Stag Clothing

James Cecil Carter (1882-1970) was married to Minnie Thomas.  Samuel M. Mason (1880-1964) was married to Vivian Malissa Calfee Bivens.  They opened the first Stag Clothing Store in the early 1900’s in the building that had previously been Mason’s Shoe Store. William F. Loving was also affiliated with the store when it first opened. The store was listed in the 1915-16 Directory of stores in Princeton. The original building is located in the 100 block of Mercer Street.

When applying to have the building registered as an historical site in the Mercer Street Historical District, it was described as follows.

It is a three story, red brick building. It has a stone primary cornice with a central stone cartouche with an inscribed stag in the center of the cartouche. The stag theme is carried out in tiles in the main entrance. There is a painted mural on the side elevation: the first line says Stag Clothing. The second line says Carter & Mason, Proprietors. The third line says Everything For Men & Boys. (---wvculture.org)

Most people will remember the second location of the Stag Clothing Store when it was located at 809 Mercer Street across from the old post office.  The store carried a full line of men’s and boy’s clothing, suits, ties, dress shirts and shoes. 

James Carter’s son Wilson A. Carter and his son-in-law Alton Stinson worked at the store in the 1940s. Wilson became the manager during the 1950s. He and his younger brother Cecil Thomas ‘Tom’ Carter managed the Stag Clothing Store until Tom’s death in 1977. The store was sold to Earl G. Kendrick. Earl G. Kendrick was Chairmen of the Board of the Stag Clothing Store when he died in 1982.