Keaton Wells is the owner of Keaton’s Cupboard, a fine men’s women’s and children’s clothing store in Charlotte, N.C. As a young man, Wells’ mother always encouraged him and his siblings to dress well and to look presentable. While he never took himself as the person to ask about fashion advice, he quickly became the go-to guy on what to wear. “I began to develop this reputation where people would ask me my opinion about what they look like. So if they were going out on a Friday night, or on a date, it was like, ‘Keaton, what do you think I should wear?’”
His reputation followed him to Winston Salem State University where he attended college. There he majored in business administration with a concentration in management. That degree would help him develop the skills he needed to become a successful business man, but it was his keen fashion sense that gave him direction. To help fund his education, Wells worked in retail all through college. After graduation he was recruited into JCPenney’s management trainee program. He trained for over a year, and was sent to manage a Charlottesville, Va. store, making him the youngest store manager in the history of the company. He was going to be the future of JCPenney…or so they thought.
As time went on, Keaton became unhappy with his job. It lacked the kind of challenge he desired. He realized that he wouldn’t feel a sense of fulfillment until he started his own business. That’s when he started a clothing store. Wells woke up in the middle of the night in November 2002 and realized a dream. He took $500 out of savings , gassed up his van and drove to New York City. Not knowing where he was going, he called up his cousin who gave him a place to stay, and showed him around the city. After a couple of days of observing, he purchased his first set of merchandise on the streets of Manhattan, packed it all in the van and hauled it back to Virginia. He set up shop for the first time on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. His business went by the name Hip Hop Junkies, and he sold men’s and women’s urban gear. The address on his business cards and flyers was 123 Out the Trunk Drive. Wherever he parked his car and set up shop was his address for the day.
Wells traveled back and forth from Virginia to New York for months, building his inventory and making a profit. Instead of sitting in one location for hours at a time, he started traveling with his merchandise to barber shops, beauty salons, even cookouts. It was a steady progression for the young entrepreneur. “I was making money to the point that I can pay my rent, buy food [and pay for] daycare. I can take care of the family to some degree. I’m thinking in my mind, I have to make this a real live business.
” With that notion, Keaton registered with federal and state governments, and now had the paperwork to prove that he could legally operate his business from anywhere.
” With that notion, Keaton registered with federal and state governments, and now had the paperwork to prove that he could legally operate his business from anywhere.
After spending some time in Virginia, Keaton moved back to Winston Salem where he continued to sell his urban gear. In his heart though, he wanted to sell sophisticated menswear. He started buying and selling men’s shirts and ties, and was eventually able to phase out the urban gear completely.
With its new image, the business needed a new name. Hip Hop Junkies was no longer suitable for the designer suits, shoes and accessories he was selling. Now living in Charlotte, N.C., Keaton received a message from his college public speaking professor. She had found a folder with some of Keaton’s work from her class. She let him have the folder. On the very first page were notes from an impromptu speech that he had delivered in her class. It was about a fictitious business that he called Keaton’s Cupboard. At the time he thought he was just making up something for a class assignment. He had no idea that it would one day become the name of an actual store. In fact, he forgot about the business name and the speech altogether. It wasn’t until he saw a copy of his notes years later that he realized that this was something God had orchestrated in his life. “I did an impromptu speech about something I thought I was making up. But the reality is, God had already given me what was going to become…and when I started thinking about that I simply started crying.”
The word cupboard is synonymous with a closet. And that’s exactly what Keaton wants men to feel when they come into his store – like they are in his closet. The clothes in his store are not only reflective of himself, but of the greater concept of presenting a positive image. His slogan is, “Where image is everything,” and his desire is simply to make people look good. He accomplishes his goal by providing superior customer service to each and every customer; service that usually cannot be provided by big department stores. Ask his repeat customers what they think about the products and services he provides, and it’s sure to be positive. His female customers appreciate his ability to make them feel comfortable in their skin, while his male clients thank him for helping them coordinate their apparel.
Whether he was selling clothes out the back of his vehicle, or living in the back of his store in Rock Hill, S.C., Keaton has always kept his vision in front of him and allowed his faith in God to lead him into the places he could not see.
This visionary had very humble beginnings. Growing up on Charlotte’s west side, Keaton’s family did not have the best of everything, but he knew there was more for him to do with his life. “I didn’t come from anything. I was born and raised on West Boulevard. That would be known as the ghetto…If I can come from that, anybody can. It doesn’t matter what your story is. You can do better,” he admonishes. For him, doing better means leaving something behind for his children – something he could not have done at JCPenney. “JCPenney stands for James Cash Penney. I can’t leave that to my kids. I can only leave something that I’ve made to them. That’s why I have Keaton’s Cupboard. At the end of the day, this will become theirs.” At the rate he’s going, not only will he leave his children a successful business, but a strong legacy as well.
**PLEASE VIEW KEATON WELLS ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN ACTION IN THE VIDEOS UNDERNEATH THIS CAPTION**
