Planning for a wedding is stressful, time-consuming and very expensive, especially for the bride. Although I had the responsibility of picking out my bridal party’s attire for my recent wedding, my husband also suggested that I be in charge of picking out his party’s attire as well since in his words, “the woman knows best.” I had my mind set on selecting the men’s tuxedos from one men’s apparel store I visited about two months ago. However, I still wanted to shop around. One day before going to work, I wandered into a store on Ashley Street. To my surprise, the first thing I noticed as I entered was the fragrance of a nice cologne for men and gospel music, very different from the usual jazz or urban music that I hear when I enter other stores for men. I was greeted by three very nice and quite humorous gentlemen whose delightful nature and cheerful banter made it hard for me to actually do “serious” shopping. The next day, I revisited with a color sample from my attendants’ dresses. When the owner, Prem, assisted me every step of the way and gave me a deal that I was not expecting, I knew that I was sold on this store. Every time I visited the store after that — to change an order or pick up a tux — these men made me feel comfortable and, most importantly, appreciated. This is why the moment I knew it was time for me to do my third At Random, I knew I had to call Looking Good, Inc. Prem informed me, before agreeing to an interview, that he and his Looking Good team were a packaged deal. Therefore, I braced myself for a challenge with this unique trio and Friday I made a visit to the store for an after-lunch chat. This story is a journey into the life of a man who not only thrives in business, but also thrives in friendships, faith and other matters of the heart.

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When 53 year-old Prem Sadarangani came to the United States in 1987 with his wife and their two children, he immediately targeted Valdosta as a place to grow financially as well as a stable place to raise a family. Though he was born and raised in Bombay, India, where he lived for a large portion of his life before moving to Barcelona, Spain, he wanted to pursue his dream of owning a clothing store in the “land of opportunity.” This land became the birthplace of his third child and the home of his store, Looking Good, Inc.

“When I opened Looking Good about 21 years ago, I had some heavy competition,” Prem said while pointing out spots on Ashley and Patterson Streets, where old apparel shops once existed. “There were five stores on or around this block and all of them kept business.”

When asked about how he dealt with all of that competition, Prem’s contradicting response was, “Although it was competition, I don’t have any competition. My service has spoken for itself over the years.”

One of the things Prem prides his continuous success on is his strong religious background. Prem’s primary religion is Hinduism. Although there are several variations of this particular religion — one being the devotion to one single god with the acceptance of the existence of other gods — Prem solely believes in one God and closely combines his religion with the Christian religion.

In fact, one of the Prem’s favorite sayings, which he likes to relate to his business, comes from the book of Luke in the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible, “Bring out the finest robe and put it on him,” taken from the parable of the prodigal son.

Another reason Prem feels that Looking Good has been one of the city’s top places for men’s clothing for years is because of the friendly and family-like atmosphere that has been developed in the store. On entering the store, it is not difficult to realize that Prem and his two employees, Richard and Suni, are more than just co-workers. If truth be told, these three men are best friends and can almost always be found in public together.

Richard McClary has worked with Prem for four years and describes their relationship as one based on respect.

“Prem is always first in line to help out and seeks nothing in return,” Richard said while mentioning some of the best qualities he saw in Prem. “He also does a lot for charities in the community and many times his contributions are anonymous.”

Though he and Prem often joke around to pass the time away, Richard, who has a quite disciplined background from his service in the U. S. Navy and work in the funeral home industry, does not deny that he is glad that his life crossed paths with Prem.