Tony Jacoy’s career in fine clothing has progressed from its vagabond origins – the back seat of his car – to almost 33 years in its current brick & mortar location at 2650 Mission Street. And though the scenery has changed, one tenet has remained constant: Friendships.
“I think that is what I am most proud of,” said Jacoy, who in October will celebrate his 33rd year as a pillar of the local business community. “The fact I have been able to keep the same clients from before I opened the store and most of them are like family and friends. That is the most interesting part of the business. The friendships with the people. That’s what you call being part of the community. It’s about loyalty.”
Jacoy said he has several clients who date back to when he was a senior military aviation contracts administrator helping to build, of all things, the Stealth Bomber.
“I had a friend in the clothing business,” he remembers. “I started peddling for him out of the back seat of my car. Business was so good that, soon, I turned a spare bedroom at my house into a showroom.”
While in the aviation business, Jacoy said that some of his bosses would occasionally become a little peeved because he was selling suits out of his car to the top executives from the most prestigious defense contractors in the world. Eventually, the call to arms was exceeded by his call to arms, legs and feet.
“I always wanted to be my own boss and open my own business. I met Tom Sullivan and he said ‘if you don’t make a move now you never will and you will be sorry you never made it,’” Jacoy told The Review. “In 1985, I opened a store at the corner of Euclid and Mission and moved to my current location in 1992. And Tom was right. I’m glad I did it.”
Jacoy said the store he opened in the trunk of his car has become so popular that “when my wife and I go to Old Town Pasadena, every time we turn the corner, we run into one of my customers. Our life here is one big circle.”
Jacoy offers custom suits, sport coats, slacks, shirts and even neckwear as well as custom tailoring for garments purchased not only in his store, but elsewhere, as well as private fittings at locations of the customers’ preference.
“Men’s and women’s,” he said.
“I take pride in the detail that I visually give each fitting,” said Jacoy. “I have pretty much gotten to the point where I can guess what size customers are as soon as they walk in the door and their mouth just drops open when I tell them.”
Jacoy touted the services of his on-site tailor, Viem Hoang.
“We accept any clothing here,” said Jacoy. “Men’s. Women’s. It doesn’t matter if you buy it here or not. Viem re-cuts suits from big to small. There is no challenge he hasn’t met yet.”
Jacoy said that his line of Eton shirts is “the best thing that has happened to this store.” He also sports a wide variety of ties from Italian designer Italo Ferretti.
“They sell like crazy,” he said. “It’s the same company that makes all of the ties for the G7 Summit and the Queen’s Jubilee. From here to Beverly Hills, I am the only store that sells these ties.”
Jacoy also displays a colorful display of popular Reyn Spooner island wear. San Marino resident Dave Abrams is the president of Reyn Spooner and pays an occasional visit to the haberdashery.
P.M. Jacoy is also one of the leading suppliers of the famous “white suits” worn by members of Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses and he has also custom-tailored the red sport coats worn by the president of the Tournament.
One of the more compelling reasons to visit P.M. Jacoy is to see the window displays and interior presentations, which could qualify as works of art.
“I change the window every three weeks,” he said. “I have a professional who does it. We get a lot of compliments from people who walk by. There is a lot of activity in this part of town now and we are a main attraction on the block.”
Of possible potential customers who have not yet visited the store, Jacoy said, “Evaluate us and how we take care of you. See how we are able to fit you properly with the right size. I find that people come in and they have been mis-fitted elsewhere and we will not do that.”
His shop is only exceeded as a source of Tony’s joy by his son, Joseph – a San Marino Police Officer – who was sworn in on Nov. 4, 2016.
P.M. Jacoy is located at 2650 Mission Street, Suite #104 in San Marino. Business hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. or by appointment by calling (626) 799-4600.
The P.M. Jacoy Business Spotlight appeared in the print edition of the South Pasadena Review on 8.31.18. Support Local Business.
