Mr. Burch Emphasizes Quality And Service In Its Formal Wear Business

Today the largest and oldest supplier of men's formal attire in Birmingham and the state of Alabama is Mr. Burch Formal Wear. Headquartered on the corner of 25th Street and First Avenue North in the heart of Magic City's Historic District, the operation is the culmination of three generations of dedication and adaptation on the part of the Burch family.

L. B. Burch first opened the doors of his tailoring business in 1934, a few blocks north of the company's present headquarters. With a staff of two employees, he specialized in custom tailoring for the city's smartest dressed men of the era. The rental of tuxedos and formal wear accessories, the only such operation in Alabama at that time, was a sideline to Burch's tailoring business. Click Here to See Our Flier

By the 1950s, however, the business had become primarily an outlet for the rental and sales of men's formal clothing. Major Burch, the nephew of the company's founder, was the driving force behind the expansion and growth of the operation during a period which saw startling changes in men's tuxedos. "Tuxedo styles change annually just like clothing styles," says Burch, now the chief executive officer of the company. "During the '60-s we saw colored tuxedos, ruffled shirts, broad lapels, velvet, and three-quarter length styles. There is a much more conservative look in tuxedos today."

In the 1960s, the elder Burch was joined by his sons, Wayne and Leslie, in the operation of the family business. They witnessed a tremendous growth in demand for formal clothing for men for weddings, proms, civic galas, and other black tie events. Outgrowing its old location, the company moved in 1984 to its present site, a 14,000-square-foot building currently listed by the U.S. Department of the Interior on its National Register of Historic Places.

The Burch family soon realized that they needed a cleaning plant of their own to service the thousands of tuxedos they were contracting out to dry cleaning establishments. They purchased a cleaning plant in Homewood in 1987 to service their own needs and were soon opening formal wear outlets in other parts of town.

Today there are mannequins outfitted in Mr. Burch tuxedos in showrooms in Hoover, Mountain Brook, Roebuck, Inverness, and Western Hills Mall, in addition to the downtown headquarters location. "We carry the largest selection of tuxedos in Alabama," says Wayne Burch, president of the company. "Our warehouse has over 10,000 tuxedos in every size ranging from boys size 2 to adult size 70." The Burch catalogs carry all the major names in men's formal attire including Chaps Ralph Lauren, Lord West, After Six, Perry Ellis Evening, Fumagalli, and others.

In addition, the wholesale division of the company serves over 200 accounts throughout the Southeast. Through their association with Mr. Burch Formal Wear, the tiniest After-Five shop in the smallest Alabama town has access to the dozens of styles and thousands of tuxedos found in the company's headquarters here in Birmingham.

By the early '90s the company was again in need of expansion of its dry cleaning capabilities. With the assistance of the Small Business Administration, the City of Birmingham, and Operation New Birmingham, the family opened in 1994 a 7,000-square-foot dry cleaning operation adjacent to the main building on First Avenue. The new facility boasts a half-million dollars in state-of-the-art dry cleaning equipment, fully automated conveyor belts and tracking system, and the only laundry drive-through window in the downtown area. The plant won a national design award from the American Dry Cleaner Association in January 1995.

Wayne Burch became actively involved in the family business in 1974 after attending Auburn University. He has seen the company grow to over 70 employees in the six locations. "I enjoy looking back to where we were and where we are now," says Burch. "my father is the best teacher I've had in this business," he adds. "We emphasize quality, service, and reputation. After all, we've been here 67 years, and it's our name on the door."