“Nobody has really had a chance to get to know the candidates” in the 43rd District race? Here is the “only in Seattle” story of one of the candidates’ families.
Like the Y2K crisis, the hype over “mallternative” apparel was not long for the 21st Century and is usually remembered with a sense of comic bewilderment. For the parents of 43rd district candidate Dan Shih, the “skate and surf” alt-fashion trend of the late ‘80s and ‘90 was a wave they rode to a multi-million dollar crest.
After starting with a small leather apparel shop in Seattle, the Shihs had come to own a controlling stake in Mr. Rags — a mall clothing chain with dozens of locations across 11 western states.
In 1998 another mall chain, Claire’s, made an offer to buy out Mr. Rags, which resulted in a $43 million deal. “They did find financial security later on, which is terrific for them,” Shih said.
Here’s how a reporter with Florida’s Sun Sentinel newspaper described the shop in 1999:
Stylistically, Mr. Rags is not as out there as Hot Topic, which is home to everything from punk to goth to wrestling merchandise. But it’s edgier than Pacific Sunwear, a chain that focuses on surfing and other fashions. Mr. Rags brands include Enyce, Fubu, Hook-ups for skateboards, and even Porn Star, which carries a label saying it shouldn’t be sold to people under 18.
The timing of the sale could not have been better. As the mallrat generation was moving on, Mr. Rags fell on hard times. Claire’s sold the company in 2002 to a group of California businessmen, who filed for bankruptcy eight months later.
Shih’s father, David, was born in Shanghai and fled to Taiwan in the 1960s where he met his wife, Eva. The couple immigrated to the Seattle area in 1969. Like many U.S. immigrants, Shih said his parents worked a wide variety of jobs to keep their family afloat.
The Shihs eventually opened a leather clothing business in downtown Seattle called The Easterners — a name Shih still recalls with an uncomfortable chuckle. Shih said he spent countless hours in the shop and worked there as a teen.
The Easterners had become a major supplier of clothing to Mr. Rags. When the chain fell on hard times, Shih said his parents took a huge risk, borrowed money from friends, and bought a major stake in the company. By 1998, the Shih’s fully owned the chain, which had grown to 56 stores.
At the time of the sale, Shih was working at Bain Capital — a Boston investment firm that had soared to the top of the private equity world with future Governor Mitt Romney at the helm. “I knew him, I had a few meetings with him total,” Shih said.
When many of his young colleagues were heading off to MBA programs, Shih said he was drawn towards law school. “I thought that would give me more opportunities for community and public service,” he said.
Shih went on to accept a position at the downtown Seattle law firm Susman Godfrey working on complex corporate litigation matters. Outside of work and raising his three children with his husband, Ted, Shih volunteers with API Chaya (an organization that supports survivors of domestic violence), QLaw, and the ACLU.
“I’m a glutton for service,” he said. “When the open the seat came up, I just felt this was a great opportunity to help people on a wide range of issues.”
