When a store has been in business for nearly 150 years it is more than a store, it is a cornerstone of the community and a part of its history. This is what Oak Hall is to Memphis , as well as the leader in bringing exceptional apparel from around the world for both men and women to this region of the United States . Highlights include individual shops for Ermenegildo Zegna and St. John , as well as a ladies’ shoe salon.

When Oak Hall opened its first location in Downtown Memphis in 1859, clothes were sold by the light of coal oil lamps, as Thomas Edison had yet to invent the electric light. Store ledgers from the late 1800s even record visits by the Wild West showman, Buffalo Bill Cody. Founded by Solomon Halle, the business has stood the test of time under the leadership of five generations to become one of the oldest family-owned stores in the United States . It is now run by Halle ’s great-great-grandsons, Bill and Bob Levy, who are known not only as good retailers but good people. Still another generation is on the way, as Bill Levy has brought his son, Will, into the business and into the tradition.

A suburban location that opened in 1966 served as Oak Hall headquarters until its 1996 move to the present location in the Regalia Center in East Memphis . A store expansion and remodeling completed this year increased its size to over 24,000 square feet.

Gary Cahn takes special pride in the fact that the store’s tie buyer, Hugh Shackelford, a leading professional, includes his Private Stock collection alongside the world’s great designer names in Oak Hall’s neckwear presentation.