Norman's Formal Wear: Third-Generation Company, Third-Generation Customers

For 50 years, many Orland Park residents have trusted their special attire to . Today, the second and third generations of the Norman Vuillaume family run the business that serves second- and third-generation customers. 

It started as separate dry cleaning and tuxedo businesses in Evergreen Park in 1951.

“My grandfather Norman had a delivery truck and he’d come out to these areas—Orland Park, Tinley Park and Homer Glen—because it was still fairly remote out here back then,” Norman’s grandson R.J. Vuillaume said. “He’d pick up the clothes and bring them back to his facility and clean them. Then he’d deliver them back to the customers directly.”

As Norman’s children began marrying, Norman saw a need to combine his businesses, realizing that they “went hand and hand,” R.J. said.

With that, Norman’s dry cleaning business began renting suits and tuxedos. Norman built upon that and continued to grow, opening locations in various communities within the next decade. There are now locations in Orland Park, Tinley Park and Homer Glen, each of which is run by one of Norman’s children, Richard and Al, and his grandson, R.J.   

“Our customers are part of our family,” R.J. said. “I had a mother who came in with her son to pick up his prom suit and she said to me, ‘Do you realize that we bought the tuxedos for our wedding from you?' It gives me chills to realize how long we’ve been doing this."

Over the years the boys have maintained their traditional values but also realized that some things had to change with the times. They started with only four styles of suit coats in four colors. “Now we carry over 35 different styles of tuxedos in stock and 90 different colors of ties and vests,” R.J. said.

Because Norman’s Formal Wear has its own warehouse in Tinley Park, it has an array of styles readily available at the customer’s request.

“It’s convenient," R.J. said. "So when a customer picks out a tuxedo style we can actually go in the back room and pull out their size and let them try it on versus looking at it on a mannequin and trying to determine if they like it or not.

“When they try it on, it’s not always their first choice that they go with, and that’s one of the benefits we have over our competitors."

Additionally, Norman’s Formal Wear recently partnered with a company that allows Norman’s to custom order. Norman’s can fit children as young as one year old and can carry tuxedo coats that go all the way up to a size 70.

“Even though they are rentals, we sometimes custom fit because not everybody is an off-the-rack kind of person,” R.J. said. 

In addition to having a tailor on staff, the family has employed the same seamstress for the past 40 years.

“She’s part of our family,” R.J. said. “She was a dressmaker in Greece. There’s nothing she can’t do.”

Oftentimes it’s a small adjustment that, if done correctly, makes a world of difference in the final suit.

“I had a mom with her son picking up his tuxedo for prom” R.J. recalled. “I turned around and looked at her and there were tears running down her cheek. I said, 'What’s the matter?,' and she said, 'I’m just so happy. I never get to see my son dressed up.'” 

It’s moments like those that make it easy for the Norman family to treat each customer with individual care. While other companies may charge additional sales taxes and fees, the quote you get at Norman’s will be the price you pay. 

“We often get customers (who) come in the day of a function and say, 'Hey, you know, I didn’t plan on being a part of this but they need me.' We’ll get them the same style that everyone has so it doesn’t look like it was a last-minute fix, at no additional charge,” R.J. said.

The Future

Helping out in times such as those and being a part of important functions in customers’ lives is what motivates R.J. and his family. Meanwhile, the village is pressing ahead with plans for the , a walkable city center with businesses, parks and housing, partly in the space now occupied by Orland Plaza.

While the family isn’t looking forward to moving from its Orland Plaza location, Norman’s will continue to serve the Orland Park community.

“We will miss being in that building when they finally do condemn it, because that’s been our home for almost 50 years,” R.J. said. 

The family has decided to take advantage of an if the business is relocated within the village. The business also has Orland Park locations on and on .

“We are actually considering two locations in Orland that are not too far away,” R.J. said. “It’s just a matter of rent, because some of the buildings are asking a pretty penny for their space. We want to make sure we keep our costs relatively similar, so we aren’t changing our prices for our customers either.” 

It’s customer loyalty that drives the family's desire to remain in Orland Park.

“We want to stay in the community that supported us all of these years,” R.J. said.