Longtime Sarasota custom clothier closes shop, shifts to concierge model

A Sarasota menswear mainstay is shuttering its brick-and-mortar location in the Burns Court area just south of downtown, but the business is not closing. Instead, Cravats’ Custom Clothiers & Haberdashery is shifting to a concierge model and will see clients by appointment.

“This isn’t the end of Cravats’,” owner Henry “Hank” Battie says in a statement. “It’s simply the next chapter.”

Battie founded Cravats’ Custom Clothiers & Haberdashery in 1990 at the original Sarasota Quay, which has since been demolished to make way for new development. In recent years, his shop has been located at 1530 Dolphin St., where it will close its atelier by the end of August.

Over the years, Cravats’ has become known for tailored shirts, suits, sport coats, formalwear and distinctive men’s haberdashery, serving both men and women, according to the statement. It offers everything from custom lounge jackets to designer fabrics to pocket squares. 

Closing the storefront will free Battie up to be available to his family, he says.

“After all these years, I’m ready to have more time with my family, but I’m not ready to stop doing what I love,” Battie says in the statement. “This new model gives me the opportunity to do both. I can continue serving our clients and providing the personal attention they expect from us, just in a different way.”

Battie says he will see clients in their homes or offices by appointment on a concierge basis. He says he will provide the same Cravats’ experience, which includes an expert eye for style, exceptional fit and a relationship with a clothier who understands not only how clients dress but also how they want to present themselves, according to a statement. 

According to the statement, its clientele has included “some of the region’s most recognizable figures, including U.S. Congressman Vern Buchanan.” Battie's son is Sarasota Mayor and City Commissioner Kyle Battie.