Revolvr Menswear – The Marriage of Quality and Value

It started with a wedding loan and has grown to six locations, we look into the heritage of PNW retailer Revovlr.

By David Shuck

You’re invited to Jon and Christine’s wedding! It’s not a traditional wedding per se—it’s been going on for over a decade, the 100+ guest list includes Red Wing, Freenote Cloth, and Rogue Territory, and the venue is his and hers retail stores Revolvr and Evrgreen. But it is indeed a wedding…at least according to the bank.

We’re gathered here today to celebrate Jon and Christine’s self-funded adventure to becoming one of the most prominent clothing retailers in the Pacific Northwest as they share their love for superior service, curated assortment and exceptional value.

First Engagement

In 2013, Jon and Christine Davis had the concept for a multi-brand men’s shop in their hometown of Bozeman, Montana. Nothing crazy, Jon had just closed his Helly Hansen store in Bozeman and wanted to start their own independent shop. Helly shut down their licensing program and would need to rebrand, but Jon had seen success with some of the additional brands he had brought in and considered going a new lifestyle direction.

He thought about giving the retail game a break and trying a store down the line but Christine didn’t think they’d ever have a better opportunity:  they had the location, the relationships, the staff, and the brand list, everything but the money to put it into action.

After several attempts to secure a commercial loan, Jon and Christine put on their happiest couple faces and went to a different lender and were soon approved for a “wedding loan.” But instead of spending it on chicken dinners and floral arrangements, they stocked up on Naked & Famous and Unbranded, and a business license for Revolvr Menswear.

“Guys don’t buy clothes!” Their friends and family decried and yet the men in Bozeman weren’t walking around naked.

In a few short months, Helly Hansen at 30 W. Main became Revolvr at 30 W. Main and Jon’s old standby brands began to move both during and then after the holidays. Soon Jon was headed on buying trips and rather than buy what fit with Helly Hansen, he bought what he and the Bozeman community would respond to.

The Honeymoon Phase

With two years of steady growth under their belt, Jon and Christine got a tip on a retail space in Bend, Oregon a few hundred miles west of Bozeman. They had never been to Bend before, but why not take a look, they could use a little road trip vacation. They signed on the place within 24 hours of seeing it and sold Christine’s car to pay for the opening. Jon and Christine fell in love with central Oregon as they got Revolvr 2 off the ground and decided to relocate permanently to Bend in 2016.

Up to that point, Revolvr stocked almost exclusively menswear, but in the inverse of “guys don’t buy clothing”, many of their customers lamented they didn’t have a similar store for women. Enter their sister store, Evrgreen, the third location opened in 2017 just down the block from their original spot in Bozeman.

They looked at Portland, Oregon for number four and were turned away by landlords looking for national chains only to have them come crawling back shortly after the start of the pandemic. They opened near Old Town in July of 2021.

Bend got it’s own Evrgreen right next door in early 2022 but with a name like Revolvr, it really needs to be six, right? The most recent spot was back in Montana in Missoula in November of 2022.

The Guest (Brand) List

When they first opened, Jon and Christine had been a little conservative with their buys—Revolvr was an unproven concept in 2013, both to the owners spending their loan money, and to brand reps leery about opening in a Montana town of 50,000. But as their success and locations grew, as did their brand list, and Jon and Christine have built a strong heritage and denim offering including Dehen 1920, Filson, and Freenote.

Between Revolvr and Evrgreen, they carry over a hundred different brands across a variety of styles and price points, but there’s one thing that brings them together.

As Christine tells it, “We stock things we love and wear ourselves and we’re constantly searching for our next favorite thing to add to our lineup. We’re always looking for value—not value in the sense of inexpensive, but value in the way of the price matches the quality. Our customers are willing to pay for superior fabrics, better manufacturing conditions, longevity, extra details, etc.”

And they’ve scoured the world for clothing that meets the mark. That includes offerings from Heddels world makers like Filson, Dehen 1920, and Tanner Goods but also value from lower price point brands that they still feel are a good buy like Rhythm, Scotch & Soda, and Levi’s premium. They have something for everyone who walks through their doors.

Join the Celebration

Jon and Christine with their kids Cooper and Rose in front of Revolvr Bend.

Jon and Christine have continued to put one foot in front of the other and have grown the business to what it is today without outside investment, just a little wedding loan, a great team, and a lot of hard work. And, yes, they did actually get married and had two kids along the way.

You’re still invited to join them online or in store at any of their six locations:

• Revolvr Portland – 604 NW 13th Ave

• Revolvr Bend – 945 NW Wall Street

• Evrgreen Bend – 945 NW Wall Street Ste. 150

• Revolvr Bozeman – 30 West Main Street

• Evrgreen Bozeman – 16 E Main St

• Revolvr Missoula – 160 North Pattee St

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