Joey Mendez and Buck Wimberly are announcing their new business venture, a men’s apparel and lifestyle store they’ve named ULAH (pronounced yew-luh). Their store will be located at the brand new Woodside Village, a live-work-play community that is currently under construction.
Buck and Joey knew from the start that they shared a life-long passion for men’s style, but it was more recently they realized that their professional experiences could be a powerfully complimentary combination that could allow them to pursue their mutual dream. Joey was previously a buyer at Halls, and has been in the men’s apparel retail industry for over 15 years. Buck had been at Hallmark for 11 years before leaving his role as a brand strategist to help his brother rebrand his Texas company — Modern Home Renovation — as their Vice President of Brand & Marketing. Joey and Buck both attribute their current momentum to their past professional experiences.
“Leaving my 11 year career at Hallmark was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made. I was in a role that I really loved, with a creative and business community that was a significant part of who I had become, both personally and professionally. When my brother, Mike, asked me to join him in helping rebrand and position his business for growth, I just had this gut feeling that taking that leap would teach me things I needed to know to achieve some big picture goals I held. I ended up gaining the missing experiences I needed in order to pursue this project with Joey.” -Buck Wimberly
“I can’t help but look back and acknowledge all of the great people and experiences that have influenced who I am today. I feel like all of my various retail roles — from sales to managing and buying — have led me to this dream project we’ve decided to pursue. I’m normally not one to take risks, but this happened so organically and the timing just felt so right that I knew it was time.” – Joey Mendez
Joey and Buck created ULAH to serve today’s fashion forward and multi-dimensional man who is both rustic and modern, balancing a life that is both casual and professional, and whose experiences are both small-town and cosmopolitan. Their thoughtfully curated collection of products will range from accessible to aspirational and local to mainstream — serving the many dimensions of a man’s life with apparel, accessories, essentials, gifts, and masculine home decor.
ULAH is a men’s apparel and lifestyle store that makes high style and good design more accessible and relevant to more parts of a man’s every day life. ULAH helps men DRESS FOR LIFE.
ULAH is working with Hufft Projects to design and build out their space. Together, they are hoping to create a distinct retail environment and experience for men in Kansas City. The current construction and build out schedule has them positioned to open in early Fall of 2016.
