DUNNING — Six months after its Irving Park storefront disintegrated in a massive fire, Black Tie Formalwear is ready to get back to business.
The small shop was one of several businesses claimed by the block-sized blaze in October, alongside Drake Quick Mart and Irving Plaza Cleaners. A nearby Chicago Public Library Branch was also damaged.
Owner Vince Genova was hopeful he could open back up in a rebuilt plaza, he said, but he shopped other potential locations at the same time. After a long search, he settled on a commercial strip mall in the Far Northwest Side Dunning neighborhood.
"It's been a long, drawn-out process, and at some point we just stumbled upon this location," Genova said. "Things just seemed to fit well for us there."
The new store sits at 7219 W. Irving Park Road, on the border of suburban Norridge. The size will be "comparable" to that of the old location, but with much more available parking, Genova said.
The store's grand opening is set for May 1.
Black Tie Formalwear operates another location in Lincoln Park, at 2657 N. Clybourn Ave.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
