Company History

Friar Tux Shop was founded in May of 1974 in Lakewood, California. In the beginning there was one energetic young man running the shop. From early on, however, there was plenty of family support: Mom provided the catchy name and Dad provided a vision. Brother joined in soon to help with the increase in business. The recipe was simple: stir in lots of selection and quality, then blend this with generous amounts of impeccable customer service and reasonable pricing. Friar Tux Shop was a success!

Today, more than three decades later, Friar Tux Shop is a leader in men's formalwear in Southern California as well as a respected national figure. We've grown to dozens of locations from our single store in Lakewood, and have one of the largest collections of tuxedos and accessories in the United States. Despite having more than 200 employees, we're still a family business (even if our family is a bit larger now!), and still operate under the same recipe for success as we did back in 1974.

As we look towards our 40th anniversary, we can also look back at more than a million customers who have trusted their special event clothing to Friar Tux Shop. Whether it's a wedding, a high school prom, a Quiñceanera, the Academy Awards or a fraternity dance, Friar Tux Shop has been and remains the authority in men's special event attire.