T&A Trader of the Week: Time & Time Again in Ilkley

Here Keeley tells us about the business - T&A Trader of the Week:

Time & Time Again is located at Church Street, Ilkley, and our motto is: Traditional services by people who care.

We’re a family-run retailer with a loyal customer base. I’ve been involved in the business for 22 years and follow in the footsteps of my father, Colin Whitaker, who founded it in 1996. We’re a traditional menswear outfitter with a wide range of high quality classic, everyday and formal gentleman’s attire, as well as gifts and accessories.

My father was a ‘Greenwoods man’ for over 32 years; he worked at Greenwoods Menswear. After being made redundant, he opened a shop, Time Menswear, in Ilkley then 12 months later moved into the current location, alongside Manor Barn Pine Furniture. When Manor Barn moved out Time Menswear took over the whole site to extend the menswear and gift range.

He prided himself on building trust with customers by bringing in the Greenwoods’ values of quality, service and integrity. These core traditional values remain the driving force today. The focus is on top quality British and European menswear, individually tailored made-to-measure suits, wedding attire, formal suit hire for all occasions from ages two upwards and alteration services. Our gift range is popular and includes lovingly handcrafted chess boards and chess boxes, vintage-style tin vehicles and wallets.

The store sells handcrafted chess sets (Image: Ilkley BID)

It’s very much a family affair at the shop; my mother has been a ‘Saturday girl’, my son has been a ‘Saturday boy’ and my daughter now works here three days a week.

Keeley is following in her father's footsteps (Image: Ilkley BID)

Customer service is key to the business. We really care about our customers, it’s all about the personal touch. We never make anyone feel rushed and we take time to give them individual attention to find out what they need. We measure them properly and advise on the cut, style and colour. If something doesn’t look right, we’ll tell them. Our customers trust us, which is why they come back ‘time & time again’.

We don’t sell online because I strongly believe that this personal touch, human interaction, advice and attention to detail cannot be replicated over the internet. I also only align myself with suppliers who share the same belief and whose customer service is as exceptional as ours.

'It's all about the personal touch,' says Keeley (Image: Ilkley BID)

I love meeting and chatting with customers. It’s a great feeling to help someone find the perfect suit that makes them feel a million dollars, especially if they’re a little nervous to start with.

I see this a lot with grooms who come in for wedding attire. After spending time with them and finding out more about the wedding, I’m able to advise on the best style for them and can see their confidence grow in the process. They end up with a very special suit for their special day, there’s no better job satisfaction. The same for our prom wear. In many cases, the prom will be the first time a young man has worn a suit so we put him at ease and make the shopping experience easy and fun.

Ilkley has many independent businesses that are key to the town. There’s a strong business community which I’m proud to be part of.

My family moved here when I was 11. I love the position of the store on the corner of two main streets, with a view over the church and park. I’m already looking forward to celebrating our 30th birthday in 2026.

* Time & Time Again, 1 Church Street, Ilkley. Call (01943) 816671. Visit timeandtime.co.uk