On MLK Jr Way in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood, there’s a place where you can get two for one: a haircut and a suit.
On the right, there’s Sam and Terry’s Barbershop, one of the oldest black-owned businesses on the Hilltop. On the left, there’s Mr. Mac’s LTD.
“A lot of people buy online through Amazon and the internet but this is real here,” said Jeff Macaluso, who was the stepson of the former owner, Mr. Mac.
“I think Mr. Mac loved what he did. He loved the community. He loved the clothing he was selling,” said Macaluso.
Mr. Mac’s clothing store has been in Tacoma for 60 years and on the Hilltop for the last 20.
“My first suit in Tacoma came from Mr. Mac,” said Prentice Johnson with the Tacoma Ministerial Alliance. He said it’s the type of business that has been part of the core of the community.
“Mr. Mac, he offered suits and clothing that hit the ethnicity of African Americans. A lot of the clothes we wore in the south he offered them here,” said Johnson.
But when Mr. Mac died a couple of years ago, Macaluso, who operates his estate, didn’t know if the family could continue to run the business.
Then the Tacoma Ministerial Alliance purchased the business a couple years ago.
“We’re just blessed that the church group could purchase it and we could come to a deal with it and carry Mr. Mac’s name on," said Macaluso.
For the TMA, it’s about preserving a tradition and protecting history.
"When the opportunity came we jumped on it. We had just already bought Sam and Terry so we thought how can we now pull them together,” said Johnson. "So this is a great legacy that we’re promoting and I think this will not only be good for African Americans but for the city of Tacoma as well."
Johnson said some of the revenue from the stores will be used to give out youth scholarships in Tacoma.