Mark Shine, founder of Kirby's menswear, dead at 93

For six decades the small, family run haberdashery has endured.

But Kirby's, which may be the longest operating menswear store in town, lost its patriarch last week.

Mark M. Shine, whose family emigrated from Russia more than a century ago, died Thursday. He was 93.

"Dad was born and raised in Tampa," said his son, Martin, who now runs the well-known South Tampa business. "He loved this community; he loved Tampa. He grew up in Old Hyde Park and had many, many stories to tell. He remembered when they developed Davis Islands and recalled how once you could swim out in McKay Bay."

Mark Shine attended Gorrie Elementary, Wilson Middle and Plant High schools in South Tampa, and received an accounting degree from the University of Tampa in 1938.

"He was a real Tampan in spirit," Martin Shine said.

The family's venture into Tampa retail dates back three generations, when Mark Shine's father, Louis, opened The Palace in Ybor City in 1911.

In 1959, Mark Shine closed up the shop because Ybor City had hit hard times, his son said. He moved the menswear shop to Palma Ceia and named it Kirby's, a name picked at random from the telephone book.

The shop soon became rather exclusive, selling $1,200 Italian suits to attorneys and doctors and $250 trousers to South Tampa businessmen.

But never did the business stray far from the family. Mark Shine's wife of 65 years, Audrey, and three children, Martin, Stephen and Barbara, often helped in the store.

Through it all, Shine's business acumen kept Kirby's afloat, even as other haberdasheries folded.

After retiring, he stayed on to help Martin manage the store.

"He was a wonderful partner, wonderful sounding board," Martin Shine said. "His experience was invaluable. He was an innovator, a good marketer; when I look through old ads we did way back when, I'm in awe of his ingenuity."

Mark Shine joined the U.S. Coast Guard and served during World War II. He was a director of the Merchants Association of Florida, and a charter member of the Committee of 100 and the Ybor City Rotary Club.

A memorial service is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Congregation Schaarai Zedek, 3303 W. Swann Ave.

"If there's one thing every single person says to me when they talk about my father," Martin Shine said, "it's that he was a gentleman, first and foremost. He had a warm smile, he was a perfect gentleman. He had a kind soul and he treated everybody well."