went to my hometown Steve & Barry's and decided to lose their minds. When a business that didn't charge a lot to begin with has to get rid of everything they have, it makes for prices that I've only seen in San Francisco's Chinatown. My parents bought a ton of clothing for $1 a piece. The most ridiculous of which is a Navy Midshipmen jacket, which led to the following conversation soon after it was purchased:

Dad: Hey, what team's logo is this?

Me: I don't know.

Research was done to find out it was the Navy Midshipmen. The jacket sits in my parent's closet to this day and has been wore by no one.

The real kicker to all of this though is that the shirts my parents did get for me are actually some of the most comfortable ones that I own. While extremely random in design, I still keep them for wearing around the house or occasionally for out in public when acceptable. For example, I have a Steve & Barry's shirt with a shamrock that reads “Feelin' Lucky?” underneath it. It is now what I wear every year for St. Patrick's Day, but has no business ever being worn in public on any other occasion (and barely has business being worn on St. Patrick's Day if not for my odd personality).

I have a Palm Springs, California Steve & Barry's sweatshirt that is extremely comfortable. I've tossed it on randomly on a pair of jeans when rolling out of bed or for a quick run to the grocery store or even an open mic set. I love it except for the fact that it has the odd feel of being a tourist acquisition, so it isn't exactly something that works for dinner parties.

So, I can at least say that even though I've retired the feeling of being the “Novelty T-Shirt Man” and am doing my best to dress as a grown male, I can say that I still wear and represent with pride the legend of Steve & Barry's. I hope there are others out there that do as well.