Pinecrest’s heritage is Heritage House

When people of South Florida think about formal boys clothing, they think Heritage House. Originally located in Suniland, they moved nine years ago to a bright storefront at 12105 South Dixie Highway. All told, Heritage House has been pampering its customers and winning life-long fans for more than 45 years. Heritage House is truly a staple of the Pinecrest community and what makes living here so special.

Owner, Howard Tendrich, along with his brother Jack and store manager Charlie Merrill have been providing incredible customer service longer than many of us have been alive. Five others (Jon Tendrich, Michelle Diaz, Michael Rodriguez, Alan Iturrizaga and Wesley Franz) are part of the current team and are always eager to assist.

The store is beautiful and the quality of their merchandise is only exceeded by their customer service. And they definitely know their stuff! When a young boy walked in during my interview, they sized him up from 40-feet away and told me his measurements. Testing proved they were spot on. When they say ‘Can I help you?’ they mean it and if they don’t have it in the store, they’ll hunt it down.

Store manager Charlie Merrill explains, “We have our seasons. Communion sales run late March through May. We have plenty of white suits for that. The bar mitzvah season is primarily during the school year, but we’re always ready to go.” Of course, there are weddings, proms and other events that keep the store busy year round.

Repeat customer Madeleyn Bloodworth explained, “I’ve been coming here about 8 years, since Justin could wear clothes like this. This is the easiest place to find formal clothes and the personalized service is incredible.” She was in the store with her son to get last minute clothes for a school event. Westminster 5th grader Justin Bloodworth chimed in, “I like that they have lots of choices and the clothing is great.” Madeleyn opined, “I only wish there was a store like this for my daughters.”

What we have in South Florida is now going global. Actually, the Internet has been part of the Heritage House formula for about 15 years. But recently, the numbers are really skyrocketing. 30% of all sales are now generated through their website at www.boyssuits.com. Howard laments the fact that the site is so sophisticated now. “People used to start on the web and then need to call us to complete an order where we could get to know them. With this new generation of website, the call is unnecessary.” Despite that, Heritage House still finds ways to personalize service to every customer.

 “We got an order from Abu Dhabi this morning,” boasts 37-year veteran manager Charlie Merrill, “It’s fun to ship our products all over the world!” Charlie was shy when asked about well-known patrons. “Famous people? We’ve had our share. There is a boy’s photo over there…he won Star Search. But, really everyone is important to us.” That’s true. The staff of Heritage House has been known to make house calls, wedding calls and more in an emergency.

When asked about other high-end customer stories, Howard Tendrich told me he had fun helping the Walton family (of Walmart fame). “They found us online and needed clothing for a family wedding. They needed 10 suits, but ended up getting 12 to make sure everything fit just right.”

Howard finished by saying, “Really, all of our customers are famous. Just look at the thousands of face we have up in our store.” Jack Tendrich added, “Whether they spend a penny or a thousand dollars, you treat them the same and thank them.”

If you need some new threads for the holidays, you can call Heritage House at 305-232-1776 or 888-784-8269. Their website is www.boyssuits.com.