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Tuxedo shop the place for happy occasions
Peter Spizzirri at Emanuels Tuxedo in Morton Grove specializes in renting and selling tuxedos. | Dan Luedert~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: January 14, 2013 6:13AM
MORTON GROVE — Peter Spizzirri considers himself lucky to be in what he considers a “happy” business.
Spizzirri, owner of Emanuele Tuxedo in Morton Grove, said he most often sees customers who are celebrating something joyful, like a wedding or graduation.
“It’s a happy business. You’re dealing with happy occasions, people getting married and starting a new life together. It’s pretty cool.”
The shop, at 5717 Dempster St., was originally opened by his father, Emmanual, at Dempster and Marmora in 1975. The store has been at its current location for the past 10 years.
“When my father was searching for sites, he found Morton Grove with great access to the expressway,” Spizzirri said.
Most people think of wearing a tuxedo as something for very special occasions, weddings and graduations.
And for the most part that is when Spizzirri sees his customers.
He particular enjoys helping young men pick out a tux for a high school prom. Most often it is the first time the teenager has worn one.
“That’s one of the things I enjoy, when prom kids come in. It’s their first experience,” Spizzirri said.
“We get to kind of educate them about what’s proper.”
He has tuxes for sale and rent, everything from a basic “James Bond” two button tux to a morning suit with an ascot, the kind of thing you would see proliferate at a royal wedding.
“We have some European customers who want to wear those,” he said.
That specialization also means that the store stocks about 1,000 tuxes so that customers can be fitted without waiting for an order to arrive, Spizzirri said.
Also, as a specialty store, Spizzirri said he makes more of an effort to fit customers than is usually done at stores where tuxes are a sideline. He not only adjusts the length of the sleeves and pants, but also makes other adjustments that are needed for a perfect fit.
“A lot of places can’t do that,” he said.
In addition, Emanuele Tuxedo can come to a customer’s home for a fitting, deliver the ready to wear tuxes to a wedding and pick them up afterwards.
“The last thing people want to do after a wedding is return the tuxedos,” he said.
“We’re full service basically.”
Though the tuxedo business has gone through a few trends like the pastel-colored outfits that were briefly popular a few years ago, for the most part they come in black these days.
A more fitted look is a current trend and some customers opt for gray or brown. But the basic tux is still what most people want.
“The industry standard is always going to be black,” Spizzirri, said. .
For most customers who rarely wear a tux, renting is probably the best way to go,” Spizzirri said.
But for anyone who needs one a few times a year, buying one at a cost of between $300 and $700 may be the best alternative, Spizzirri said.
Renting a tux runs between $90 and $160.
“If you do two or three events a year, economically it’s better to purchase,” he said. “We always recommend going with the classic style. It will last you 10 years.”
