After years of service in Magnolia through the successful LeRoux Fine Apparel (3220 W. McGraw St.) and various community projects, Mike and Alex Smith have earned this year’s Magnolia Business Person of the Year award.
The nomination came as a surprise to both of them. “We didn’t know we were nominated till a day later,” Alex Smith said.
For the Smiths, the honor is humbling. It is not about the awards or publicity but the “greater good” they do within the community, Alex said.
One example is sidewalk repair. Starting in 2005, the couple has led a charge to repair uprooted sidewalks around Magnolia. Alex, with the support of her husband, pestered city and community leaders to do something about the problem. Now, she applies for a grant every year on behalf of the neighborhood to fund the repairs.
For projects like this, they split duties. According to Mike Smith, Alex usually is the point person in charge of overseeing the work, and he makes sure things are progressing forward.
Since the start of the project they have repaired 10 sidewalks where tree roots had lifted the cement sometimes close to 2 feet. For the Smiths, public safety is the primary reason, although improved aesthetics didn’t hurt.
With LeRoux being located in the village, the Smiths have front-row seats to witness how the damaged sidewalks pose a hazard.
Knowing their customers
Unlike department stores where customers don’t usually hang around to chat with employees, the homey atmosphere created by Mike and Alex at LeRoux Fine Apparel often fosters a friendly conversation. This is because they know their customers.
“Nothing surpasses the fact you can walk into the store and people know you,” said sister-in-law and customer Jackeln Smith. “They make doing business with them easy for you.”
Loyal customers like Smith, who has been shopping at the store for more than 12 years, have kept the business flourishing. LeRoux’s business model has been reliant on the loyal folks who keep coming back.
While the store used to cater to mostly older people, times have changed. Now, the Smiths, who have owned the store 28 of its 65 years, offer attire to both older and younger generations. This has been a result of younger people moving into Magnolia to start families.
Regardless, the Smiths say they continue to build relationships with new customers.
During the recent recession, it was thanks to these dedicated families who kept coming back and some solid business decisions that kept the business afloat and doing well.
Store manager Greg Carnese said, “They have and continue to make sound business decisions for the store.” One change was to extend their open hours to Sunday to better serve their customers. Since then, “we have noticed an increase in business.”
For Mike and Alex, another way they have increased business with the changing economy and demand is by altering the selections they offer to better suit the needs of their clients. In doing so, they have created a store that has an appeal that reaches farther than just Magnolia.
Although half of their customers are from the neighborhood, they say they constantly receiver orders from former residents who have moved out of state or country. According to Alex, she will not let anything get in her way to help somebody out, including shopping items overseas.
Community activists
The couple also relishes being active in their community. Both husband and wife are members of the Magnolia Chamber of Commerce. They have both served as past president and vice president of the chamber.
As a part of the chamber, business owners and residents of the community, they have been fighting for the last 25 years to create a public high school in Magnolia, which Mike and Alex see it as their neighborhood’s biggest need.
Until a public high school is built for the kids of Magnolia, the Smiths plan to keep lobbying for one.
“We’ll only stop when they put us in the ground,” Alex said. “I’m like a dog with a bone: I grab onto it and will not let go.”
Their commitment to get a local high school stems from their childhoods. Both grew up in Magnolia and Queen Anne. Alex said it was during those years that they established lifelong friendships. Now, they wish for kids growing up in the neighborhood to have a similar experience.
The Magnolia Chamber of Commerce will honor Mike and Alex Smith during a dinner on Tuesday, Jan. 29; for more information, visit magnoliachamber.org.
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