December 17, 2020 · 0 Comments
By Sam Odrowski
A local tailoring business has rebranded itself to now offer formal wear and celebrated its grand reopening last Friday (Dec. 11)
Orangeville Tailoring is now known as Orangeville Formal Wear and Tailors, with the addition of off-the-rack suits that can be tailored for a perfect fit.
The business first opened its doors in Orangeville in June of 2019 and its owner, Fawad Sultani said he was attracted to the community because of its active presence online and a market survey showed more tailoring services were needed locally, after a few shut down.
“This was one of the main things that was needed here was tailoring, so when we were looking, we didn’t have much of that service here,” he said.
“It’s also very much a digital town. It’s very easy to access people. We have all the Facebook groups and different community interactions on social media relative to other cities. So it’s in today’s world, so it’s much better to interact with people in the community, which is good.”
Sultani told the Citizen, he was hoping to introduce formal wear to his business sooner, but the COVID-19 pandemic created delays.
Like every other business, COVID-19 has had a large impact on Orangeville Formal Wear and Tailors’ operations overall.
Fortunately, the business has been able to modify its services to stay operational and Sultani said the community has really stepped up to help small businesses, such as his, during the pandemic.
He also noted that financial support provided through government programs has allowed his business to stay afloat.
For the reopening and rebranding, Orangeville Formal Wear and Tailors renovated its store. The upgrades include new flooring, a fresh coat of paint, installing several racks for suits and the addition of a wall for another fitting room.
When discussing the business, Sultani said he offers a “competitive advantage,” since customers can pick a suit off the rack and have it adjusted to meet their body size measurements, instead of having the entire suit custom-made, which costs around $2,000.
“You basically pay for an off the rack suit, while you get a custom made suit,” he explained.
“Of course, we charge our alteration [fee] on top of that, but then we give a very good discount, like almost a half the price on alteration cost.”
Sultani also noted that his store has very low overhead costs, since its a small space and does all of its alterations in house, so it can pass those savings along to customers.
He said with alterations, a suit from his store ranges around $500 and $550.
Sultani and his wife Roya are originally from Afghanistan, but immigrated to Canada in July of 2018 for a better life. Sultani told the Citizen, decades of war in Afghanistan, along with issues of security motivated his family to relocate.
They came here as skilled immigrants, since they have good English skills and a high level of education.
Sultani said his vision for Orangeville Formal Wear and Tailors going forward is to continue building connections with customers and proving itself as an establishment people can trust.
In terms of formal wear, he said he’d like to increase the varieties offered in 2021 and introduce a section for women.
Roya Sultani (left) and her husband Fawad shared some smiles from their newly renovated store on First Street. The couple says they’re very happy to now offer suits in addition to their tailoring service.