Wearing well

As a 12-year-old operating a water ice stand outside his uncle’s candy store, Frank Cona didn’t realize that he was starting a career in retail.

Now, the 64-year-old owner of Chadmoore Formal Wear is inching toward retirement after 40 years of operating on South Broad Street.

Cona has seen and done it all in the ever-evolving world of men’s wedding and prom fashions, and his store has been home to a number of notable firsts.<

"We had the first tuxedo store in Philadelphia. We were the first to carry Pierre Cardin, the first to offer all-white tuxedos and the first to offer all-ivory tuxes for grooms," Cona recalls proudly.

The merchant also remembers the first incarnation of Chadmoore, which was opened by his father, Peter "Tony" Cona, on the corner of Chadwick and Moore streets in 1954.

The street names served as an inspiration for the store’s moniker.

"My father started out in 1952 as a tailor and dry cleaner in a small little house. We added the tuxes in ’54," says Cona, who lives in Southwest Philadelphia near 73rd Street and Dicks Avenue.

At 14, Cona was entrusted with the all-important job of attaching collars to tuxedo shirts. Within a few years, he had his own Jeep, and went around the city picking up and delivering tuxedos.

The job allowed Cona to learn all the city’s nooks and crannies, as well as to develop relationships with many of Chadmoore’s patrons.

After graduating from St. John Neumann High School in 1958, Cona went on to Villanova University, where he earned a degree in business administration.

He moved the family business to its current location at 2138 S. Broad St. in 1964.

Cona mourns the recent merger of his high-school alma mater with St. Maria Goretti, recalling a time when Neumann flooded his store with hundreds of frantic students looking for prom outfits.

The prom market has dried up considerably in recent years, underscoring the trend of South Philly residents moving to New Jersey.

As a result, Cona says, Chadmoore added a shoe store on Broad Street in 1986, and also opened a shop in Turnersville last September.

"Most of our customers are out there. What we have up here is just a skeleton of what was once South Philly," Cona says.

At prom time, he adds, "Southern is null and void. CAPA and GAMP are minor players, and Neumann is nowhere near what they used to be."

Although the Jersey store is new, Pete Cona says his father had been resisting a move to the Garden State for years.

"There were always opportunities to go out there, but my dad wanted to stay here for the people," explains Pete, 37. "He always had a sense of commitment, both to his customers and to South Philly."

Pete and his younger siblings, Wendy Graziano and Frank Cona Jr., all spent parts of their high-school and college years working at Chadmoore and learning from their father.

"Most of my memories are of watching him interact with the customers. He always took his time and tried to serve them as best as he could," recalls Wendy, 35, whose husband, Nick Graziano, operates the Turnersville store.

Working at the family tuxedo shop also gave Wendy a keen eye for men’s fashion when prom time rolled around.

"Yes, I dressed all of my dates. I was a critic at the dances," she laughs.

From conservative to outlandish, prom and wedding fashions have come full circle on Frank Cona’s watch.

The simple black tuxedo that was popular when he started working in the business 50 years ago has again taken center stage, much to Cona’s delight.

"There have been so many changes. We’ve had every color and style imaginable," Cona remarks, noting the 1970s and ’80s yielded some particularly strange looks.

The business owner says his trip through the fashion world has been an immensely enjoyable one, and believes that positive experience has helped Chadmoore survive many changes.

Forty years ago, there were only four or five businesses on the 2100 block of South Broad Street, which now is comprised almost entirely of commercial storefronts.

"We were always willing to go that extra mile for people. If we didn’t have something in-house, we would go out and buy it," Cona says. "Customers appreciated that. When you love your job like I do, people know it."

Though he still enjoys a hands-on approach, Cona acknowledges that with shorter hours each week, he is phasing himself into retirement.

"I’ve had a great ride. I trained my daughter and son-in-law. They can take it over," Cona says. "Still, this is a great place to kick back and hang out."

In honor of Chadmoore’s 40th anniversary on Broad Street, Wendy threw a party for her father in the store in April, bringing back scores of former employees.

"My dad’s attitude was infectious. He made everyone enjoy working here," she says. "But you know what? He deserves a break."