Ellie Huerta runs the Tuxedo Place and More for her son, Odem Mayor Billy Huerta, while he takes care of his other business next door: 1st Choice Limousines. Both are located in Pharaoh Plaza at 4701 Ayers St., Suite 106. Photo by Carrie Robertson Meyer/Third Coast Photo
Look good, feel good, get dolled up. The Tuxedo Place and More formal wear stocks a range of black-tie wear for weddings, quinceañeras, homecomings, company parties — the list goes on. Serving the entire Coastal Bend, the shop is run by Ellie Huerta and is an extension of 1st Choice Limousines. Both businesses were started by her son, Odem Mayor Billy Huerta.
While Billy handles the transportation side of family celebrations, Ellie makes sure everybody looks sharp.
“I go out of my way to please our customers and help them find what they’re looking for,” Huerta said. Brides and grooms will often come in after their big day and show her photos of the men suited up. “It makes me feel good that I did a good job. It’s important that the customers are happy.”
At Tuxedos and More, business soars at the height of prom season. Huerta loves renting out formal wear and seeing the transition in the customer.
“The boys come in for their prom wear looking like school kids,” she said. “After their measurements, they look like businessmen.”
Huerta’s favorite clients are members of the school band.
“They rent from me when they make it to state or they’re going out of state,” she said. “Sometimes, the kids in band text me afterwards saying how well they did. It makes me so proud to do my part.”
The business cools down in the summer after the graduation and prom peak.
“We get a little break when school’s out, but business picks up again in August,” Huerta said. Even quinceañeras, a large customer base, aren’t common during the summer.
“People try to do quinceañeras when school is in session because everyone is out on vacation during the summer,” she explained.
Huerta even rents out tuxedos for toddlers.
“They don’t want to get measured, they don’t want to try it on, but once they see their reflection, they don’t want to take it off,” she said.
Even a 1-year-old can vouch for the transformative powers of a tuxedo.
1st Choice Limousines and The Tuxedo Place and More are located at 4701 Ayers St., Suite 106, in Pharaoh Plaza in Corpus Christi. Call (361) 855-5466.
