Granville Man

Granville man offers 30 styles            CHRIS RUSSELL | DISPATCH
Thursday, August 28, 2008
BY AMY SAUNDERS
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Few people can describe their careers as Steve Katz can: "I sell pantyhose," the Granville resident says, "to men."

G. Lieberman & Sons, his Internet
business, is among a few American hosiery retailers that sell just-for-men leg wear -- more than 30 styles.
Ten years ago, selling tights to men was a wild idea that Katz devised in hopes of reviving his
great-grandfather's ailing hosiery business.
Then a plastics-industry consultant with a background in geology, he was searching online for industry trends when he noticed men posting messages on hosiery forums. "They weren't wearing them for appearance as cross-dressers or fetish wearers would be,"
said Katz, 59. "They were wearing them for the benefits: compression, warmth, prevention of chafing."

He found a North Carolina supplier to make sheer and opaque tights similar to women's
pantyhose, save for two notable differences: increased durability and the all-important "male comfort front panel" and fly opening. Katz declines to share revenue figures for Comfilon.com, named for his hosiery brand. But he says the business -- which he runs with his wife, Constance -- has grown by about 10 percent a year. "We're not a million-dollar business, but it's getting there," he said. "We'll be there eventually."

In coming months, he will introduce as many as 20 additional styles of tights with features
such as a control top and reinforced toes and heels. (His biggest competitors, he says, are
manufacturers of women's pantyhose, which offer a wider selection.) Katz's customers include athletes and hunters, who want to keep their legs warm; and members of the military, who wear pantyhose in the desert to protect their legs from sand fleas.

Products are shipped in a plain brown wrapper -- not in a pink box labeled "Here's your
pantyhose, mister," Katz said with a smile. "We decided that wasn't going to get a lot of repeat business."

Comfilon pantyhose, though not federally approved for medical use, also offers some support for customers such as Steve Newman, 48, of Hilliard.

He used to wear over-the-calf support socks, which eased circulation problems but didn't
provide full coverage for his legs. The civil engineer now wears tan or black Comfilon tights under pants at the office or with shorts while running or biking. "Some people get funny about it, but it's a piece of clothing," he said. "It's not like it really merits all the anxiety that it provokes."

Mead Carmichael, of LaRue in Marion County, also turned to tights eight years ago to cope
with the side effects of diabetes and edema. When he wears pantyhose, the 72-year-old's legs are compressed, the painful swelling reduced. Carmichael said he's taken his share of ribbing -- a waitress calls him "Legs" -- and plenty of joking from his wife. "I'll tell ya, it's a real big shock when you see some guy running around in pantyhose," said Sue Carmichael, 66. "The first thing you think is 'Yuck, not pretty.'

"But then after a while, it's like, 'What the hell?' As long as it's doing the job and the legs are staying healthy, who cares?" She also has discovered another advantage: In a pinch for pantyhose once, she realized that she needn't run to the store. She just borrowed a pair from her husband.