Evan Harris sits in a sparkling grey suit with a green bowtie and black dress shoes to complete his outfit. He encompasses modern style as he sits outside his now one-year-old shop, BeSuited, in downtown Trenton. Everyone that passes on the sidewalk knows his name, and he says “hi” to everyone that comes within earshot.
But, last year, this was only a dream.
“My mom, being a realtor gave me the opportunity (and said) ‘we could put a store up in here’ and asked me about the idea… I jumped on it. And then I left my job right after that,” Harris said.
Before becoming the owner at one of the only local suit shops in the Trenton area, he worked at Men’s Warehouse. It took six months for the store to be fully operational, but now it has become a staple of Trenton’s downtown life as word spread through Facebook and other social media platforms. Evans’s greatest alley has been word of mouth among Trenton and its neighboring areas residents.
“I was referred down here by two guys who go my church,” said Marquis McGill, a customer and former Trenton resident said. “I told them I was looking for a tux. They said to go down and see the young man at BeSuited.” McGill was getting fitted for a wedding. Well, others were coming in for their high school proms.
“I can do the prom, and I can do the funeral and I can do the wedding,” Harris said. “I can do it all because I have such a wide range. But on top of the formal wear, you know I do a lot of casual clothes too.”
BeSuited serves the Mercer County area with fine suits and shirts for men from 16 to 60. They do custom fittings, out-of-shop jobs and other services to let the mercer county men look their best.
Gulu Brewer, a customer and long-time friend of Harris, visited the shop to celebrate Harris’ achievement with him. “I always love seeing the pictures of like Trenton in like 1922 or whatever everyone’s like suited up… They’ve got the hats on everything… Let’s bring that back. I heard that there was a men’s clothing store opening downtown and I was like, I need a suit. Let’s go,” Brewer said.
He has had multiple suits done with BeSuited and will keep coming back for all of his professional fashion. “I mean, for me personally, it’s the customer service. I don’t know a lot about men’s fashion or what I’m in the market for or anything like that…Evans is approachable, friendly,” Brewer said.
Harris’ Mother Lisa Wilson has been their every step of the way. “So for him to be a child who understands the assignment and who trusts his mother, who respects his parents and his support system, you know, it just brings a smile to my heart…because he’s gonna be great for that,” Wilson said.
Harris wants to expand his horizons across the state and maybe even the country by creating storefronts in New Jersey and the west coast.