Growing up, Matt Scord’s favorite suit was a wetsuit.
At every opportunity, he and his best friend, Nick Meade, would break away from life at Irvine High School to hit the waves in Newport Beach.
“Before we got our driver’s license, we’d take the bus,” said Scord. “But once we could drive, we spent every free moment down in Newport.”
As they’d surf, they’d cook up all sorts of dreams. One was the idea of someday starting a business, together. Eventually, high school ended. Then came college, careers, marriage. But there was something from those early, saltwater days that Meade and Scord couldn’t quite shake: co-founding a brand of their own.
“I was working in financial services and having a hard time fitting into that corporate environment,” said Scord. “Not that I was getting fired or anything, I just wasn’t inspired, wasn’t motivated. I’ve always been a creative, big-picture guy. But I kept getting assigned functional tasks.
“So one day, I say to Nick, ‘Look, we keep talking about this dream to start something. Are we going to do this thing or not?'”
The duo met up at The Boathouse to brainstorm. Ideas came, ideas went, nothing really stuck. So they started talking about life, and how they – and all their friends – were getting married, one after the other.
“We had both had such crappy experiences with weddings,” said Scord. “Our wives – the brides and bridesmaids – get pampered and enjoy the journey. But for the men, it’s very functional. You have to haggle for a suit at Macy’s, or brave the suit-rental scene. There’s no champagne, no memorable shopping experience with friends. It was just a one-day affair and then you’re done.”
That’s when the lightbulb went on: What if Scord and Meade opened a brick-and-mortar, custom suit shop, where men were pampered in the process of picking out their suits? A menswear experience to rival ‘Say Yes to the Dress’?
The guys had found their big idea, and The Grotto Menswear was born.
MATT SCORD, CO-FOUNDER OF THE GROTTO, DISPLAYS A SUIT JACKET AT HIS COSTA MESA SHOP.
Photos: Brandy Young
Before The Grotto got going in Westside Costa Mesa, Scord and Meade set up shop in Scord’s garage.
All Scord knew of suits was his limited time shopping for weddings and work. The learning curve was steep.
“Even in those early days, I knew I wanted the experience to be fun and satisfying for my clients,” said Scord. “I set up my garage with a couch, mannequins, swatches… my 3-D body scanner was in there. We started with friends and family so we could work out the kinks.”
Which was a good idea. The first time Scord and Meade went out to measure a wedding party, things didn’t go as well as they’d hoped.
“We show up at this super nice house, with all these nice cars parked in front, and we were so nervous,” said Scord. “At this point, we’d only had a measuring tape in our hands for a couple months. We’re figuring stuff out as we go.
“So the suits come back, and a few of them are just horrible – really awful. We lost a lot of money on that job, but we wrote it off as R and D. We eventually got the suits perfect, in time for the wedding. And through it all we gave the guys a really great experience. Soon one customer was referring a friend, who referred another friend, and word-of-mouth just spread from there.”
By 2015, clientele had grown to the point they could move out of Scord’s garage and into a proper shop. Westside Costa Mesa felt like a great fit from the start.
“We started off looking in Eastside Costa Mesa, but it was too built out,” said Scord. “We didn’t want to be in a standard strip mall. True to our name, we were going for a speakeasy vibe. Something off the beaten path, with dark leathers and that whole thing. We noticed that local breweries liked to tuck themselves into these industrial kind of hybrid parks. So we thought, ‘We could do something like that.'”
The first iteration, Grooms Grotto, was located at 775 West 19th Street.
But they soon outgrew that first space – and the idea that only grooms need a good, custom suit.
TIMELESS TECHNIQUES + MODERN TECHNOLOGY AT THE GROTTO MENSWEAR, COSTA MESA.
Photos: Brandy Young
In 2018, the name morphed from Grooms Grotto to The Grotto Menswear. They moved to a larger space next door to the original, and are now located at 765 West 19th Street.
“Our grooms ended up loving their suits so much, they’d reuse them for work or other occasions,” said Scord. “When we’d talk to them, they’d basically say, ‘Look, I want to send my coworkers to you guys for suits, but I don’t want to open up my jacket and it says Grooms Grotto inside.’
