The Celtic Clothing Company is a family-owned and operated business located in Chester County, Pennsylvania just 35 minutes outside Philadelphia.
It is the brainchild of Charles Lord, a native of Belfast. Charlie came to the US in his early twenties after earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Business. Consequently, he wanted to set up his own company and indeed he did just that.
Celtic Clothing Company is now in its 25th year of business and continues to expand and thrive with his own e-commerce presence at CelticClothing.com, an impressive following on social media, and a loyal customer base.
When we recently spoke with Charlie Lord, he was eager to discuss his new product range. One of the items he was interested in discussing was his new line of exclusive Irish Tweed vests and traditional Grandfather shirts. Initially launched at the North Texas Irish Festival in Dallas, customers responded very well to the new designs and color variety. The launch was a huge success, and sales team leader Martin McElroy, from County Antrim, saw firsthand how quickly the crowd embraced the vests and Grandfather shirts.
The Grandfather shirts and tweed vests, both imported from Ireland and available in sizes small to XXXL, are designed to be paired with each other. Feeling confident about the quality of the product and motivated by the positive response from customers, Charlie quickly expanded the line and created a selection of six different colored grandfather shirts to accompany three beautiful tweed vests.
CelticClothing.com now offers multiple color combinations of Traditional Grandfather shirts and Tweed Vests. All the pieces complement each other very well and customers can easily mix and match.
With the expanded range of designs, came further success online. Customers purchased the various combinations and provided product reviews detailing their excitement and satisfaction. Product reviews ranged from "Perfect color, quality materials…you will not be disappointed" to "Great workmanship, great feel, highly recommended."
Celtic Clothing's Grandfather shirt.
Another review included the following accolades, "Both this vest and the blue shirt are a delight, well-made, top-quality linen. They are even better after the first wash."
Another reviewer felt compelled to write, "Yesterday evening, I decided to wear my new grandfather shirt to the dinner theater. Right away, I was aware of how comfortable the tailoring is. The shirt hit all the right notes, looking dressy yet casual. Maybe it was because my ancestors came from Ireland, but, for whatever reason, I felt that the shirt was made for me."
Traditional Irish Tweed Vest available from The Celtic Clothing Company.
An essential component to a successful business is excellent customer service, and this was summarized nicely by another customer who wrote: "A very beautiful shirt, very soft and very comfortable. It is priced right, quick delivery. I am very happy with this purchase. Celtic Clothing is a great company to do business with."
It was no surprise to learn Charlie believes a quality product, timely delivery, and good customer service are all essential components to creating a loyal customer base. Charlie concluded by saying he’s very flattered by both the product reviews and customer feedback; and thanked everyone for their very kind words.
In addition to running CelticClothing.com, Charlie earned a Master’s Degree from Temple University. He currently serves as a Department Chair of the Business Faculty at a suburban high school where he has been teaching business for the past 20 years. Running an e-commerce business and possessing an extensive digital skill-set has allowed him to share his knowledge with future generations of business leaders.
Despite the pride in his accomplishments since coming to the States in his early twenties, Charlie boasts that one of his greatest accomplishments is his 20-year marriage to Janice. She too has helped with the business, works in education, and is preparing for her doctorial defense. Together they have two teenagers who are active in sports and spend summers in Ireland keeping their connection to the island. Janice, a native Philadelphian, is proud of her blue-collar, Polish heritage. She has an extensive background in education spanning over 33 years. Together Charlie and Janice have given a combined 50+ years of service to public education in the United States, and have used their business experience to provide practical advice and guidance to their students over the decades.
Janice describes Charlie as a hard-working, well-respected business owner within the Irish community in Philadelphia. He is always quick to lend support and guidance to other immigrants as well as Irish organizations. He has worked very hard and made many sacrifices to make the Celtic Clothing Company a success and to have it thrive over the past 25 years. Charlie knows hard work pays off and will often say, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” That is Charlie. His wife points out that the quote from Samuel Goldwyn, a Polish immigrant, fits him well.
Together Charlie and Janice continue to work hard and have fully earned the luck of the Irish.
For more information, visit The Celtic Clothing Company's website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. You can also email [email protected] or call 610-662-9154.
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