Made in Saskatchewan: Trinos Menswear

Every other week on The Greg Morgan Morning Show, Greg speaks to a local entrepreneur to find out how they turned their dreams into reality.

In this episode of Made in Saskatchewan, Greg gets the story, and some fashion tips, from Trina Johnson, the owner of Trino’s Menswear.

Read more:

• Made in Saskatchewan: The Shake Shop Cedar Warehouse and Brian’s Equipment Rentals
• Made in Saskatchewan: Suds Car Wash
• After 22 years, Piapot First Nation breaks ground on Regina development

Listen to the interview or read the transcript below:

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

GREG MORGAN: Trina Johnson has spent years shaping Regina’s menswear scene, building a business that survived retail upheaval, economic swings, and the rise of online shopping. As president and owner, she’s not shy to admit how she entered retail, perhaps not as prepared as she should have been when it came to her business model, but she felt she could make a difference.

TRINA JOHNSON: I was always being asked, “What should I wear to this? What should I wear to that?” by colleagues at my last workplace, “What should I wear? I have a date.” Always being asked, so I thought, you know what? I want to open a clothing store. I want to work for myself, but I also wanted to provide knowledge. Not everyone has a significant other, and not everyone has somebody to say, “Hey, this looks great. You’ll do great in your interview. You’ll do great on your date.” That’s where the logic came from: a woman’s perspective on fashion.

Actually, she wanted to do both men’s and women’s fashion at the time, but couldn’t afford it. So, she jumped into the world of fashion, quickly discovering the market seemed to have two levels of clothing at the time, high-end men’s stores, and then a few lower-end stores. She wanted to find somewhere in the middle because she felt that price point was missing.

JOHNSON: I also felt that not everybody has the confidence to go shopping. Guys hate it. It’s like a root canal. If I could take the root canal out of shopping and make it fun and make it quick and keep all their sizes on file, then to me it wasn’t rocket science. I thought, you know what? People are gonna love the speedy shopping. Get ‘er done.

In those first few years of business, Trina found herself living pretty lean, and her boys joke now that they were poor at the time.

JOHNSON: There was a lot of Ichiban and a lot of Kraft Dinner. It was rough. There were a lot of tears.

Looking back at it now, she admits she wasn’t necessarily prepared financially either.

JOHNSON: I started borrowing, and I used my parents’ credit cards.

Yep, she could have drawn up a better business plan, but eventually, after a few ups and downs and a whole lot of stress, it started to click. Her background as an artist, coupled with her strong sense of style, has resulted in a fashion-forward menswear store that feels like a second home to her clients who love to shop local and love to shop Canadian.

JOHNSON: I don’t buy any U.S. product. I always ask when I’m looking at product. You know, does this come from the U.S. or does this come from Canada? If it’s from the U.S., I’m off. I’m not doing it, and I just don’t even look at it. Shopping Canadian now means using reputable companies in China, like different manufacturing plants that are reputable, making product at a better price, but the clothing is designed in Canada.

Trina Johnson opened Trinos Menswear in 2007, and coupled with her strong sense of style, she feels she knows what Saskatchewan men really want in their fashion.

JOHNSON: I think they like it when it feels like they’re wearing their favourite sweatshirt, and when it feels like they’re wearing, you know, jogging pants, but they look great. I go to buying shows, my son and I, and we touch the product more than we look at it because if it feels great, it’s enjoyable to wear.

Along with having a feel for the fashion the men want, she’s had to adapt with the times and trends in order to stay successful.

JOHNSON: I think changing with the times has been my hardest thing because I’m not techy. I live with two dogs, a parrot, eight chickens out in the middle of nowhere. So for me, as technology changed, I was struggling. So I’m thankful that I have my sons that are techy. That’d be the hardest thing: changing with times because advertising is different, being in front of people is different.

Some basic but great advice: be open to change in order to stay successful. Oh, and if you’re just diving into your own retail business, some advice again: have a better business plan, maybe than what she had.

JOHNSON: I would say for anybody starting a business, do your research on financing, do your research on leases, the penalty behind a lease if you do want to exit, things like that. Also, make sure you really know your people that you’re in business with. You’re gonna have to sacrifice a lot of moments if you have a family.

And you can tell she’s made a lot of sacrifices and put in a lot of hard work. Trina Johnson, Trinos menswear.