Meet Gary Flynn

We were lucky to catch up with Gary Flynn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gary, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I’m sure that my work ethic comes from my father, who has been a source of inspiration and drive for me my whole adult life. He’s a guy that worked hard for everything he ever got. He was raised in a lower-income family but excelled anyway, maintaining great grades in school while also being a three-sport athlete, including being on all-state basketball team. He didn’t have the money to attend college, so he entered the Air Force. Once he completed his service, he entered the workforce but didn’t give up on his college dream, so he put himself through college while working full-time. He never complained about hard work and was an outstanding example for me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

M. Dumas and Sons is one of a kind and such a special store to so many. The three-generation family business has been open for 108 years in Charleston, with the flagship location located on historic King Street and the second M. Dumas and Sons store, which opened last September, located in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre. In 2023, we opened a Johnnie-O by M. Dumas and Sons store in the Charleston Place Hotel on Market Street, and six years ago, opened a Southern Tide by M. Dumas and Sons location also located in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre. We are proud to have four brick-and-mortar stores along with online shopping available on our website.
Through the years, 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 and Eton, and as a result have become as well-known for our sophistication as we are for our casual heritage, which sets us apart from our competitors in the market. We have our customers covered, from outfits to wear hunting to attire for a black-tie event; no matter their lifestyle, there is something for everyone.
I currently serve as CEO and Co-Owner of Dumas and have had the privilege of being with the company for over eight years. My career in retail began at 18 when I joined Nordstrom, where I spent 27 years learning all parts of the industry. After that, I moved to New York and took on senior merchandising roles with Hugo Boss and Samsung. In 2016, I found my way to Charleston and joined Dumas, and since then, we’ve opened up two brand stores and a second Dumas location which has been incredibly rewarding.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Listening – to customers in my stores, my team in the stores and elsewhere, the industry, and my brand representatives. You never stop learning, you never stand still, you’re always looking to improve, and the only way to get direct input is to be open to hearing and asking for it.
Vision – I’ve always been able to take in all information and find a clear path forward. I can see where I want to go and how to get there. I’ve always painted the picture of where we need to go in my team’s eyes so they can see where we are headed, too.
Integrity – It’s very important that I treat others how I want to be treated. I try to answer all my calls and pertinent emails and do things the “right” way. I believe this earns you respect and opens some doors for you based on a good reputation.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

This happens to all of us from time to time. Everything happens so fast today, and you constantly get a ton of information thrown at you: emails, texts, phone calls, radio, TV and social media. It’s constant, and it can be overwhelming. I’ve found that if something seems like a good idea, I must write it down in my notebook. Then, I try to go through those things and decide what needs to happen today, tomorrow, sometime in the future or not at all. That’s a constant process, but when done properly, you’re always spending time doing what YOU want to do because YOU decided it was important to YOU to do it. Then, once you’ve done that thing, YOU decide what YOU want to do next. It’s pretty powerful and free, and it helps me sleep at night, knowing that I got what I needed to get done today.

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M. Dumas and Sons

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