Omaha tuxedo shop steps up to help couples affected by Tip Top Tux closing

Solberg, the owner of Gentleman’s Choice Formalwear, has navigated many ups and downs throughout her 34 years in the menswear business. But nothing has compared to the chaos that ensued after Tip Top Tux, a tuxedo rental shop with four locations in Nebraska, shuttered its doors with no warning earlier this week.

On Monday, employees of Dapper & Dashing, the company that owned Tip Top Tux and seven other formalwear outlets, received an email at 2 a.m. notifying them that all employees and managers were laid off effective immediately. At each location, a notice was posted on the door informing customers that the store would be closed, and anyone who had a tuxedo from the weekend could keep it without being charged late fees.

“No one would ever just give away their inventory if they were planning to refinance or restructure,” Solberg said, referencing the sign posted to the door. “I’m embarrassed that any formalwear shop would act in such an unethical manner.”

For those who had booked tuxedo rentals for their upcoming weddings through Tip Top Tux, the closing and lack of communication from the business left them scrambling to make new arrangements for weddings happening as soon as this weekend.

Immediately upon seeing the news Monday morning, Solberg knew she had to help. She posted fliers on the doors of both Omaha Tip Top Tux locations offering last-minute assistance to anyone affected by the abrupt closure.

“We have a fully stocked warehouse right here in Omaha and the necessary staff to pull together any last minute orders, including an entire wedding party,” the flier says.

In just four days, Solberg said, she’s booked at least 35 wedding parties from people who had previously booked through Tip Top Tux.

“These brides and grooms, they did plan ahead,” Solberg said. “They did everything they should have done, and now with no warning they have to start over. They’re just crushed, because when you follow all the rules, you should have a happy ending. So I guess I want to be responsible for making that happy ending happen for them.”

One such couple is Brent Bean and Alexis Sharkey, who were legally married at a small ceremony in 2020 but plan to have a large ceremony and reception for all of their family and friends in mid-September.

In January, Bean booked 10 tuxedo rentals through Tip Top Tux for himself, his groomsmen and the fathers of Bean and Sharkey. Each person paid about $185 for their tuxedo. About two weeks ago, Bean received confirmation from Tip Top Tux that his order was ready to go for their upcoming date.

But on Monday, Bean received a concerning text from his best man.

“He just texted and was like, well, are we hung out to dry now?” Bean said. “I hadn’t even heard about it yet. That’s when panic kind of ensued.”

After perusing the social media posts and news articles about the closing, Bean came across a Facebook post from Gentleman’s Choice offering help. The couple immediately canceled their Tuesday night plans and headed to the shop.

Though options were slightly less robust than what Tip Top Tux had to offer, especially with the tight turnaround, Bean and Sharkey were able to order similar tuxedos for their whole party.

“The employees were super helpful, and they obviously understood the situation,” Bean said of their experience at Gentleman’s Choice. “Thankfully we kind of knew what we wanted, and although we had a little less of a selection and less customization than what we had already picked out through Tip Top Tux, we were able to find something that made up for it and was pretty similar to what we had before.”

Solberg knows that couples might have to compromise on a few things, especially if their wedding is right around the corner. But as more and more people show up for help, she’s just focused on making sure couples can get to their special day without any more hiccups.

“People are telling me, you know, ‘you’re a hero, this is a godsend,’” Solberg said. “But you can’t let that get to your head — because I still have to fulfill all these promises. But I’ve got a great group of people working for me, and we’re pulling it off. We’re making it happen.”