Longtime women’s clothier Olson dies

Thursday, Nov. 11, 2004 | 8:54 a.m.

Longtime Las Vegas clothing retailer Drew Olson was not easily intimidated, nor did he buckle under to trends or fads.

As owner of the Kings women's apparel shop in the racially segregated 1950s, Olson catered to all races and was credited with going against custom by allowing blacks to try on clothes before buying them.

And he always shunned the latest wild fads. Instead, Olson, for 35 years at his Queens Apparel shop at 1725 E. Charleston Blvd., offered a wide range of smart, stylish clothing designed for women over 30.

Andrew C. "Drew" Olson died Sunday at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center. He was 84. His family said he was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago.

Services will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Palm Mortuary-Eastern.

Olson came to Las Vegas in 1946 and initially worked for his uncle Paul Johnson in the shoe department of Johnson's downtown department store. When Johnson died, Olson took over the operation.

In 1959, Olson bought his first women's clothing store, Kings, on Bonanza Road, abutting predominantly black West Las Vegas.

"His customers were surprised to find that he didn't mind that they tried on the clothes before buying them, no matter what the color of their skin," said son Charles "Chuck" Olson of Tokyo, Japan.

"He built a loyal clientele on both sides of the tracks because he catered to a larger, neglected section of society -- the middle age, older woman who wanted to look good and needed the larger sizes and half-sizes to do so."

Olson opened Queens Apparel in 1961 and operated it until his retirement in 1996. He maintained a policy of offering a small-town, intimate atmosphere.

Born May 25, 1920, in Buffalo Center, Iowa, Olson served in Holland and Germany with the Army's 104th Timberwolves Infantry Division during World War II. After returning home, he married the former Margaret Will, who long assisted him in the apparel business. She died in 1999.

For 54 years until his death, Olson lived on Wengert Avenue near Maryland Parkway and Charleston Boulevard.

He was past president of the Las Vegas Municipal Golf Course and was a member of American Legion Post 21.

In addition to his son, Olson is survived by two other sons, Bill Olson of Henderson and Dick Olson of Katy, Texas; a daughter, Janet Humphress of San Jose, Calif.; and nine grandchildren.