Ray Bennett

You’ve got to go visit Ray Bennett. That is what I tell our bed and breakfast guests when they come to St. Marys.

Certainly Ray is one of the better-looking men in St. Marys. I think he looks a lot like the singer Jack Jones. He owns the men’s clothing store in town and is the best advertisement for the quality he stocks.

The display in his store window is usually creative and tasteful. The building has some historical value, too.

These are all good reasons to visit Ray Bennett’s Men’s Wear, but that is not why I tell people to visit Ray.

If you meet Ray Bennett, he has that rare ability of making you feel better after you meet him than when you came into the store, even if you purchase nothing. I can attest to this. I often drop in just to say hello and get my “fix” of good will.

He advertises in the local newspapers. There is only a hint in his publicity that he sells clothing. The ads are called “Vest-Pocket Smile”, and usually include some wise saying like “there is no use looking at where you have just ploughed.”

So, how does he do it? He has that rare ability of making you feel like the most important person in the world once you enter into his store. There is always a cheery hello and a big smile. If you get in a conversation with him, he knows what is going on in the world and has valuable insights on most topics.

Ray has been in the clothing business for almost 50 years. One of these days he will retire, I guess. I hope it isn’t soon.