“San Francisco’s British Goods Store since 1939.” Cable Car’s clothing selection and the store’s ads use of such terms as “handsome,” “classic,” and “superior fit” are dead giveaways that this is a West Coast clone of Brooks Brothers. – The Official Preppy Handbook, p. 152
I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco recently for conference. At the recommendation of my friend Rhys Moore, CEO of St Johns Fragrance Company, I visited Cable Car Clothiers. Rhys told me to ask for Jonathan Levin, which I did. Jonathan was not there that day, but I did receive a warm welcome from a gentleman working at the store who happened to be a member of the Yale University class of 1989.
Cable Car Clothiers is an impressive place. As an Anglophile, I was in Heaven. I found myself wishing I had more room in my luggage. I did pick up a very nice case for my eyeglasses, made of silk in a Repp tie pattern.
I also took some photos, several of which I have shared here.
Jonathan reached out to me after I was back in Connecticut, and we scheduled a meeting over Zoom. Here is the transcript from our interview.
Matthew Longcore: Jonathan, thank you for joining Ivy Style. You are a fourth generation San Franciscan and the oldest grandson of Charles Pivnick, founder of Cable Car Clothiers. Charles was a well-dressed gentleman whose signature look was a three-piece 3/2 roll suit and a bow tie. Please tell us about your grandfather and the history of the store.
Jonathan Levin: Hello! It is great to connect with Ivy Style again and we are pleased you enjoyed your visit to our haberdashery, Matthew.
My grandfather Charles Pivnick began his career in the retail business in 1946, when he opened Vets Mercantile, a military surplus enterprise on Fillmore Street which later moved to Market Street where work and later dress clothes were sold along with surplus merchandise. Charlie served in the Army in World War II in combat in the South Pacific. When he came home to San Francisco after the war, he recalls looking in the windows at upscale men’s stores and wishing he could afford the clothes on display. He has always liked to dress well.
His goals approached realization when in 1954 he established Cable Car Clothiers, stocking the store with traditional clothing for the mid-to-upper income bracket. The boundless energy which typified his early retail career continued as he ran two, three and four Cable Car stores during the late fifties and early sixties while simultaneously attending college in the evenings. Charlie received his Bachelor’s Degree in 1959 and his Master’s Degree in Marketing in 1969, both from the University of San Francisco. While continuing as Cable Car’s CEO, in 1970 he also served as president of the MBA Alumni Association for the USF Business School and was active in many other community organizations.
In 1989, Charlie was awarded the San Franciscan of the Year by then-Mayor Frank Jordan and was active in the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.
For many years, Cable Car Clothiers hosted the Cable Car Scholarship awards where select San Francisco high school students were honored with a handmade wooden Cable Car replica and cash award for college. The awards were presented at an annual gala at the Westin St. Francis in Union Square. Mr. Pivnick presided over the awards and took great pride in honoring the achievements of San Francisco public school students. To this day, Cable Car Clothiers continues to support and donate to a variety of local charitable organizations, including San Francisco Heritage.
Cable Car Clothiers ran regular weekly ads in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times weekend and business editions as well as being the longest consecutive advertiser in the New Yorker magazine during the 1970s and 1980s.
Over the decades, we have enjoyed visits from celebrities, musicians and athletes as well as everyday folks looking for a white OCBD or Irish linen pocket square. Today we are a staple in the financial district and look forward to the future.
“Though management no longer makes the staff a daily lunch of egg and tuna sandwiches, as the founder once did, it still feels like an old-fashioned family operation that prides itself on respect for the people who make it what it is – dedicated employees and loyal customers. The whole place-with its archetypal products, full-service offerings, and overall approach to running a family business ‑- feels like a perfect example of when modernity and tradition marry and push through the decades.” – Discovering Vintage San Francisco, Laura Smith Borrmann
Matthew Longcore: After college, you worked in other industries but eventually returned to the family business. What brought you back and what do you enjoy most about it?
Jonathan Levin: I first appeared in the Cable Car Clothiers catalog at the age of three as you noted, modeling a life size rocking chair horse from England. Growing up, I worked in the stockroom and on the sales floor during holidays and summer vacations. After attending UC Berkeley and a stint on the East Coast, I worked as a broker in downtown San Francisco.
However, my true passion was traditional Men’s Clothing, and I returned to the family business and orchestrated the store’s move to the current Sutter Street in late 2012. We are going strong and there seems to be a nice momentum and energy to the city after a very challenging Covid period.
It is my greatest honor to carry on the legacy of my grandfather and hopefully my enthusiasm for the traditions and finery abounds at the little shop that began as a humble military surplus store so many years ago.
Matthew Longcore: The motto of Cable Car Clothiers is “San Francisco’s British Goods Store Since 1939.” As an Anglophile, I was impressed by your extensive assortment of items from the United Kingdom, including a variety of hats. Please tell us about the British items that you carry.
Jonathan Levin: Cable Car Clothiers has offered classic natural shoulder clothing to men across the country who appreciate quality without compromise. The shop’s excellent relationship with the premier menswear manufacturers in the British Isles, Europe, and in the U.S. has allowed us to be a dependable and often the exclusive resource for hard-to-find items, such as our traditional three-buttoned natural sport coats and suits. In addition, Cable Car Clothiers has an outstanding selection of handsome Harris Tweed coats and impeccably tailored trousers, luxurious cashmere and lambswool sweaters, tasteful shirts and neckwear, and comfortable sleepwear.
Cable Car Clothiers specializes in the total fashion experience for the gentleman, carrying all the traditional British brands you’d imagine (Barbour, Baracuta, Harley, Scott & Charters, Fox Umbrellas, Gloverall, Lock & Co. Corgi, Kent, Albert Thurston, Abbey Horn, Trumpers, Taylor of Old Bond Street, D.R. Harris, Ettinger, and many more in both “business and dress” and “casual” wear.
