In a couple of weeks, Chad Denham will get to embark on a new journey he’s been waiting to start for decades.
Since he was a teenager, he’s dreamed of owning his own clothing store, he said. After roughly five years of making custom suits for customers across the country, he’s taking the plunge this summer with Newton James — a new men’s clothing store in downtown Overland Park.
With final renovations underway, Denham said he aims to officially open the store on June 10.
Newton James will operate at 7221 W. 80th St.
- The store occupies a space just off West 80th Street and Floyd Street, near Parisi and Vintage ’78 Wine Bar.
- Freestyle Poke occupied that space for less than a year before closing in the summer of 2023.
- Once it opens, Newton James will operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day from Tuesday through Saturday — except Thursday, during which the store will operate from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Newton James specializes in ‘mid-high end’ men’s attire
Newton James will carry men’s attire in various forms, from dress shirts and suits to shoes and pocket squares.
They’ll come mostly in English and American brands, he said, aside from some other international items like a collection of Japanese denim.
Denham categorized the inventory at Newton James as filling a “mid-high end” quality place in the local retail market. Ultimately, he said, he stocked the store only with items he’d wear himself.
“I’ve really taken the time to curate and think about it,” he said. “I wanted a place that if I wanted to go shopping, a place that I would go to.”
Newton James is Denham’s first clothing store
When it’s finished, the store will feature a lounge area and a snooker table for customers to enjoy while they shop. It will also feature a nod to the store’s namesake, Denham’s grandfather — with a photo of him from the 1950s, dressed his best, on the wall.
With the upcoming opening, Denham said he’s most looking forward to providing the community with something new and exciting. The items on the racks and shelves at Newton James are items that customers won’t find elsewhere in the Kansas City metro area, he said, and that’s by design.
“I’ve been careful with what I’ve chosen,” he said. “I don’t want to overlap with anything else (in other stores).”
Newton James is not Denham’s first business — he’s also the owner of scrap recycling business Orange Industries. But the store will serve as his first clothing store, and that dream has been a long time coming.
“It’s pretty neat when something comes together that you’ve been wanting to do for a very long time,” he said. “ “At 48, I figured, if I don’t do it now, I’m never going to do it, so let’s jump in.”
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