Samuel’s tuxedos will find a new owner and reshape them

Samuel’s Tuxedos & Gifts will have a new owner and a new look in January.

As current owners Sam and Linda Bushman step down from the business, businesswoman Hannah Spalding will take over Samuel’s Tuxedos at 236 E. High St. in Jefferson City.

Spalding, who has a degree in fashion, was looking for a fashion-related career opportunity.

“Then all of a sudden we heard Samuel was selling, and I just wanted to be the one who would continue Samuel to Jefferson City,” Spalding said.

Spalding will focus on formal wear for men, meaning other items like Christmas toys and collectibles will be phased out in January, and “gifts” will be removed from the name. The store is organizing a clearance sale.

Construction will begin in early January, but a section on the right side of the store will still be available for fittings and tuxedo rentals. Spalding said she expects the left side of the store to open within a month or two after construction begins.

The store will have a simple design with a “man cave vibe,” Spalding said. It will feature deep forest green walls, wall panels, new flooring, a higher ceiling, and a seating area with a leather sofa in the middle of the store.

“It will be less cluttered and more professional, but still warm and inviting to wedding parties,” said Sam Bushman.

Spalding will gradually bring in new inventory including suit jackets, dress pants, dress shirts, ties, bow ties, dress socks and cufflinks as well as leather goods, cigars and more. gifts.

The Bushmans will still be at Samuel’s after the auction to help Spalding learn the trade.

“I’m excited because we’re in our third generation of dressing young men for their weddings, balls and stuff, so I hope they go on and dress for another three generations,” Sam said. Bushman.

Bushman began his career selling tuxedos in a department store in the mid-1970s. After more than 40 years in the business, he decided it was time to pass the torch. He will continue as the Cole County Presidential Commissioner and plans to run for another term next year. Linda will continue to lead the office of Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden on Capitol Hill.

Samuel’s Tuxedos is the oldest full-service formal wear store in central Missouri, according to its website. The store opened in 1991 as a tuxedo store, and the Bushmans added gifts and collectibles later. Aside from the added inventory, the store hasn’t changed much since it opened.

“I think that’s really meant to be the case,” Sam Bushman said. “Hannah is a younger person who has a lot of ideas that we haven’t even thought of. She can come in and have a new vision of what she wants. They’re going to reshape it, and that will be her vision of what she wants. Samuel should be – and I think that’s wonderful. “

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