Most of the pieces in the haberdashery, including our legendary hat department, are made up special for the shop and thus one of a kind. We have been blessed to have long-term relationships with our vendors that enable us to provide customers with garments that last a lifetime and more.
Matthew Longcore: The vintage catalogs and advertisements for Cable Car Clothiers are legendary. I was able to peruse some of the collection during my visit to the store. I even heard that you first appeared in the Cable Car Clothiers catalog at the age of three. What made these print catalogs so special, and have we lost something in the digital age?
Jonathan Levin: Under the vision of Charlie, Cable Car Clothiers made its name known to over two million customers nationwide through its pioneering catalogue business. Charlie produced his popular catalogue throughout the 2000s, offering all the store’s high-quality products for mail order.
In this new era of on-line shopping, we have upgraded the virtual shopping experience with an on-line store, bringing Charlie’s catalog vision to the 21st century and thus appealing to a new generation of customers. The web site is a taste of what we can offer in the shop.
Our favorite part of the job is sharing our institutional knowledge and educating the public. We feel strongly that tasteful dressing is always in style! Trad clothing is never about being on trend. Rather ivy style is timeless and enduring.
Matthew Longcore: Your store features the classic décor of an exclusive English gentleman’s club. You have done an exceptional job with visual merchandising, rivaled only by the Ralph Lauren flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York. What are some of the items on display and where did you find them?
Jonathan Levin: The interior of the shop boasts the classic décor of an exclusive English club, with a refined masculine atmosphere complete with a 1930s Barber Shop. Cable Car Clothiers is in the heart of the Financial District within the grand columns of the original French American Bank, originally erected in 1902. When they step into the shop, customers feel like they are transported to a different era, where they can peruse fine tailored clothing, hats and caps, and accessories made in England, Europe and the USA.
Many of the art, fixtures and display items are heirlooms of the shop and have been collected over the years. I am particularly fond of the Accension Portrait of Queen Elizabeth which was received as a gift from the British Consulate in the early sixties. We are proud that the shop feels like a museum and our little homage to men’s wear. Folks like to explore when they visit and we encourage them to touch and feel the clothing. All are welcome even if they just want to take pictures!
Matthew Longcore: Cable Car Clothiers is much than a clothing store. You also have an old-fashioned barber shop, an apothecary, accessories, and even products for pets. Tell us more.
Jonathan Levin: Our 1930s barbershop has been incredibly successful and has brought in a whole new demographic of customers over the last 18 years. The barber shop is a veritable museum of vintage barber tools, chairs, and hair tonics and makes you feel like you have traveled back in time to a more stylish and genteel era.
Pets are always welcome and they sometime model the miniature caps we have on display!
Matthew Longcore: The style of Cable Car Clothiers is associated with Old England, but also with New England and the East Coast more broadly. We rarely think of this style in association with the West Coast. However, much of San Franciso has an old-world vibe. Nob Hill, the Bohemian Club, the Pacific-Union Club, the University Club of San Francisco, the St. Francis Yacht Club. Does your store mostly serve a local clientele, visitors to San Francisco, or both?
Jonathan Levin: Cable Car Clothiers is a San Francisco institution and destination for men who seek fine clothing and accessories that are often hard to find – products that are crafted with care and good taste, from first-rate materials. In that regard, we get our regular visitors from out of town who make a visit to Cable Car when this travel to San Francisco.
At the same time, we certainly have a loyal local clientele, who enjoy shopping, but also stopping by to chat. Many thank us for staying open despite the many obstacles facing small family businesses and retail in general. The large number of amazing social clubs nearby and our location in a world class city certainly is a unique opportunity. It is very rewarding to feel like a valued part of the community, and we appreciate the support of our friends and patrons over the decades.
Matthew Longcore: San Francisco’s neighbor Silicon Valley is the home to many of the world’s largest high-tech corporations and thousands of startup companies. The culture is trend-focused and future-oriented. Cable Car Clothiers, in contrast, feel like traveling back in time. How do you juxtapose such a traditional store in an environment that is changing so rapidly?
Jonathan Levin: In this day and age, when competing with on-line shopping and clothing made overseas, it is crucial to pay attention to the details. This includes providing excellent customer service, music and ambiance, and especially a well-curated inventory. The Cable Car Clothiers staff prides itself on building personal relationships with our customers, encouraging them to touch and feel the quality of the fabrics and the construction. This is something that is lost when you press and click on a computer.
Matthew Longcore: Ivy Style haberdasheries like Cable Car Clothiers have a unique challenge: retain their traditional constituencies while attracting new customers. There is a song with the lyrics, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, and the other, gold.” How can Cable Car Clothiers continue to cater to the old guard while also appealing to a younger demographic?
Jonathan Levin: One of the most valuable lessons that we have learned is to stay true to your roots. In this confusing age of AI, people are searching for authenticity and human connection. Cable Car has followed the same tradition for over 85 years and hopefully many more.
Matthew Longcore: What is one topic you think that Ivy Style should address in a future article?
Jonathan Levin: Shackets (Shirt Jackets) are having a moment, but Ivy-Style might want to explore the rich heritage of hats and caps. We take immense pride in our headwear collection, and they can be wonderful additions to any wardrobe. In addition, quality Panama hats and fedoras can also protect oneself from the side effects of sun damage while looking dapper! Looking good makes you feel good! Functional fashion!
Matthew Longcore: Is there anything else that you would like to share with Ivy Style readers?
Jonathan Levin: Thank you for the opportunity to participate in Ivy Style and keep up the good work! Cheers!
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