Talkingthailand

Jesse and Son is a tailor shop, recently opened on Soi 19.

Jesse has been in the business for 34 years. His old premises used to be on Soi 11, but for the past few months Jesse and his son, Manop, have been hard at work upgrading their services, and producing a brand new image. Hence the new premises, which opened in June 2014.

While Jesse was busy with customers, Manop was happy to talk to me about the business.
He explained that there are not that many real tailors around. There are hundreds of tailor shops in Bangkok but not many real ones. They are imitation shops who pretend to do the real thing. They provide no explanation about the fabrics, and sell the fabrics for what they are- cheap and lacking in quality. They don’t really care about their customers-once the suits are made they make no effort to get feedback to improve. And most of them do need to improve.

Not so at Jesse and Son. Their personal service comes at a reasonable cost, and they promote a brand rather than just a tailoring service. They care about their customers and want to provide them with everything they need to produce a perfect product. They ask for feedback from all their clients which they take to heart and if improvements are needed they will make them. They believe that this kind of service will make their customers return and tell others of the excellent service they have received.

In fact, as Manop explained, they have been getting a lot of repeat customers- clients that are so impressed with the service and product they have returned to do more business. And these same customers have recommended Jesse and Son to other people for the same reason. They also get a lot of customers walking in as they pass by. These customers will invariably spend time in Jesse and Sons, leave and go to check out other shops, but return because they realise that they are going to get a great service and a quality product.

When we were in the shop two guys did just that- walked in and spent over an hour talking to Jesse and getting measured up. They went away extremely happy. When they had left Jesse came to join us and he explained that they had just come in after passing by and seeing the shop. He says: “it works like this- the customer has an idea, I have an idea and we go from there. Their ideas might be something I had not thought of, and I think yeah, ok, let’s do that.”

I never realised that there was so much work involved in making suits and shirts. The design part is almost as much work as the actual making part- what lapel and style you might like; whether you want pleats and pockets on your trousers; choice of collar; buttons and whether you want a monogram stitched in. in fact there is so much to choose from you really are designing your own clothing.
There are also samples of different colours, buttons, and piping to make your item unique. You can choose Bemberg Lining- which comes from the linter of cotton plants, and is used by big names such as Hugo Boss, Giorgio Armani and Zegna. You can have mother of pearl buttons which have more depth and colour and do not dissolve like the plastic versions. These buttons are considered the hallmark of a high quality shirt maker and they enhance the elegance and value of the shirt.

Manop told me that their tailors use horsehair to line jackets, this being the traditional way. Horsehair is a natural product and conforms better to the body than other man-made fibres such as polyester. A lot of other tailors will use polyester or other material- in fact Manop told us he knows of one guy who, after buying a jacket from another tailor, wondered what it was lined with, so he ripped it apart to find it had been lined with newspaper.

There are currently 3 jacket tailors and 2 shirt tailors in the employ of Jesse and Son. They work to their customers timescales. If a customer needs a suit for a particular date, they will ensure that the finished item is ready in time.

As well as making tailored made items of clothing they are very proficient at copying designs. I know someone who gave Jesse and Son a shirt she liked and they were able to produce a replica for her-all at a reasonable cost.

If you want your new suit sent home in time for a wedding or other important event- Jesse and Son can send it anywhere you want. Recently they have sent orders to Malaysia, Japan and Dhaka.

They have a drinks menu in the shop so you can enjoy a coffee or a glass of wine while you design your outfit. I asked why they decided to do that and Manop told me: “I wanted to make it fun, more of an experience for our customers. We even have music playing in the fitting room- it all helps to create a good ambiance.”

Manop himself has been making clothes from an early age and the passion he has comes across very clearly when he told me he loves to explain to people what actually goes into making clothes and the reaction he gets in return. He told me “I could talk about it all day.”

They have their own website where you can place an order online- www.jesseandson.com. They have an iPad in the shop so customers can get an idea of what the suit will look like, and there are books to show all manner of designs, colours and fabrics. Customers can spend as long as they want browsing around the shop and looking at the books before they even begin to start designing.

