About
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.
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."
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