SLC suit shop owner on a mission to dress those in need

MANTI — It’s safe to say folks in Manti work hard for what they have. But even in the friendliest towns, things can be tough from time to time.

Just ask Tom Carmody, who has lived in Manti for years.

“There’s not a lot of housing. There’s not a lot of jobs,” he said. “People don’t need a lot of help, just a little bit. Just hand up, not a hand out.”

He has felt it himself. At one point, he and his family thought about declaring bankruptcy after a financial deal went bad.

Instead, he took a second job at McDonalds to make ends meet. That was a few years ago.

“Right now, it’s getting better. But it’s still tight,” said Carmody. “McDonalds allowed me to do what I needed to do to get to where we are now.”

After what he’s been through, you couldn’t blame him for being skeptical when a friend asked him to meet at an RV in the middle of a church parking lot in Manti. However, when Carmody showed up to the RV on Wednesday morning, he found out it was to try on a suit.

“Okay, let’s go and try this on,” said Bart Stringham, as he brought a dark blue suit jacket to Carmody. “How does that feel?”

Making people feel like a million bucks is what Stringham is good at.

“You’re not used to having people help you put on your clothes,” Stringham said to Carmody.

“No, I’m not,” said Carmody with a laugh.

“Just straight back,” said Stringham.

Stringham is one of the owners of Utah Woolen Mills in Salt Lake City. It’s a high-end clothing store where customers could easily spend thousands of dollars on a single suit. However, Stringham knows how a good suit can make a man feel.

“It’s amazing to look at yourself for maybe even the first time and see that, ‘I can do this. I can get that job.’ The confidence level goes from 10 to maybe 110,” said Stringham.

That’s why he’s giving the suits away as part of his charity called Suited For Good. The charity started with those who are homeless or low income who needed a good suit for a job interview. Now it’s grown to the point where Stringham is taking an RV on the road to several smaller towns and cities to help those who maybe can’t make it to Salt Lake City.

“The whole idea is to find people who don’t expect or want but have a need,” said Stringham. “Because when you have a suit on, you can do anything. It puts you in a different mindset.”

In two years, the charity has donated more than 500 suits. Half of those who used the suit for a job interview ended up getting a job, according to Stringham.

However, even though the suits are free, there is one string attached.

“The catch is you have to do something for someone else. Pay it forward,” he said.

It can be a little tough to pay it forward in towns where people take pride in working for what they have.

“Asking for help or getting help is always hard,” said Carmody.

However, he sees how a suit can make a small difference in how you feel. And when you feel good, it’s easier to have hope for a better future.

“Maybe just walk a little taller,” he said with a laugh.

If you know somebody who could use a good suit, you can apply for one at www.suitedforgood.com.

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