Dallas’ Stanley Korshak Partners With Mitchell Stores For its Next Era

In 1909, long before luxury was the go-to adjective, Stanley Korshak founded his fine goods store in Chicago. In the 1980s, that store closed, but Dallas entrepreneurial oil heiress Caroline Rose Hunt saw an opportunity and purchased the rights to the name. In 1986, she opened Stanley Korshak, a glittering emporium in the courtyard of the Crescent Hotel in Dallas. She hired Crawford Brock (who previously worked as a men’s clothing buyer for Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills) to manage the store, and in 2002, he and his family bought the business from Hunt. 

During the 23 years since, Stanley Korshak grew to become one of the largest independent specialty stores in Dallas. Now a new family name joins that celebrated history, with Mitchell Stores’ new strategic partnership with Stanley Korshak. The merger ensures that Brock isn’t going anywhere soon, and neither is the level of pampering that customers expect. 

For Brock, this strategic partnership seems predestined. Twenty years ago, he was seated next to Jack Mitchell on an airplane. While talking shop, Mitchell asked him a pointed question: “What’s your exit strategy?” Without missing a beat, Brock replied, “Probably you. You’d buy us.” Mitchell replied with a grin, “We’d like that.” Two decades later, their family-run businesses have finally united. 

Mitchell Stores operates eight luxury specialty stores on the east and west coasts under four retail brand names: Mitchells, Richards, Wilkes Bashford, and Marios. Combined with Stanley Korshak, they’re a $250 million family-run business. As Brock says, “Who would want to take us on? We are going to kill it.” 

The acquisition provides Stanley Korshak with access to 10 times their current product selection. Customers can also expect an expanded and integrated e-commerce world that includes shopping with their current sales associate through a seamless app complete with a virtual closet. Brock knows this technology is a game changer for the store, which only fully ramped up their online service in 2020 due to COVID. 

Moving forward, third-generation owner Chris Mitchell will spend half his time in Dallas. Brock is already envisioning Mitchell and his wife setting up home in Highland Park after their youngest graduates from high school. Brock describes Mitchell as “Me, just 30 years younger!”

It’s been a turbulent spring for the big names in Dallas retail (cough, Neiman Marcus). Calling Neiman’s “a formidable competitor,” it was Stanley Marcus himself who taught Brock not to be afraid of competition, because “it makes everybody better.” Brock, as energetic and inspired about Stanley Korshak’s future as ever, ended our conversation with, “Tee it up. Let’s go!”