You’d be hard pressed to find a business in Erie with as much history as Isaac Baker Menswear — the Gannon Small Business Development Center’s retail business of the year.

It’s hard to imagine a retail business with a richer pedigree than Erie’s Isaac Baker Menswear.

After all, the business wasn’t merely founded before the invention of the Internet and cell phones. It was founded before the invention of cars and telephones.

It doesn’t just predate the Civil Rights movement. It predates the Civil War.

Isaac Baker Menwear’s history begins in 1850, when Bernhard Baker and a business partner opened a general store that featured menswear. At the time, customers could buy a man’s suit for less than $6.

Today, Isaac Baker is a fixture in downtown Erie and remains a part of the Baker family. David Baker Sherman became the sixth-generation owner of the family business in 1997 when he bought it from his parents, Wendy Baker and Sam Sherman.

Since then, Sherman has been able to grow the business, despite unprecedented pressure. During the past decade, big-box retailers on Peach Street have dominated the Erie landscape and have pushed other longtime retailers out of business.

Isaac Baker Menswear, however, continues to thrive by offering services that you can’t find on Peach Street.

In addition to offering free parking and tailoring, Isaac Baker Menswear also goes out of its way to offer custom home and workplace fittings and wardrobe consulting to its customers. It sells and rents formalwear, provides an array of ethnic clothing options, and has a growing online presence.

In short, the company offers 19th century service with 21st century convenience – and it has used that combination with uncanny results. While menswear sales nationally have declined over the past decade, Isaac Baker Menswear has increased its sales each year.

What’s more, it has increased its employment by 40 percent in the past year alone – further proof that this 158-year-old business is still on retail’s cutting edge.

Next week: Engineered Plastics Inc.

See our previous profiles.