Founder & CEO of John Craig Clothier
Family is everything to H. Craig DeLongy, Founder and CEO of John Craig Clothier. He and his wife, Suzanne, of 41 years raised two children, Blair and Brant. Blair is married to Alvaro, an attorney in Naples, and they have two children, Carter Finley and Emma McKinley. Blair is the Vice President of John Craig Clothier. Brant, an avid golfer, is a Business Broker in Winter Park. For the DeLongy’s, the best evening on the town, meal at home, or vacation is one spent with their family.
Craig DeLongy has been an athlete all of his life. His first job was as a golf pro and he played for the University of Kansas and later graduated from Friends University. Craig was on the bowling team and is quite good at pool.
Craig is a legend in the retail industry. One of the founding partners in Champ’s Sports, Craig has spent most of his life studying trends, fashion from A to Z, and understanding what it takes to make a business successful and long-lasting. He opened the first John Craig Clothier on Park Avenue in Winter Park, Florida March 2, 1996 with the goal of offering the best selection of high-end men’s clothing, accessories, and footwear.
Since 1996, John Craig has expanded its footprint and currently have five John Craig stores: Park Avenue in Winter Park, Third Street in Naples, The Waterside Shops in Naples, Sawgrass Village in Ponte Vedra Beach, and Harbourside Place in Jupiter. In 2009 Craig opened Current by John Craig, a contemporary men’s boutique, next door to our original John Craig on Park Avenue.
On November 22, 2019, Carter and Finley joined the retail family on Third Street in Naples two doors down from John Craig. Carter and Finley, named after Craig’s first grandchild, is an upscale resort casual store for both men and women.
John Craig has received many awards including the Esquire Best of Class, MR Magazine’s Uptown Downtown Award in 2007, Best of Orlando, Best Men’s Store in Naples by Gulfshore Life, Best of Ponte Vedra, and Best of Winter Park. John Craig continues to achieve industry-wide recognition on The Esquire Retail 100. This prestigious list recognizes America’s finest menswear specialty stores.
While his success can be attributed to many things like no detail big or small going unnoticed, knowing when to take risks as well as knowing when to play it safe, and surrounding himself with a wise counsel of others, the true secret goes back to family. Everyone who works for Craig becomes his family. Turnover at the John Craig family of stores is low and longevity is high. Those who shop at John Craig, Current, and Carter and Finley love the family atmosphere and count the people working there as trusted friends and confidants. Each and every day in every one of Craig’s stores people gather and transact. Clothes are sold, but more importantly, stories are told and lives are touched.
132 South Park Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789 | P: 407-629-7944 | www.JohnCraigClothier.com
@JohnCraigClothier @CurrentByJohnCraig @CarterFinleyByJC
