Men’s fashion past and present with the Ken Man store

Advocate photo by Benjamin Hager

Many years before I came to work A lawyer, I spent two years working in retail. I was manning the accessories counter at Nordstrom when Ken’s owner, Jerry Helfman, found me at the Ken Man store in Preston Hollow, and I went to work for the best haberdasher in town. The day I knew I was in the presence of the Lord was the day I watched longtime Highland resident Ken Helfman sell a full-length cashmere trench coat to Dallas Mayor in August.

Today, the younger Helfman Corey, an East Dallas resident and father, is running things. Even in the y2k era, Corey was ahead of the game in terms of technology, writing notes on a Palm Pilot and maintaining a detailed digital client list. So it’s no surprise that Corey’s Tik Tok game is on point. If you’re interested in learning about sleeve length in relation to jackets, pocket squares and denim care, while having a little fun, follow Ken’s man shop there or on IG.

Kane opened Kane’s Man Store on July 29, 1964, near the field where the Dallas Cowboys practiced on Forest Lane near Skillman.

“Lee Roy Jordan became a client. Many of the other cowboys followed suit. We used to do the Ken’s Big Play Award at Cowboys games, where the player of the game won a suit or sport coat of their choice. That relationship with the Cowboys fueled a lot of good things,” Kane told us in a Q&A a few years ago. In 1993 they moved to Preston Hollow.

1982 commercial featuring Dallas Cowboy (and Lake Highlander) Charlie Waters. UNT Libraries Special Collections

Recently, the Ken Man Shop Collection is available on the Texas History Portal, a digital museum maintained by the University of North Texas Libraries.

The collection includes photographs of the store and its owners and former employees (not me), advertisements, letters from vendors including salesperson Ferrell Reed. It also nicely illustrates the development of men’s fashion over the years of Ken’s life.

Ken Helfman at the table in 1968. UNT Library Special Collections

Although his father and brother are doctors, Ken says he discovered his love for retail and people while working as a shoe salesman for Persia Peyton at Casa Linda. I, for one, am happy.

Check out the full archives of our Q&A with Helfman here and here.