In the summer of 1986, local businessman Joaquim Benedito and his wife Cindy unveiled the South Coast’s newest formal wear shop. Located in Acushnet’s oldest standing structure, the historic Poyant Cider Mill, Main Street Formals evolved over the next 14 years into the region’s preeminent source for designer formal wear and tailored clothing, as well as a trusted site for expert alterations on men’s, women’s, and children’s garments.

In April of 2001, Jack scratched a $10 lottery ticket to reveal a winning prize of $4,000,000. Never one to sit still, this two-time Man-of-the-Year continued to own and operate his company for four more years.

In July of 2005, Jack sold Main Street Formals to his longtime employee, Robert Brunelle and his wife, Kathy. Main Street’s new president started working for Jack in an unofficial capacity as a model for bridal shows back in 1990. Shortly afterward, he was hired as a sales associate and then manager, as the store grew in the mid-late 1990s. During this time, the New Bedford native earned a BA in literature and MA in writing from UMass Dartmouth. Subsequent to his graduation, he was hired as the creative director of Battleship Cove, a nonprofit naval heritage museum that preserves the world’s largest naval ship museum. A two-time winner of Excellence in Marketing awards from the American Marketing Association, Robert continues to work as a freelance graphic artist, copy-writer and marketing consultant in his spare time. He is married to his wife of 11 years, Kathy, who teaches English at Old Rochester Regional High School. The Brunelles live in Fairhaven, with their son, Baylen.