Michael Kehoe, the fine men’s clothier and cofounder of the namesake shop, Michael Kehoe Men’s Clothing, which became a fixture on Church Street Marketplace for nearly half a century, died on August 13 after a long illness. He was 82.
In a state where men’s fashion is often characterized by casual workwear such as flannel shirts, work boots and jeans, Kehoe was a retail innovator. He opened a European-style haberdashery at the corner of Church and College streets at a time when downtown Burlington had no other fine men’s clothing stores. The shop, since renamed MK Clothing, has won numerous Seven Daysies awards over the years for “Best Men’s Clothing Store.”
Born and raised in Burlington, Kehoe attended Rice High School before joining the U.S. Navy. Upon his return three years later, he attended St. Michael’s College, graduated in 1967, then moved to Aspen, Colo., to work in the ski industry.
After several years in Colorado, Kehoe returned to his hometown to join his family’s office furniture business, McAuliffe Office Products. The furniture store was based in the historic 1912 McAuliffe Building that Kehoe’s clothing shop would later occupy. (Patrick McAuliffe, who founded the business, was his grandfather.)
In 1977, Kehoe recognized an unfilled retail niche: a store for upscale men’s clothing that was made from natural fibers rather than synthetics. He and business partner Tom Pierce opened Michael Kehoe Men’s Clothing, which catered to fashion-conscious men with more discriminating tastes, selling hand-tailored suits, silk ties and Italian-made shoes. The business opened just as the Church Street Marketplace was being renovated into a pedestrian mall, and drew regular shoppers from as far away as Montréal.
“What was so great about Michael Kehoe was, when you went up to Church Street, he always there, standing in the doorway,” recalled Melinda Moulton, cofounder of Main Street Landing on Burlington’s waterfront. ‘It was one of those places where you knew the owner, and when you went in, you got this incredible service. He really cared for all of his customers.”
Kehoe was also known for his involvement in local nonprofits. For a time, he cochaired the Downtown Business Development Association and for many years volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club, cosponsoring its annual Boys and Girls Fashion Show. Kehoe’s first cousin, Pat Robins, described him as “a person of high character and strong opinions.”
In 2020, when scores of downtown retail stores, including Michael Kehoe Men’s Clothing, were forced to shutter due to COVID-19, Kehoe decided to retire. He passed the torch to Pierce, his longtime business partner, and his new co-owner, Hagen Peyser, who reopened the shop the following day in the same location under the name MK Clothing.
Pierce described his decades-long partner as having a good head for numbers and business. “It was a great run and we had a great relationship,” he said.