May 2003

Member Profile:
Shryock's Menswear

From Salem Electric’s file of interesting facts; Shryock’s Menswear is one of our newest business members but has been a customer since 1979, too. How can that be?
     “Every town had a men’s shop when I was growing up,” said Mark Messmer, owner of Shryock’s Menswear with his brother Kirk. Today, Shryock’s is among the few remaining in Oregon. This year the Messmers are celebrating the store’s 55th anniversary and a grand opening in a new location.
     Ward Shryock relocated the business from Missouri in 1948.
     When Ward was ready to retire, Howard Messmer, Mark and Kirk's father, was ready to quit journalism. The veteran newspaper man had worked throughout the Willamette Valley for 20 years and he and two partners decided it was a good time to get into retail. “And Shryock’s, while in bad financial shape, did have a well-established clientele,” said Mark.
     “The first store was in the Capital Shopping Center, on Center Street where the old Sears store was,” Mark explained. “Ward expanded into five stores that were all connected together. The inventory was totally out of control. We had every kind of shirt you could possibly desire, so long as you wanted it in white,” Mark quipped. The new owners immediately held a massive warehouse clearance sale. “There were literally 14,000 dress shirts to sell,” he exclaimed.
     The store, purchased in 1976, moved downtown in 1979 just as Salem was unrolling its Urban Renewal Program. Shryock’s Menswear was the first tenant in the brand new Chemeketa Parkade, which predated the Salem Center Mall by several years. Being a tenant in a city structure, Shryock’s paid for electricity through its lease agreement with the City, not directly to Salem Electric. Shortly thereafter, Howard bought his partners’ interest in the business.
     Mark’s first job was shining formal shoes that went with tuxedos. “It was back in the days of leather shoes and with my dad being an ex-Marine, well….,” he laughed. Today, they’re synthetic and you merely spray on the shine. The sons took over ownership when Howard retired in the early ‘90s. “Now he’s living the life we’re looking forward to,” smiled 43-year-old Mark.
     The new store, at 310 Court Street, takes advantage of “art deco” details from earlier tenants. The store features a classy black and silver look with stainless steel highlights. Dress and business attire is displayed in a section, with coved ceilings and recessed lighting for ambiance. The business employs eight, including a full-time tailor.
     To compete with “big box” retailers, Shryock’s has succeeded by niche marketing to multi-generations. “Fitting a young man for his first tux allows us to establish a relationship that can extend for 50 years,” Mark said. Locating the store on the best retail corner in Salem was essential. “People always look to a city center for its character,” he added. So while Kirk oversees operations and sales, Mark assumes administrative duties and local business relations, including membership on several downtown associations. “Salem is the biggest small town I know of, and it takes a lot of work to keep the downtown architecturally and commercially vital.”

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May:  Electrical Safety Month
A good time to review some electrical safety information.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, statistics show an average of 69,700 residential fires annually are caused by problems with electrical wiring systems, appliances, tools or air conditioners. These accidents claim 488 lives, injure 2,405 victims, and cause $889.8 million in property damage.

How can you help provide protection from electrocution and electrical-related injuries?

     You should check for problems with your homes electrical system, and for electrical hazards around the home and the workplace. Look for things like cracked or fraying cords, overheated cords, missing wall plates and the presence of overhead or buried power lines when working outdoors. Check outlets and circuits to be sure they aren’t overloaded. Make sure to use only the proper wattage light bulbs in light fixtures and lamps. Consider low wattage compact fluorescent bulbs as an alternative to incandescent. Use extension cords only on a temporary basis. Also remember to test your smoke alarms and ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) monthly. Replace smoke detector batteries twice a year. And always follow appropriate safety precautions and manufacturer's instructions on all electrical items.

If you have an old house with old wiring, how do you know if repairs are necessary? How extensive and costly can such repairs be?

Electrical systems age and deteriorate just like any man-made product, and as they get older they need to be monitored more frequently. As homes grow in their dependence on electricity with the addition of rooms, large and small appliances and entertainment and computer equipment, electrical systems designed to handle lower electrical demands can become overburdened and problems can develop.
     The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends electrical inspections for the following:
• any house more than 40 years old
• any house 10 years old and older that has had any major renovation or major
appliance added, and
• for any home at the time of resale so the new owners have a comprehensive
understanding of the home’s electrical system and its condition.
     An “electrical inspection” is different from a “home inspection” in that it comprehensively covers only the electrical system, whereas the home inspection only includes an overview of the structure, plumbing, electrical system and other aspects of the house. A qualified licensed electrician can do the inspection.
     The inspection will help find solutions for frequently blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers. It will also identify loose connections at outlets, older deteriorated wiring, and outdated and overburdened electrical service. Repairs could be minor and nominal in cost, such as the cleaning and tightening of the connections or the addition of outlets. They could be more involved running into several thousand dollars, such as the addition of circuits and subpanels, replacement of degraded wiring or, particularly with older homes, upgrading the electrical service from, for example, 60 amp service to 100 amp service. A qualified licensed electrician can determine if repairs or upgrades are necessary and can estimate the cost.

How does a three-prong plug work? What is the benefit of using it?

     The third prong on a plug provides a path to ground for electricity that is straying or leaking from a product. This helps protect the equipment and can help prevent electric shock. Never remove or bend the third prong to fit a two-slot outlet. Use an adapter or find an appropriate three-slot outlet. Note that GFCIs are required in some places and recommended in others, even if the product has a third wire to ground it. Under some conditions a shock hazard could still exist even if a product has a grounding wire.

How does a polarized plug work? What is the benefit of using it?

     A polarized plug is a plug with one large or wide prong and one narrow one. In ensures that the plug is inserted correctly in a socket and reduces the risk of electrical shock. Consumers should never force a polarized plug into a non-polarized outlet, or shave the wide prong down to fit. Use an adapter or find an appropriate polarized outlet.

What is the device now found on the plugs of such appliances as hair dryers?

     The large box-like device found on the ends of some appliance cords could be an appliance leakage circuit interrupter (ALCI), an immersion detection circuit interrupter (IDCI) or a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). Though they work in different ways, they all protect the user against accidental electric shock and electrocution by acting immediately to shut off power to the appliance upon the detection of a “leak” of electric current as may happen when a hair dryer falls into a sink full of water. Even with these devices, if that happens, unplug the device or shut off power to the circuit before reaching in to retrieve the appliance.

What size extension cords should you use? How can you tell if an extension cord is appropriate for the intended use?

     Before purchasing an extension cord you should consider how the cord will be used. Make sure the rating on the cord is the same as, or higher than, the number of watts needed by the product that will be plugged into the cord. Extension cords should never be used as a substitute for permanent wiring and should only be used outdoors if rated for outdoor use.

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