Our Beginning
  • In September of 1950, Frank Muldoon opened Muldoon's Men's Wear and Varsity Shop in the Gateway Shopping Center on South Hastings Way, also known as Highway 53, in the middle of open fields. A few trees and lots of sand were our neighbors, no other retail stores. With the exception of Wagner's Bowling Alley, Jimmy Woo's Restaurant, Austin's White House Restaurant, a small grocery store and a gas station (all within a 1/2 mile stretch), we stood alone. Many people laughed. Some said, "Muldoon...you'll never last six months!"
  • Back in 1950 shortly after opening. The left half of the building was a women's beauty salon, the right side our store. Before serving in the Air Force in WWII, Frank was a hairdresser and owned Frank's Beauty Salon in downtown Eau Claire, above Edwin's Women's Store. He always felt that a women's beauty salon and a men's store would be a good combination. Look closely at the original store picture below and you can see that there was nothing around the building.
  • Today, retail stores operate to the north, east and south of us and homes are located to the west (behind our building). Now look again. See that car? It could have belonged to Ann Landers. Ms. Landers had her hair done at the beauty salon next door. She and her family lived on Valmont Avenue just down the street from us.
Pictures of the past
Today
This is the current building today. In 1968, Frank expanded his menswear business into the former beauty salon next door. This wasn't the first expansion however. In 1956 he added on to the back of the building. Our total selling area today is around 3000 square feet. We now have many neighbors and are situated in a very busy shopping center that has grown around us throughout the years. Signs have changed, paint has been added here and there, and neighbors have come and gone, but through it all we continue on in the same spot since our opening in 1950.
Proudly, we are still a family owned business, with John Muldoon (Frank's son) continuing where his dad left off. Starting at around 10 years old, John began to do odd jobs around the store until he was old enough to help selling. He started taking over more and more of the daily business as the years past, until he eventually bought the store from his dad. Frank continued to be a constant sight around the store up until his death in 1999.