Eisenberg & Eisenberg

The first tux I ever rented in New York was as Eisenberg & Eisenberg. I don't recall who recommended it. Maybe no one. The store was located on an upper floor of a building on Fifth Avenue in the 20s. You had to climb up a set of stairs to get to a vast, unadorned hall lined with suit racks. This was a new experience for me, coming from the Midwest, where every stores is at street level. The salesman were middle-aged men who were in it for life.

Soon after, I bought a tux and never went back. But I was always glad to know they were there, and smiled whenever I passed their building. Recently, I noticed they had moved, to a ground floor space on W. 17th between Fifth and Sixth. It's still a fairly unadorned space, and they still rent tuxes.

Eisenberg & Eisenberg was founded in 1898. Who the two Eisenbergs were, I can not tell you. Brothers, I assume. On their website, they boast the Mickey Mantle used to shop there.