Meet Gary Flynn | Co-Owner and CEO of M. Dumas and Sons

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gary Flynn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gary, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk and change are connected for me. Change comes with some built-in risk, but one has to change to remain relevant. I like to think of change as evolution, not revolution. If you are not comfortable with evolving, then you become irrelevant, but if you start a revolution, you may lose your core customer. M. Dumas and Sons is still relevant today, 107 years after being founded, because the Dumas family has evolved many, many times over those 107 years. It’s much riskier to stay the same and not change or evolve. If you do that, you will most likely be passed by, which is far riskier than evolving.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
M. Dumas and Sons is a special place. It’s third generation, Charleston-based and has 107 years on King Street. I mentioned how evolution has served us well over that time, and where we are today speaks to that. Our flagship store is at 294 King Street in historic downtown Charleston, SC. As of Friday, September 13, we will have our second store in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre. Last year, we opened a Johnnie-o by M. Dumas and Sons store in the Charleston Place Hotel on Market Street in Charleston, and six years ago, we opened a Southern Tide by M. Dumas and Sons location also in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre, making us now four stores and a website. We have evolved the mix of products in the flagship store to move further into the luxury market by adding brands like Sartorio, Kiton, Canali, Castangia, Eleventy, Eton and others and now have become as well known for our sophistication as we are for our casual heritage. This sets us apart from our competitors in the market. We are 9000 square feet, covering looks from what you would wear fishing or hunting to what you wear to a formal gala. Head to toe, no matter your lifestyle, we have you covered!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Charleston has so much to offer for a city on the smaller side. You can’t come to Charleston and not have the city’s history grab you, from historic homes, churches, cobblestone streets, garden gates, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Charleston is charming, well-preserved and part of the very fabric of the city. I would start with a tour of the city by car first, going from the Battery, up and down King Street, to the City Market and through all the different neighborhoods. After a nice lunch at The Watch on top of the Restoration Hotel, I would take a walking tour down King Street, turning onto Queen Street and ending with a walk down Church Street. You can’t help but soak up the charm and history of this place. I would have booked a table at Halls Chophouse (probably months ago) for dinner that night for an amazing dining experience. From the food and drinks to the atmosphere and service, Halls has it all.

On other days, I would be sure to go to the beaches. I love Sullivan’s Island, but you can’t go wrong with any local beaches. After spending the morning at the beach, I would take them to Poe’s (as in Edgar Allen Poe) for an amazing array of hamburger choices or a fantastic salad, sitting outside and people watching while dining. Then, would make our way over to Fort Moultrie for another historic tour. You get a great point of view of what it would be like to be in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War there. The next day, I would go on a Plantation Tour outside the city. There are many good ones: Middleton Place, Boone Hall, and Drayton Hall, just to name a few. One day, I would try to get on the water and explore the coastal waterways. Another day, I’d go to Kiawah and book a tee time at one of the amazing, world-class golf courses. I would also be sure to have lunch at the Ocean Course. One evening, I would try to see something at the Gaillard Center. Lastly, I would go to the International African American Museum and the Aquarium as they are virtually side by side. As you can see, there is fantastic variety in our little city. You can’t get the whole experience in just a long weekend.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I learned so much from the Nordstrom family, which was my first job at 18 years old in 1983, working part-time while putting myself through college. After about two years, I felt I had learned enough about the company’s culture and its “promote from within” philosophy to know I wanted to see how far I could take my career there. The Nordstrom family was passionate about allowing people to build their businesses. I was often told to act as if the name on the building was mine, not theirs, and conduct business how I saw fit. Taking care of the customer was the most important thing, and if whatever decision I made was right for the customer, then I made the right decision. The customer is at the very top of Nordstrom’s organizational chart, followed by the salespeople, the management team, and so on. I was at Nordstrom for 27 years and was given incredible amounts of responsibility along the way, but all the things I learned there I took with me to any role I’ve had since. I’ve continued believing in these core principles, which have yet to fail me.

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Image Credits
M. Dumas and Sons