J. Robert’s Menswear Finds the Right Fit on Janesville's North Side

Owner Kyle Deschner said the expansion has allowed him to up his inventory at all three of his stores, including in Elkhorn and Lake Geneva.

“We’ve picked up Tommy Bahama in Janesville, so it’s been great so far,” said Kyle Deschner, who purchased J. Robert’s in April of last year. He opened the Lake Geneva store in November.

The Elkhorn store has been open since the late 1800s. Jim Robert Schoberg and his wife, Marilyn, bought the business in 1983 and renamed it J. Robert’s Menswear.

Services at the Janesville store include tuxedo rentals, dry cleaning and onsite alterations. Most of the tailoring is done in Elkhorn, which will remain the flagship store. However, Kyle Deschner said services will almost entirely look the same between the three stores.

The impetus for the expansion to Janesville was customer request. Kyle Deschner and his father Brad who works in the stores, said selling and renting out menswear has been underserved market in Janesville.

John Donohue, who stopped by the store on March 1, shared relief that he was able to find a clothing store in Janesville like J. Robert’s. He said he has had issues finding clothing he wants.

“I went to Google and said, ‘Where are there men’s shops in Janesville?’ It first took me to Rockford and then it took me here.”

As of March 1, the Janesville stored had rented out clothing 16 weddings as far out as to 2024. Brad Deschner called that “a lot” for the three weeks it had been open. He said there had been some work put into getting the word out about the new location, but customers had also migrated to the new spot.

In addition to Tommy Bahama, the store carries other shirt brands such as Modena, Proper, 7 Diamonds, F/X Fusion Shirts and Flannels, and Bamboo Cay. It also carries Fiorelli, Mantoni and Tiglio suits. As far as shoes, it carries Florsheim, Stacy Adams and Birkenstock. J. Robert’s also carries Devil Dog Dungarees and Grand River jeans. And as far as accessories, the store has Secrid wallets, as well as watches, sunglasses and wallets from Wooden Elements.

“A lot of it has to do with we have so many options. That’s another thing that sets us apart from other places is that we have resources to get people what they need. People come in and we’re like, ‘Yeah, we’ll get that for you,” Brad Deschner said.

“We’re really good at taking care of you whether you are a 28 waist or a 60 waist. Even if you’re bigger we can take care of you and have nice options for everybody,” Deschner continued. “We have nice options other than, ‘We have white.’ Everybody likes to look nice.”

“If they have a teenager with a 28-inch waist, it’s hard to find a pair of pants that’s a 28. We’ll take the waist down so it’s a 28.”

The Janesville location is open Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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