Father and son team, Don (right) and Dan Eraldi have remained competitive in business by adapting to today’s styles.
Ryan Lely/ Sonoma Valley Sun
Eraldi’s is one of the few shops on the Plaza that serves mostly locals, selling a wide range of men’s wear and shoes, from work clothes to dress clothes – from Levi’s and Carhartt to Tommy Bahama, Lucky Jeans, Claiborne and Nat Nast – and shoes from Florsheim, Timberland, Clarks, Rockport and Crocs.
Knowledgeable, friendly service explains the shop’s longevity and success, says Dan Eraldi, who owns the business with his father Don. This management style was in evidence one recent morning, as customers greeted them and were warmly acknowledged, many by name. By selling quality merchandise at fair prices every day, Eraldi’s can compete with large stores, which often promote sales that aren’t real, and don’t provide much service, according to Dan.
David J. Eraldi, Don’s father and Dan’s grandfather, started the business in 1922 on East Napa Street in a space about a third the size of the current shop. In 1930, he moved to larger quarters in the Duhring Building, which Eraldi’s shared with Mission Hardware at the corner of First Street East and East Napa (currently home to the Mayo Family Winery tasting room). Because the old building sat below the sidewalk, it flooded twice during the Eraldi years, one reason the owners moved across the Plaza to the present store, which they built in 1959 on vacant land.
After her husband died in 1935, Annie Eraldi took over the business, with the help of Don and his older brother David. Shortly after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, David joined the Navy, and then another employee joined the war effort by taking a job at Mare Island, forcing Don to quit high school to work in the store fulltime.
After the war ended, the two brothers and their mother ran the shop together. Back then, they sold lots of suits, ties and hats, because that’s what many men wore to work, said Don. He remembers Eraldi’s as one of three stores on the Plaza selling men’s clothing – before shopping centers and malls – and it wasn’t open on Sundays.
After David retired in 1983, Dan, who was already working in the store fulltime, joined his father as an owner. “I always knew what I wanted to do,” he said, “I don’t consider it a job because I love it, I love people.”
Father and son continue to adapt to today’s styles. They no longer have suits in stock, though they order them at the request of customers. From time to time, Dan visits other stores to see what they’re selling, and he goes to trade shows in Las Vegas twice a year, looking for new merchandise to keep Eraldi’s competitive.
The growth of tourism in the Valley has helped, now accounting for a third of Eraldi’s business. Dan calls it “gravy.” Since the value of the Euro is so high, European visitors load up on Levi’s jeans because they’re so much cheaper here. And the store has customers from the Bay Area who shop several times a year because they prefer to deal with knowledgeable salespeople.
At 81, Don has no plans to cut back or retire “to sit at home.” As for things being better in the old days, he points out that a pair of Levi’s that Eraldi’s sells for $32.95 is actually cheaper than its 1930s price of $1.85, which was roughly equivalent to a day’s wages.
Eraldi’s Men’s Wear & Shoes
475 First St. W., 707.996.2013
Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
