(Even as they expand, Jon and Christine Davis have “remained very attached” to the business | Photo courtesy of Jon and Christine Davis)
Modestly describing themselves as simply “two kids raised in Great Falls, Mont.” who seem “an unlikely duo to enter the world of fashion retail,” Jon and Christine Davis — in the space of just over ten years — have built up a network of six clothing stores in Montana and Oregon under the Revolvr and Evrgreen names.
Their business success story started when — for nine years — Jon Davis “had a small chain of stores (in Bozeman, Missoula, and Boise) selling Norwegian ski clothing and accessories that, while it never did a lot of sales, was a good introduction to the industry during my young adult life.”
When the Norwegian brand (which Davis compared to North Face) withdrew from the U.S. market, and he was told to “wind down the operation and clear out any remaining merchandise,” Davis — his ambition undimmed — asked himself “what’s next?”
Although “a little gun shy after having had mediocre success” with his first retail endeavor, but bolstered by his wife’s promise of financial support from her job in the fitness industry, John and Christine Davis decided ‘why wait?’ to try again in Bozeman
As Jon Davis explained, “We had a good location, and just needed different inventory that would work year-round, and appeal to customers who were not super trendy — in other words, men like me. I knew what guys in Bozeman would wear, had personally been frustrated by the limited options for men’s clothing, and wanted to fill that void.”
As Bozeman had historically been a western, agricultural town — “not exactly a fashion hub,” in his words — their friends were derisive, telling the couple that opening this type of store “was a terrible idea.” Their warnings were thankfully ignored, the husband-and-wife team “took a chance on an idea,” and Revolvr Menswear was born. With a focus on “superior service, curated assortment, and exceptional value,” it worked.
Expanding into the Bend market two years later was “one of the craziest things about our journey,” Jon Davis said, explaining that “I had never been to Oregon in my life, and had never even heard of Bend. But we were repeatedly asked: ‘Have you guys ever thought about opening in Bend?’ and decided that we should go check this place out.”
Forty-eight hours after their arrival, the couple signed a letter of intent for downtown space on Bond St. “We instantly fell in love with the old brick, hardwood floors, and tin ceilings,” Jon said. “Plus we just loved the area’s charm, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be in a historic building with so much character.” Opening in March 2015, the second Revolvr location “took off immediately.”
“We quickly fell in love with Bend as well, and decided to move here,” added Christine Davis.
Then, as she explained, “after years of daily requests from Bozeman customers for a women’s version of Revolvr, we set aside our doubts and took another leap of faith. In May 2017, we opened Evrgreen Clothing, with a focus on delivering premium service, quality clothing, accessible prices and an unmatched experience.”
“Fast forward back to Bend,” said Jon Davis, “where the tenants of a space adjacent to Revolvr broke their lease, and we took it over for a second Evrgreen — benefitting from an immediate customer base that continues to grow. It’s a good relationship.”
By March 2022 — and happening within an 18-month time span — two additional stores opened in Portland and Missoula, Montana, and the couple’s second child was born.
Displaying their seemingly innate business acumen, the husband-wife team has nurtured “an amazing leadership team, without whom we wouldn’t be where we are today,”
“These past few years have been extremely challenging (COVID being one factor), and our two-person leadership team is absolutely integral to keep things running and keep our people happy,” said Christine Davis. “We hold onto them as tightly as we can, and credit them for our continued success.”
This is not to say that the couple is hands-off in its management style. “We’ve remained very attached to the business,” she said, “Jon handles administration, payroll, bookkeeping, and licensing, while I’m responsible for the marketing element. And as we’ve grown, given that we can’t be in multiple places at once, we lean on the two leaders more and more — one example being the monthly store visits, which the four of us divide up.”
Looking ahead, Jon Davis summed up the couple’s thinking. “We’re really figuring it out as we grow,” he said, “trying hard not to change what has worked, but realizing that we can’t do it all.”
“For the short term, we’re content with what we have and are trying not to spread ourselves too thin. Yet while we’re not actively looking to grow, we are always open to new opportunities at any given moment.”
Jon Davis added that “we plan to use this year to finetune our existing stores. While we envision always having a brick-and-mortar presence, we’re also exploring website development, which can be a viable avenue even for existing customers.”
“One thing we’ve learned is that you don’t have to be the most fashionable, talented, or have the most money to accomplish your dreams,” said the couple. “A lot can be accomplished with an opportunity mindset, risk, hard work, surrounding yourself with an amazing team and believing in yourself and your vision. We pinch ourselves daily at the life we get to live and the people we get to share it with.”
