Mar 3, 2021 - Business

Taylor Richards & Conger is a Charlotte fashion institution. Meet the owners and check out their top picks

This content was created in partnership with Taylor Richards & Conger.

In 1986, Glen Taylor, Richard Pattison and Lyn Conger combined their retail expertise – and names – to bring European menswear to the southern gentlemen of Charlotte.

Now: Taylor Richards & Conger’s 6,000 square foot store is a fixture of SouthPark’s Phillips Place shopping center and boasts prestigious menswear and women’s clothing lines.

Glen Taylor has since retired, but Richard (Dick) Pattison, Lyn Conger, Scott Morgan and Chris Estridge (along with a very talented staff) continue to create a shopping experience that’s part retail, part personal styling, and part social club.

Behind the business: We spoke with Dick and Lyn to learn more about the store’s history and future.

Local roots: Dick and Lyn are both born-and-raised North Carolinians. When they started the store in 1986, “Charlotte was a growing town, but it wasn’t nearly what it is now,” says Dick.

From left to right: Richard Pattison, Glen Taylor and Lyn Conger circa 1986

The trio noticed that most stores in the SouthPark area sold traditional clothing for the “southern gentleman.”

“But we knew that European clothing was better quality and at a different taste level, so we wanted to introduce that to the men in Charlotte,” says Dick.

Of course, there were doubters. Established store owners told them they wouldn’t make any money selling European clothing in the South.

However, their customers were “successful doctors, bankers and lawyers who were traveling to major cities across the world, so they needed to dress more worldly,” says Lyn. “We wanted to differentiate ourselves from our competitors…we didn’t want to be like everyone else. It was much riskier but we felt strongly about it.”

That risk paid off – TRC has since grown in square footage and inventory. The store carries men’s and women’s clothing from exclusive brands, offers custom suiting, and stocks accessories at a variety of price points.

Though TRC has a reputation for expensive luxury items, the inventory is carefully curated to remain accessible.

“We want to appeal to a vast array of age groups and price points. Historically we’ve had a fairly eclectic mix,” says Lyn.

During the pandemic, they’ve noticed a change in how their customers are dressing. “The world is all about comfort,” says Dick. TRC carries high end knit wear that’s comfortable yet professional.

Dick predicts that the way we dress has fundamentally changed, but that “a person who likes to dress is not going to stop dressing just because of COVID.”