Al's Formal Wear
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Al's Formal Wear is a chain of tuxedo rental stores based in Houston, Texas. Originally founded by Alan B. Gaylor in Houston in 1957 and his brother-in-law Al Sankary in Fort Worth, the company has grown to over 90 locations in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Al's Formal Wear is a family-owned business, with Alan Gaylor as CEO and his son Stuart as company president.
The company stocks over 70 styles of tuxedos for rental, including designer names such as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Andrew Fezza. The company also carries a wide variety of formal wear and accessories for retail purchase, as well as a full line of career apparel for occupations needing formal dress. Over the years, the selection of styles available has changed with the times, from the midnight blue tuxedos of the 1950s through the wide lapels and ruffles of the 60s and 70s, the return of classic looks in the 80s, and the longer coats and athletic-inspired looks of the 2000s.
Al's Formal Wear fills orders for weddings, high school proms, quinceaneras and other events from its computerized, state-of-the-art distribution centers. On-site dry cleaning plants and alteration facilities at the distribution centers ensure quality and consistency.
Alan Gaylor and Al Sankary divided the business in 1978, with Gaylor maintaining ownership of the Al's Formal Wear operations based in Houston, while Sankary owned the operations based in the Dallas area. This division occasionally led to some customer confusion, but persisted until 1999, when Gaylor's Al's Formal Wear of Houston bought the Dallas operation from Sankary. At this point, the combined business included approximately 120 Al's Formal Wear, Ascot Tuxedos, and BridesMart locations in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. By 2006, some consolidation and the spinoff of the bridal division has reduced the number of stores to between 90 and 100.
[edit] Awards and Recognition
In 2003, Al's Formal Wear was named "Texas Family Business of the Year" in the Large Family Business category by Baylor University's Institute for Family Business.
In 2000, Al's Formal Wear was listed at number 4 on the Houston Business Journal's list of "Top 50 Family Owned Businesses."
In 1995, founder Alan Gaylor was presented with the International Formalwear Association Black Tie Award in recognition of his lifetime contribution to the men's formal wear industry.
[edit] References
Baylor University to Honor 13 Texas Family Businesses. Baylor University. Retrieved on 2006-12-11.
Black Tie Award Winners. International Formalwear Association. Retrieved on 2006-12-08.
Ho, Rodney (2000), written at New York, New York, "Family Feud in Formal Wear: Two different styles of operation end with one company", Wall Street Journal Houston Business Journal, (2000). "Top 50 Family Owned Businesses"
Van Camp, Emily, (2005). "The family business: Al's Formal Wear rises to the occasion with its family of formal wear stores." US Business Review 6.2, p.284.
