A steady hum of sewing machines and laughter from loyal customers have been the background music to Theodoros Vasilas’ life for half a century.
As the owner of a long-standing clothing and tailoring business, Ted’s Clothiers, at 3476 S. Broadway in Englewood, Vasilas is preparing to celebrate an incredible milestone: 50 years in business.
“You know, we’re blessed. That’s all I can tell you. We’re blessed,” Vasilas said. “We’re very busy, more busy right now than ever before.”
From tailored suits and tuxedos to jeans and dress shirts, the store has become a go-to destination for generations of families across Colorado.
“We have a lot of repeat business. We have three generations of business,” Vasilas said. “I started back in the ‘70s and ‘80s with their fathers and their fathers, they brought their sons in. And now their sons, they bring their sons in.”
Originally from Athens, Greece, Vasilas arrived in Denver in June 1973. His journey into tailoring started humbly — through family connections and a bit of inherited skill.
“My mother, my sisters, they used to do a lot of sewing, a lot of tailoring,” he said “I (said) ‘this is easy, I know how to do this.”’
He learned on the job, working for various Denver-area clothiers. Eventually, a chance encounter at a small tailor shop on South Broadway led to a business opportunity.
“One day, the owner said, ‘Ted, I would love to sell you the business.’ And that’s how I started,” Vasilas said. “I put a little money down, whatever I had … and (in) a year and a half, I paid him off.”
He eventually had to leave his original location and ended up purchasing the building where his store still stands today. He expanded the shop during the COVID-19 pandemic to include a big-and-tall section, serving a wider range of sizes across both formal and casual wear.
“We’re doing it all,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re more busy right now than ever before.”
Vasilas isn’t the only entrepreneur in the family. The clothing store will remain a family business through one of his sons. Additionally, two of his sons own the Breakfast Queen, a popular Englewood diner just a few doors down.
Additionally, his daughter, Eva Vasilas Fry, manages marketing for the clothing business. She said she is happy to see the business reach 50 years.
“Oh, it’s a huge achievement,” Vasilas Fry said, speaking on the store’s 50th anniversary. “It’s truly a fulfillment of the American dream. My dad’s an immigrant from Greece and it’s a wonderful kind of experience to be able to watch him achieve this kind of success, as well as my brother.”
For Vasilas Fry, the best aspects of working at the store are the customers and her family.
“I love interacting with the customers,” she said. “My dad has three to four generations of customers that have been shopping here since he opened the doors. Many of them saw me growing up in a Pack ‘n Play in the alterations department. And now they see me working here — kind of behind-the-scenes or helping with customers — and they love just having the continuity of those conversations, seeing each other time and time again.”
Vasilas Fry also finds joy in the creative side of the business.
“I love being creative and the fashion side of it. So, working with our vendors, putting together contests, promotions — all of it, that’s super fun as well,” she said.
At its heart, the business remains rooted in personal service.
“I love to take care of my customers,” Vasilas said when asked what he enjoys most. “I love to make my customers happy, make my customers laugh — and that brings them back.”
The store now employs 16 full-time workers, a big leap from its early days of just Vasilas, his wife and a few other employees.
The family celebrated five decades in business with a party of about 250 to 300 guests last month. But the celebrations aren’t over yet.
“In the middle of July, we will have some special sales through the middle of August … and we have quite a few door prizes. All my suppliers, they’re participating,” he said. “Everybody who comes in, they fill out a little form — we’ll give away at least 10 prizes every week.”
The community remains central to Vasilas’ story.
“Englewood, for me, is a great service town,” he said. “People … can reach it from every side of Colorado … And right where we are, it’s in old downtown Englewood. And just — we love it.”
After 50 years Vasilas still goes to the shop regularly. He golfs with friends, travels with his wife and enjoys spending time with his 10 grandchildren.
And he’s not planning to step away from the business just yet.
“I don’t have any time set to quit,” he said. “Because I still enjoy it … I enjoy life. As long as I enjoy it, I don’t see why I’m going to quit it.”
For more information on the store, visit tedsclothiers.com.