Masters Tuxedo to return to area

The company moved its headquarters to Las Vegas 10 years ago.

By DON SHILLING

VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR

BOARDMAN — Masters Tuxedo is returning to the area by opening a service center for its Midwest territory.

The center will open at 5330 Market St. on April 1 and serve retail shops in a five-state territory as a wholesale distributor.

Four people who used to work for the company when it was based in the area have agreed to return, said Ken Krainock, company chief executive. Employment at the center will grow over time, he said.

The center will stock merchandise and send tuxedos to about 300 stores, he said. A small retail operation for tuxedo rentals and dry cleaning will serve the general public.

Masters Tuxedo was founded in 1949 in Youngstown by Krainock’s father, Andrew, and Nick Mastorides. The Campbell residents operated the business from downtown Youngstown until 1990 when they moved their headquarters to 3600 Market St.

The company sold its Youngstown area retail locations in 1998 and moved its national headquarters to Las Vegas.

The company now has service centers in Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and Phoenix to serve wholesale accounts. The Midwest had been served from the centers in Las Vegas and Washington.

“In our search for a Midwest service center, it turned out that Youngstown gave us an economical advantage as well as a geographical advantage,” Ken Krainock said.

He added that the company will continue to operate primarily as a wholesale distributor.

“The market has changed,” Krainock said. “We recognize the cost of doing business on a retail level has gotten extremely expensive, so we are using our strength of inventory and market recognition to supply formal wear dealers.”

shilling@vindy.com