Downtown La Crosse is filled with shops and a history spanning over a hundred years. Dales Clothing Store on Fourth Street just celebrated 44 years in business.
Dale Berg, the man behind the name, said hard work and resilience have kept his brand going all these years. 
“It’s not for the faint of heart, and you don’t see many businesses making it that far in like a small downtown like we have, our downtown is much more, probably prosperous than it has been over the past 20 years,” Dale said.
Explore La Crosse shared how downtown La Crosse has become one of the largest commercial historic districts in Wisconsin. The downtown is home to over 100 businesses and restaurants.
Olivia Steingraber, marketing manager at Dales, said that Dale’s brand values are driven by customer relationships.
“He knows everybody. Knows every customer’s stories, [and] what they want to wear. It’s an iconic thing because [Dales] has been around for so long and everyone knows who Dale is,” said Steingraber.
“I care about my customers, I mean I love them,” Dale echoed.
Dales caters to all people, ranging from teens to an older demographic. With brands like Free People and Levis, but also other brands that elevate fashion in the La Crosse area.
Dale said their work with college students has been essential for their business.
“College students are here for nine months of the year. In general, we’re a clothing store for everybody, but that’s a huge demographic of people and so we have to capture that audience [college students], and we have to do it well because they’re essential to our economy here in La Crosse,” Dale said.
With nearly 10,000 followers on their Instagram, a huge part of their marketing strategy focuses on social media. Their feed is filled with interactive content highlighting La Crosse while also tapping into local connectivity.
Dales has local university students’ model for the business, bringing familiar faces to the feeds of their social media followers.
“When we’re looking for people to represent our brand, we’re looking for people who are strong marketers, who are good storytellers, they create high-quality content,” Steingraber said.
If you participated in La Crosse’s Oktoberfest celebration, you probably saw some pieces from Dale’s collaboration with Wisconsin Design Team (WDT). WDT is a small business in Madison that creates pieces centered around the University of Wisconsin Madison, their target audience being college students.
“They had shared values with us. After about two months of designing [with them], we settled on these five different designs that we chose for Oktoberfest,” Dale said.
“It’s all about communicating we are an elevated place to shop for clothing locally,” Steigraber said.
Dales also stays connected to local initiatives and events that highlight the community.
The business recently participated in a fashion show, celebrating and representing local businesses in the downtown area. As a key player in clothing downtown, Dale said it’s important to show up and create a community at these events.
“I believe that every business who’s down here is so important, we’re all better together. When everyone is thriving, all of downtown is thriving. So a win for someone is a win for us,” Dale said.
Dales is participating in a historical renovation downtown, creating five new luxury suites along with a premiere event space that will be able to be rented.
“We went back and connected all three buildings, so they have unity. We are really excited about it,” Dale said.
Dales is always looking for team players, urging college students to reach out.
“If there’s someone that feels like they would fit into the culture of our business. We’re always open to a resume, so bring it on in. We’d love to meet you and we’re always looking for good talent,” Steigraber said.
Dales has established itself as a vital part of the downtown scene, with future projects and collaborations in the works, the business continues to enhance the La Crosse area with quality fashion.
