I visited Jimmy Au’s Sherman Oaks, CA retail location and got to know the men behind the most established clothier for shorter men in the U.S.

When driving down Ventura Boulevard, it’s hard to miss the bold storefront of Jimmy Au’s For Men 5’8? and Under.

They didn’t launch on Kickstarter, they don’t have an online shop, and they’re not huge on Instagram, bruh.

But they’ve been consistently outfitting shorter men with specially made casual and formal clothing since 1961, when founder Jimmy Au started selling clothes out of the trunk of his car in Hawaii.

Ten years later, after making a name for himself as a custom tailor for Hollywood’s elite, he opened his first retail shop in Beverly Hills.

At first, Jimmy carried both short and regular sizes, but he eventually decided to focus solely on the shorter man – a bold move at the time.

Jimmy has styled many famous short celebrities, including a handful of men who don’t have many other options.

Jimmy’s son, Alan, whom I’ve known through this blog for several years now, helped his father with marketing throughout the years and eventually became co-owner of the company.

Note: Alan is an active member of the Modest Men private Facebook group. Make sure to join so you can get his expert feedback on your outfits!

Fast forward to today, and Jimmy Au’s has a large facility in Sherman Oaks, CA that serves as a retail showroom, warehouse and tailoring shop (with full-time, in-house tailors for quick turnaround on alterations).

This shop is truly one of a kind. Everything inside is designed for men 5’8? and under – and I’m not just talking about the clothes.

Everything is scaled down, from the height of the racks to the custom built mannequins and furniture. It’s a very inviting, comfortable place to hang out and try on some clothes.