John Hyatt: Palazzo di Prep

We hear all the time about the great shops of New York, London, Paris, &c., but there are some great outposts in the “provinces” as it were.  John Hyatt is one such outpost, a preppy enclave in downtown Summit, New Jersey where pastel and plaid go with everything.

John Hyatt isn’t actual the name of the proprietor, by the way.  Bob Carroll named his haberdashery after his late father John Hyatt Carroll, but it’s Bob whose personality is key to the whole affair.  Bob’s shop is nestled in amongst a hardware store, some stationary shops, and a few local restaurants, and from the outside the shop is fairly unassuming.  But once you’re through the blue wood door, it’s a different world altogether.  Dark plaid wallpaper, more photos of horses than of people, and blue wood cabinets cover the perimeter, while stacks of Vineyard Vines shirts and Bill’s Khakis fill the room.  A far cry from the barbecues and ratchet sets in the window next door.

Over the years Bob has done stints at Jos. A Bank, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Timberland, but after losing some friends on 9/11 decided to finally go out on his own.  He’d always wanted to open the kind of store he loves – a local store with personal service, some quirky personality of its own, and great clothes you can’t always find at the big chains.  In my less-than-modest opinion, he’s succeeded in spades.

Bob stocks a variety of preppy staples – Vineyard Vines shirts, ties, and swim trunks, Bills Khakis, custom Trafalgar slide-belts, his own house-label repp stripe ties, and a full line of Art of Shaving products.  In the winter he’s got Barbour and other cold weather gear as well.  It’s obvious from the beginning that Bob knows his customers and stocks the store with them in mind.  Bob knows what the “John Hyatt” man wants, and be level-headed about it.  He’ll admit that “there’s stuff I would wear and would love to stock that my customers just wont want.  If it’s not going to work for them, why bring it in.  It’s not about giving them a million choices, just the right ones.”

And that brings us to the (excellent) taste of Bob Carroll.  Our interview started with a tour around the shop and then instead of popping open the bottle of Redbreast sitting alluringly on the office shelf, we repaired to the cigar club around the corner for a quick smoke.  During the course of the afternoon Bob and I talked neckerchiefs, discussed various preferences in English shoes from various decades, and Bob reminisced over the agonizing decision of how to get various swatches of deadstock cloth made up – that blazer he’s wearing in the picture is made of cloth that sat in a cupboard for years.  “Some guys just get it,” reflects Bob – he’s certainly one of them.

If you find yourself in New Jersey or New York City, a visit to Summit would be well worth your time.  It’s less than 45 minutes by train from Penn Station, and is worth it for the chat with Bob alone.  And if you ask politely and mention my name you might even get a nip of that whiskey for your troubles.