Clothes that fit the job

UNIFORM APPEARANCE: Michael and Joan Gentile, owners of Alexander's Uniforms, display clothing at their Warwick store. They specialize in shoes and clothing for medical professionals and others who need comfortable work wear. Saleswoman Wendy Magnette is in the background. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
UNIFORM APPEARANCE: Michael and Joan Gentile, owners of Alexander's Uniforms, display clothing at their Warwick store. They specialize in shoes and clothing for medical professionals and others who need comfortable work wear. Saleswoman Wendy Magnette is in the background. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

For nearly 35 years, Alexander’s Uniforms has rolled with the changes in medical-uniform retailing.

The company purchased by Joan and Michael Gentili in 1980 first moved from downtown Providence to the retail center of Warwick, then it took its product on the road, through mobile events designed to capture customers at work sites.

The products, which include hospital and medical uniforms, as well as clogs and other footwear, are aimed at employees, such as nurses and specialists, who spend hours on their feet.

Over the past few decades, the options have become more varied, more fashionable. The crossover appeal of the Dansko clogs, to other professionals, such as chefs, teachers and hairdressers, has broadened its business as well.

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Chris Gentili, operations manager, said the clothing and shoes come in a variety of patterns, sizes and materials. The traditional scrub-like top, the boxy pullover, is available. But so are more-fitted uniform styles.

The demand for comfort is a product of the long hours worked by employees at hospitals and medical centers, in particular.

“If you’re in these clothes for 40-50 hours, you want to wear something you like,” Gentili said.

The shoes sold by Alexander’s Uniforms are dominated by the Dansko clogs. By providing a pronounced arch and a relatively flat foot bed, they distribute weight across the shoe.

In Warwick, the Alexander’s Uniforms headquarters features a 3,000-square-foot retail store. The company also has a Cranston warehouse, and retail locations in Norwood, Mass., and Norwich, Conn.

By the late 1990s, the business had begun to introduce mobile retail events. With the permission of hospital and nursing home management, the company will set up in a common area, where employees who need uniforms can shop after their shifts, or while on breaks.

The decision to take the merchandise to the customer has broadened the appeal of its product. Alexander’s now regularly visits hospital and health care work sites in eastern Connecticut and Massachusetts, and across Rhode Island.

Gentili, who represents the second generation of the family-run business, said the shift into mobile retail came at an important time for the company, and has become an important part of the business.

“You do set the business up to fit who you are and who you want to be,” he said. “You’re reaching those customers in multiple ways, not just brick and mortar. It makes it easier for them to find you.”

Although his parents continue to work for the business, Gentili said they have entrusted him with management decisions.

That relinquishing of control has made for a seamless transition from one generation to another in the family business.

“If you’re a family business, or a mom-and-pop, it’s easy to stick to the old ways,” Gentili said. “I’ve been lucky.” •

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