“The word ‘groom’ was too limiting. If you’ve got a guy married for a long time, or someone who is a playboy-type guy who rejects the whole idea of marriage, Grooms Grotto won’t resonate – no matter how great the suits, or experience.”
The suits, and experience, really are great. The vibe at The Grotto is warm, inviting, well-appointed and classy. While the vibe is rich, you don’t have to be rich to shop there.
“We are totally against that snobby, stuck-up experience,” emphasized Scord. “Buying a suit, especially a first suit, can be very intimidating. So, we strive to be genuine, friendly and welcoming. We’re appointment only, so we try to make sure there is someone waiting to greet you from the moment you arrive.
“And you absolutely do not have to spend thousands of dollars for us to walk you into our store. We are all about bringing the custom-suit experience to the average guy.”
Scord blends an old-world tailoring experience, with modern scanning technology – and all the buttons, swatches and design options you’d expect from custom menswear.
“The options can be overwhelming, so we make sure to ask a lot of questions up front to help narrow things down,” said Scord. “Is this suit for work? For a weekend in Vegas? For a wedding? We’re always asking and whittling to help funnel down to the perfect suit for the client, and for the occasion.”
GROTTO CONSULTANT, OMAR HASAN, MODELS A CUSTOM, PINSTRIPE SUIT AT THE SHOP IN COSTA MESA.
Photos: Brandy Young
The Grotto has become a trusted resource, and refuge, for many Southern California men, who have taken to Yelp to express their five-star gratitude. Comments like, “This place is a goldmine!” and “We had such an amazing experience!” keep the schedule full.
We asked Scord to enumerate the hallmarks of a perfect suit.
“Fit, definitely,” said Scord, who still relies on 3-D scanning, plus careful measuring, to make sure your suit is just right. “Then fabric, pick something that reflects your personality. Because at the end of the day, your suit should inspire confidence. If it fits, if it reflects who you are, the confidence takes care of itself.”
These days, Scord is a big believer in polished menswear, but casual still suits him just fine.
“We’re still in California, so wearing a suit all the time would be weird,” said Scord. “What we’re seeing now is a trend towards more tailored separates paired with nice jeans. As long as it’s tailored to fit, casual can still make you look very well put-together.”
Not just for men, The Grotto will suit up women, too. So if you’re ready to look more put-together yourself, don’t be shy about making that appointment. Knowledgeable consultants, like Omar Hasan (pictured), will help you find the perfect look.
THE GROTTO’S OMAR HASAN AND MATT SCORD, KEEPING COSTA MESA POSH AND POLISHED. THANKS GUYS!
Photo: Brandy Young
When Scord isn’t procuring suits, he loves to unwind at local, neighborhood haunts like the aforementioned Boathouse, Social Costa Mesa, and Common Room Roasters.
“I love Costa Mesa,” said Scord. “It’s like a more affordable Newport Beach. You’re close to the ocean, but Costa Mesa has tons of cool little shops, restaurants, and stores. I think the Eastside has picked up a lot, and now you’re seeing some of that spill over into Westside, too. I mean I do worry about affordability, at some point, but for now I’m happy with the small changes I’m seeing around here.”
So what’s Scord’s message for Costa Mesans?
“Shop locally,” he said. “Because when you do, it’s sort of like ‘what goes around, comes around.’ That prosperity gets recycled throughout the city. I think that’s what’s missing in some of the newer cities you’re seeing pop up in Orange County – too many big-box stores.
“I think things have come full circle, and there’s a renewed value in the small, boutique shopping experience. Costa Mesa’s really at the forefront of that, and the whole community is better for it.” ♥
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Connect with The Grotto Menswear on Instagram @thegrottomenswear or on Facebook at facebook.com/experiencethegrotto. Visit The Grotto Menswear showroom, by appointment only, at 765 West 17th Street, Unit B in Costa Mesa. Learn more at thegrottomenswear.com.
