The legacy of Ilene’s Gator Store started in 1935 when Joseph Silverman launched The Collegiate Men’s Shop in downtown Gainesville and managed it with his wife, Faye.
Joe and Faye Silverman had graduated from high school together. Joe pursued a career in commerce while Faye attended Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee. After graduation, Faye taught school in Jacksonville. Joe moved to Gainesville and was employed at the Brownstein’s Department Store. When the Brownsteins opened the Snappy Style Shop, Joe was installed there as manager.
Joe and Faye married in November 1933 and in January 1934 Faye joined Joe in Gainesville. There were no teaching positions available so she went to work for Marcus and Gena Edelstein at the Personality Shop. She later worked at the Fashion Shop, the “Premier Dress Shop in Gainesville” owned by Hyman Edelstein.
In 1935, Joe Silverman opened the Collegiate Men’s Shop on the south side of University Avenue, two blocks off the courthouse square. Everyone told him he couldn’t survive so far from the square; but when the students walked downtown to shop, they would have to pass his store first. Faye left her job at the Fashion Shop to assist Joe.
In 1943, Joe Silverman moved his business across the street and changed the name to Silverman’s The Man’s Store. It was war time, and Joe brought in military clothing and accessories, catering to the men of the Officer’s Candidate School at the University of Florida and other military installations around Gainesville.
In the 50s, Joe developed his own private label suits and his customers evolved from students to businessmen. In 1960, Joe Silverman moved across the street into the building vacated by First Federal Savings & Loan. The store rebranded as Silverman’s for Men and Women. This gave Joe the opportunity to present the prestigious Hart Schaffner Marx line of fine men’s wear and become the premier men’s store in the city.
The women’s department was added in 1961. The store was a family affair. Joe was buyer and a salesman, their son Gene, a CPA, was comptroller and a salesman; Zero Mazo, who knew everyone in Gainesville, was manager and a salesman. Faye with the help of her daughters Carol, Susan and Ilene, managed the women’s department. Eventually Ilene was the only daughter to remain in Gainesville.
When Joe passed away in November 1986, Faye, Gene, Ilene, Harvey, (Harvey Budd, Ilene’s husband) and Zero, carried on the tradition of Silverman’s with the help of Ed Smith, a long time employee and friend. Silverman’s had become an institution in Gainesville, but after 54 years Silverman’s closed up shop in 1989.
Daughter Ilene Silverman then opened Ilene’s For Fashion in Millhopper Square, moving to The Shoppes at Thornebrook in 2003.
The store was rebranded as Ilene’s Gator Store in Fall of 2018, offering Gator fashion apparel for women, men, and children, plus jewelry, accessories, and gifts. Ilene also features stylish apparel by Montreal Designer Joseph Ribkoff. The digital version of Ilene’s Gator Store is accessible to the Gator Nation on their website: ilenesgatorstore.com.
Ilene continues to contribute to the community through direct donations and fundraising support. She has participated in numerous fundraising fashion shows, including the initial American Cancer Society Cure By Design, with cancer survivors as models, and the annual Orange & Blue fashion show to benefit Elder Care. Ilene has garnered many recognitions and awards.
For over 20 years, Ilene Silverman has been the Executive Producer and Host of the Ilene Silverman Show, a local community affairs half hour program that airs weekly on numerous television stations in North Central Florida.
Ilene’s Gator Store is a welcoming place, exuding an atmosphere of positive energy and treating everyone like family. Ilene and husband Harvey Budd plan on growing and evolving in this dedication as far into the future as possible. The Silverman legacy continues!