Elgin tailor shop to close after 42 years

Gus Panagiotopoulos used to sell 1,000 suits a year. Then "Casual Fridays" came along in the early 2000s and took a major bite out of the Elgin tailor's revenues.

So after 42 years, Panagiotopoulos next month will close his shop, Gus's Clothing and Tailoring, at 1765 Larkin Ave.

"Elgin was very good to me," said the 69-year-old Panagiotopoulos. "But like anything else, it's come to the end."

In previous decades, the demand for men's clothing was so high that there weren't enough tailors, Panagiotopoulos said. The past five years, he said, have been "OK," but like the glory days when "there used to be about eight or nine men's clothing stores" in downtown Elgin.

"We had tremendous business at the time." Today those other businesses are gone.

Started as a custom-suit shop in 1973, the business was called Fox Valley Clothing and Tailoring. After six years, Panagiotopoulos moved to a larger location in downtown Elgin. He changed the name in 1982.

Gus's moved to its current location in 1990. Over time, the bread and butter of the business changed from mostly custom suits to include other items.

"Over the years we've met a lot of people. We've made a lot of friends," he added. Most of the Elgin mayors used to come to the store, he said.

A Greek immigrant, Panagiotopoulos studied his craft at a school in Athens, where he learned to cut and make new styles. He plans on returning there for a couple months each year in the summer time.

"I am sorry to see him go," said Robert Smith of Elgin and a customer for more than 30 years. "But I am happy for him and his wife."

As for retirement, Panagiotopoulos plans on spending more time with his family and playing golf.