After attracting a lot of attention on social media, the Pants Store will arrive in Oxford later this semester. The store, contrary to its name, sells an array of products.
The Pants Store will occupy the building that formerly housed Rebel Bookstore on East Jackson Avenue. The retailer has six locations in Alabama, including stores around Auburn, Birmingham, Huntsville and Tuscaloosa. Oxford will become the first location outside Alabama.
“We hope we’ve had some social media that people will know we’re coming and excited that we’re coming, and we hope to get off with a good start this spring,” Michael Gee, grandson of Pants Store founder Taylor Gee, said.
Taylor Gee founded the Pants Store in 1950 in Leeds, Ala. Today, the store is run by his grandsons, Michael and John Gee, who are brothers. It initially was deemed the Pants Store because of its selection of high-quality pants, however, the range of products the store offers has since grown. Now patrons can find items ranging from sequined mini dresses to leather loafers.
“We’ve always been interested in Oxford because it’s a college town, and we’ve been so successful in Tuscaloosa and Auburn,” Michael Gee said. “My brother went to Ole Miss, and he loved Oxford, and we just thought it would be a great fit for what we do.”
The Pants Store has received considerable recognition in social media outfit checks, specifically those featured on TikTok during sorority recruitment weeks, commonly known as rush. Posting outfit checks that detail where articles of clothing worn during recruitment were purchased has become incredibly popular across the country.
This social media phenomenon is often referred to as “rush-tok,” and the University of Alabama’s sorority recruitment is one of the primary sources of these outfit videos in which the Alabama-based brand has been frequently mentioned.
Virginia Perret, a senior integrated marketing communications major from Kiln, Miss., is eager to see the Pants Store open in Oxford.
“I am really excited about the Pants Store coming to Oxford because from what I’ve heard, it’s a great one stop-shop for all things clothes and shoes,” Perret said. “I think it will be a great addition to our options for shopping for gameday clothes.”
The Pants Store carries popular brands such as Gold Hinge, HOKA, Dolce Vita and Southern Shirt.
“I think the Pants Store will give the community a new and fresh option to shop for all the events and occasions that life in Oxford has to offer,” Perret said.
Sarah Weems, a junior social studies education and history major from Ocean Springs, Miss., believes the Pants Store could positively impact the city as a whole.
“I have not heard much about the new Pants Store, but I am always excited for new places to shop,” Weems said. “New stores are always good for allowing people to expand their personal style and try new trends, so I think that it will be great for the people of Oxford. Fashion is such an important topic in Oxford, so I’m sure it will help boost the area both economically and socially.”
While the store has become popular on certain platforms for the role it plays in rush, Michael Gee emphasized that the Pants Store serves a broader demographic than future sorority members.
“It’s a family-oriented store,” Michael Gee said. “We sell men’s, women’s, children’s clothing and shoes, and we sell the hippest brands possible and for the best price possible.”
Michael Gee said the Pants Store focuses on family in both its products and its business model.
“It’s been a blessing to work with my brother every day,” Michael Gee said. “My brother and I got to work with my dad for a number of years, and that was a blessing to work with (him). It’s nice to be involved in the family business, and we consider so many of our employees family as well. We’ve grown a lot over the years, and we try and keep it a small business mentality and treat everybody like family.”
