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Garmany thrives on its unwavering commitment to provide customers with first-class fashion and service.

Businesses large and small were reeling when the world came to a halt four years ago. Big box stores across the country suffered; mom-and-pops, including many in Monmouth County, closed. Lives and lifestyles changed for good.

Garmany too faced the same challenges and risks during the global shutdown. As work-from-home schedules became prevalent and uber-relaxed routines the norm, folks weren’t reporting to offices, dining out in restaurants or attending galas. High fashion and dressing up, quite simply, were not priorities. But as time went on, most people felt something was missing from their daily calendars, something few realized at the time was essential.

“People wanted to feel good about themselves and dress well again,” Johnell Garmany says. “Most importantly, people wanted to feel the human connection. I think it’s the No. 1 reason we survived the pandemic. Everyone was eager to come back to the store, and when things slowly started to reopen, we were there for them.”

But the Garmany story continues today not be cause the team found the key to survival during the pandemic. It’s because they’ve had the recipe for success from the very beginning.

Theirs is a legacy that began in 1959, when 12-year old Laureano “Larry” Garmany, with his father and sister (Johnell’s grandfather and aunt), escaped Castro controlled Cuba on a fishing boat. When they landed safely in the States, they headed up to Brooklyn.

Larry barely spoke English. He “hated school,” Johnell says, but his dad had a natural curiosity about everything. As a result, he worked hard to learn.

“He had jobs in a library and at a gas station,” Johnell says. “He was out there hustling and had a great work ethic. In fact, they saw so much drive in him that they made him part owner of the gas station before he turned 20.”

With business acumen, Larry, along with his partner, had saved and borrowed enough money for a big investment: launching a men’s clothing store in the vibrant East Harlem neighborhood. It was on Nov. 9, 1974, that Larry opened Capry on Third Avenue between East 106th and 107th.

“Even at a young age, he loved fashion and had great style,” Johnell recalls. Larry introduced shoppers to the impeccable clothing from Italy and France, showing styles and fabrics many here had never seen before. He always spent time with customers, explaining the construction and materials that artisans used to put the garments together. “He made sure to share everything he knew about the clothing with everyone else,” Johnell says.

Customers took note of Larry’s commitment to them, and they trusted that he not only stood behind the products he sold but also that he would find the best pieces for every individual. It wasn’t long that the demand for fine clothing and customer-focused service outgrew the first store, so Larry and his best friend opened another shop in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Soon after, Larry opened another store on his own in Manhattan, and then in Summit, N.J.

While his dad was building the brand, Johnell was developing the same eye and passion for fashion. “I started early and always loved clothing and dressing well,” he says. In fact, between school, sports and extracurricular activities, he often traveled with Larry into the city to work at the stores.

He jokes that the business, which Larry started shortly before Johnell was born, was like his father’s favorite son and always won the attention.

“He missed my first Communion and my football games because he was at the store,” Johnell says with a laugh.

“I didn’t mind it, though, because we knew he was providing for the family. Sometimes the only time I got to see my dad was at the store, so I didn’t mind that he put me to work.”

Father and son continued to work side-by-side as the business shifted from NYC to New Jersey, where Larry moved his family and opened the Red Bank store in 1989. Now a men’s and women’s clothing retailer, the shop was the first of its kind in town. At the time, RedBank was struggling economically, and business was slow at Garmany.

“We didn’t sell anything in our first 11 days,” Johnell recalls. “We used to mess up the store so it looked busy. But

once word got out and customers caught on to the quality of our service and the clothing, everything took off.

“Everything” included Red Bank itself. More businesses followed Garmany into town, and Red Bank began to flourish. The mayor during those years even credited Larry and the store for the town’s economic turnaround.

“He was the driving force behind so much—the business, the town, family,” Johnell says. “He taught me so much, and so much more than just fashion: to pay attention to everyone’s needs, to never push someone, to do your best to make others happy.”

Garmany today reflects all of those virtues. You are treated from the moment you walk in, as you’re welcomed by inviting music and the store’s signature scent, Laurentino.

It’s a visual feast from there: 40,000 square feet and two levels of shopping space filled with curated collections from the world’s best fashion designers. There are stacks of sweaters, racks of shoes, cases with sunglasses and accessories. Nearly 50 private dressing rooms are available, as is a fully stocked bar for those wanting a sip while they shop.

Following in Larry’s example, the staff is never there to push a sale— they’re style consultants, not sales clerks.

They’re on hand to make sure customers find the garments that best fit them and their lifestyles. Interested in alterations or tailoring? Garmany provides those services in-house too.

“Shopping here is an experience, and the foundation of that experience is the way we treat people,” says Johnell. “We’re family owned, family operated, and we treat everyone—customers, staff and partners—like family.

We offer customers warmth and hospitality, personalized style counsel and world-class designer fashion. Those are things my dad preached, and we continue that today. It makes coming to the store fun: We get to see people we love, see their families grow. Everyone becomes friends and family.”

“My dad started it, and I’m proud and honored to keep it going.”