It’s not only the men who have made this shop a success. Manop’s wife, Manhar, has been involved giving it an artistic and feminine touch in the form of vintage typewriters and sewing machines in the shop window and strategically placed mannequins. Everything in the shop has been designed by her, even the music that is being played. This all adds to the professional and stylish feel to the place.
Manhar’s involvement has been integral to Jesse and Son’s success so far. She is active on social media sites, such as Instagram and Facebook, sharing the store image based on articles and trends she finds. She knows how to capture the essence of the Jesse and Son brand extremely well through the packaging, small gimmicks and accessories that she has designed. She is also launching an accessories brand which will include cufflinks, customised neckties, bowties and pocket squares, amongst other items. Other things Manhar has created are- thank you cards with garment care instructions for all their clients, carefully chosen wood hangers, and the store furniture and colour schemes to produce a modern classic look. Without Manhar’s creativity and vision for the smallest of details, Jesse and Son would just be another tailor store on the block- which it most definitely is not.

Jesse and Manop have it right- they know customer’s expectations are high these days, so their philosophy is if you are going to do something, do it right. For them image and credibility are the most important things. As well as giving a much more personal service, Jesse and Son are giving their customers a new impression of what a tailor should do. And Jesse and Son are proud to be able to deliver on their promises.

Jesse and Son
Sukhumvit Soi 19
Monday to Saturday 9.30am-9pm
Sunday 1.30pm -5.30pm
http://www.jesseandson.com

I was sorry to leave Bangsaen but I am very excited about starting afresh in my new home in Bangkok.
I am swapping the beautiful little seaside town for the concrete jungle. It’s not all concrete though, there is beauty in Bangkok and I am sure that I will find it- in fact I already know where to look I just have to settle in and then start exploring.

I want to get to know Bangkok better because I only know a very small part- there are parks to discover, new bars and restaurants to hang out at and new places to visit.

I have a ready-made social life in Bangkok- I have a few friends living here already- not that I can enjoy this straight away because, until I get paid from my new job, I have little money to spend, but, on the plus side, my new apartment block has a gym, an exercise room, a large swimming pool and a jogging track- so that will be my entertainment for the time being. I am sure I will still be able to squeeze a couple of nights out though.

What can I say about Bangsaen? I loved the runs along the beach, dodging the monkeys on Khao Sammuk Hill, looking at birds around Bang Phra Reservoir, and tramping through the forests of Khao Kheow. Not forgetting teaching the little munchkins who I came to love.

I loved my weekly drinking sessions with Chris and Na, talking about running, not going to aerobics and anything else that came up. I loved learning about birds from Chris- I now know what a Scarlet-backed Flower-pecker looks and sounds like thanks to him. And for Chris’ constant stream of support and advice for which I am eternally grateful.

It has been great getting to know Bangsaen but that time is over- time for a fresh start in a new location. So it’s bon voyage to Bangsaen- I loved staying with you. And hello to Bangkok- we will get to know each other very soon.

Now I am moving to Bangkok I am on a mission to explore it a bit more. I know only a small part of what this wonderful city has to offer.

So a few weeks ago my friends and I went to a little street restaurant on Udom Suk Road for my, must have, dinner of somtam. I normally have the papaya salad with chicken or pork, but they had run out so we were presented with a plate of pig intestine. It definitely did not look very appetising, but my friends told me to try, so I did. I was pleasantly surprised – it tasted a bit like liver, which I like. The other dish that we had was cat-fish, again something I have not tried before, and, again, it was really tasty. Very delicious, washed down with a cold singha beer. So that was the first first of the night.

Next, my friends took me to Talat Rot Fai– a vintage market, translated as train market, in Sri Nakarin, soi 51.
The market is one of the best I have been to in Thailand. There are funky shops selling retro clothes and shoes. You might also find old cameras or sewing machines. The main market area is big. There are stalls selling anything from food, to DVDs and old books, and vintage clothing all at reasonable prices. There is an old train station which has vintage cars and motorbikes, antique furniture and other artifacts from long ago. The market has a lively atmosphere with live music playing out of the many bars and clubs, and there are also a few cocktail cars-including an old VW Beetle which has been refashioned into a bar. We didn’t buy anything we just browsed, enjoying the atmosphere, and watching the people from our vantage point at a cool little bar we found. The second first of the night.

