American-Male reopens its doors in downtown Oswego

American-Male is once again part of the fabric of downtown Oswego.

The store, which originally opened in 1977, had been closed for a number of years. But after Gabby and Mike Plachetka recently became the owners of The Prom Shoppe, which sells a wide variety of prom dresses and Bella-gia, a contemporary women’s clothing boutique, the couple decided to reopen the store.

All three stores are located in the same building at 27 Main St.

“We want to carry on the legacy,” Gabby Plachetka said.

As owner, she is switching hats. Before becoming owner, Gabby Plachetka had been a sales associate at the stores for 13 years.

She is very familiar with the stores. Gabby Plachetka, a 2003 graduate of Oswego High School, bought her junior and senior prom dresses at The Prom Shoppe.

American-Male sells casual men’s clothing, including athletic wear. Tommy Bahama, TravisMathew, 34 Heritage and Johnnie-O are among the brands sold at the store.

The store has been getting a good reception since its soft opening on May 17.

“The community has been very supportive,” Mike Plachetka said.

American-Male had its grand opening on June 21 following a June 20 ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce.

The couple acquired the stores from longtime owners the Kaleel family, who opened American Male in 1977 and expanded the business over time.

They took over the stores from Greg Kaleel, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Kaleel was happy to see the reopening of the store.

“They are bringing it back the way it should be brought back today and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” he said. “I think it will be a great, great future for them.”

Kaleel, who still lives in the area, said he plans to shop at the store on a regular basis.

“And I’m going to bring back my customers that had been with me for years,” he said. “I’m very proud of the fact that Mike and Gabby were interested in bringing back American Male, Bella-gia and The Prom Shoppe, the names and the businesses that I created. It’s exciting and I’m happy for that and I think it’s great for them. I see nothing but bright lights for them down the road.”

Oswego Economic Development Director Kevin Leighty also was happy to see American-Male reopen. He noted that The Prom Shoppe and Bella-gia both already are destination spots.

“The fact that the production line is expanding will only make it more of a destination,” he said.

American-Male is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The store is closed on Sundays.