In the heat of a Baton Rouge afternoon, a group of boys—third, maybe fourth graders—gravitate toward the front windows of The Master’s Touch, a men’s clothing store. Inside, suits hang in perfect rows: bold plaids, sharp pinstripes, deep navies and maroons under spotlit beams. Pocket squares in regal folds, monk strap shoes in polished repose. The boys take it all in: the way the light catches cufflinks; the way Mr. William Bates, the owner, wears style like it’s stitched into his skin; his car; and his beautiful wife, Mrs. Maria. The boys return throughout the month to see what’s happening in the store.
For the Bateses, their business is a kind of ministry.
William is an executive pastor at Living Faith Christian Center and a businessman. Maria is a nurse and an uncompromising believer in Divine instruction. Together, they are the founders of The Master’s Touch, a thriving haberdashery, and its sister real estate enterprise, Bates Real Estate Inc.
Their journey began with a single suit—and a $499 dilemma—that unlocked the beginning of their faith-filled mission to follow God’s instructions…