I had a meeting the following day with my new boss, but afterwards I met my friend, Chris, for lunch. Once lunch was finished we arranged to meet at soi 19 to go and visit another friend who has recently opened his new tailors shop-Jesse and Son. I wanted to interview them for an article about their shop, so we spent a couple of hours there before moving on to have a drink at a nearby bar.
What was supposed to happen was go to see Jesse, go home and get changed, and then go out for the evening. But plans are meant to be broken. What actually happened was we went to see Jesse, went for a drink at a nearby bar, ordered another drink, and went out straight from there. We went to the Sky Train Jazz Club- a sky bar near to Victory Monument BTS. Not exactly a sky bar- it was only six floors up. I renamed it the “not very high sky bar” because we were still dwarfed by the sky scrapers. The third first of the night

We ordered food and a bottle of whiskey- don’t forget it was a night of firsts. Not the first time I have drank whiskey but it certainly isn’t my usual tipple. The Sky Train Jazz Club is supposed to be a jazz club-the clue’s in the name-but they weren’t playing much jazz there. There was a groovy CD playing and I liked some of the songs so I asked my Thai friend, Pond, to ask what it was, and being a little drunk I asked “could I have it?” To which they replied “sure, as long as you have your photograph taken?” Er, OK then. I had my photograph taken with the guy who had compiled the CD, and they changed the CD, which was still playing, so I could have the one I had cheekily acquired. This goes with my philosophy- if you don’t ask you don’t get!

Later on my other friend, Nay, arrived we had a few more drinks and decided to go to Silom to continue the party. But we were not allowed to leave until the whole bottle of whiskey had gone-an impromptu rule made up by Chris.

The whiskey got drunk, we hopped over to Silom in a taxi, and carried on dancing and drinking in a couple of cool little bars-one of which was another first. And we ended the night on the steps of 7 11 eating pork sticks- classy.
I had so much fun that night, fun like I am used to in the UK. I danced for the first time since leaving home, and everyone knows dancing is good for the soul. I went to familiar places but experienced some new places as well.

Living in Bangkok is going to be good for me in so many respects and I know that I will enjoy many nights of firsts over the next few months.

I have been teaching in Bangsaen since May. After only two days I felt a little overwhelmed. I had good days and bad days, where the lessons went ok or they didn’t. The kids are so noisy and there are 32 9 and 10 year olds- so it was very difficult to keep them engaged.

I was talking to my friend about this and he said that 32 is far too many kids to give them all the much needed attention that they deserve. Believe me, 32 in a class is low for Thailand, some schools have 50 + students. Imagine! But, he said, it is also up to the teacher to try and engage them- a 50 minute class is a long time to keep them all interested, but I needed to find ways to get them learning without them getting bored. A difficult task at hand.

Two weeks later I wasn’t feeling much better. I always looked forward to the weekend, when I could just forget about work for two days. Not that I wanted to wish my life away, but I was thinking that I couldn’t do more than a year at this school. I mean teaching was great, and the kids are cute-very noisy and some of them have proper attitudes- but they are cute, and their little characters were just starting to emerge- so some of them made me laugh every day.

Nearly two months in and, dare I say it, it was going well. I was halfway to enjoying the teaching, but I realised I prefer teaching older students. The younger ones are so noisy, and a little harder to control, and this is not helped by the co-worker who talks in Thai to them when I am trying to teach them. (This has got a little better after having a few kindly words in his ear). When the classes went well, it really is a pleasure to teach the students, but the bad classes leave me feeling like I cannot teach-it’s a little soul destroying. But I decided I was sticking with it, although I was always on the look-out for another job.

So I knew I had to get out but I didn’t know which way to turn- go back to Surin, go to Sri Lanka or last resort go home? Yes, Sri Lanka is on my mind a lot at the moment. Maybe it is time for me to experience a new country, but that’s a story for another day.
It’s the atmosphere in the office that I have never liked. There is some sort of daily drama every day, and I don’t like friction, whether I am involved or not. It really sets me on edge and it doesn’t make for a pleasant working environment.

After talking to my friend, Chris, over a few civilized beers, he told me not to go anywhere yet but to apply to his company in Bangkok who were looking for female teachers. Chris is always full of guidance and advice, and he gave me the answer I was looking for.

I applied and I got the job, so am moving to Bangkok next month.

This has made me very happy- the last three months I have not been myself. Working somewhere I don’t want to and wondering whether I would even get a new job. I was planning on handing my notice in anyway at the end of the current term and exercising my plan B- move back to UK, at least until March. But at the back of my mind I never wanted to do that.

Everything about this new job sounds great- I will be teaching older students, a week off every six weeks, plus time off in December and April, so I will have time for writing and more travel. It will be a bit of a lifestyle change working evenings and weekends but it will be worth it.

I will be living in Sri Nakarin, near Bang Na. It’s a good area, outside of central Bangkok; close to a park where I can run, and cheapish condos which I am still yet to find. I have friends there already so I have a ready-made social life. And I can start to explore the parts of Bangkok that I don’t know about more easily.

I will miss teaching the kids- they really are a lot of fun but I have got to do what is right for me. So all in all a very good move for me and I cannot wait.