MJ Stephens - Celebrate Tuxedos

What do you get when you combine a Recreation Administration major and Marching Southerner with radio broadcast experience and a dogged determination to try absolutely anything? The answer is a very successful business owner. More specifically, Mary-Julia (MJ) Stephens.

When MJ chose Jacksonville State University as her college destination, she did so from a house divided. Both of her paternal grandparents were Jax State graduates, but her mother and her maternal grandmother had attended a different university that was offering MJ scholarship money upon high school graduation. The difference was the Marching Southerners. "The most important thing I gained was family. The Southerners had their own table in the dining hall, and as the underclassmen ate, the upperclassmen would ask how we were doing in our classes. If anyone grimaced about one, they would tell us who we needed to contact for help in that class. They would say, 'We need you to keep your grades up so you can continue marching.'" Now, one of MJ's favorite things is sharing her Marching Southerners experience with young people. "It's like telling them you once climbed Everest – they are amazed and want to hear all about it!"

Small class sizes also impacted MJ's decision to become a Gamecock. "I knew as a high school student that I needed a smaller classroom experience with the ability to talk to my professors, and that made a huge difference. Dr. Robyn Eoff in the Department of Communication kept me from dropping out of school and helped me realize I had a learning disability. I went to her office to tell her I was leaving school, and she said, 'No, you're not – you're too smart for that!' I owe my degree to her and that conversation." 

At Jax State, MJ was a part of the Marching Southerners, 92J Radio, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Wesley Foundation. Her varied campus involvement, as well as a shift in majors from Music Education to Recreation Administration, taught MJ a lesson she still uses daily in business. "You learn to pivot. What got you to one point probably won't be the thing that gets you to the next one. Try, try, try again. Luckily, in this life, if you fail at one thing, it doesn't mean you will fail across the board. Something at some time will get you to the next level you are reaching for."

Leveling up has been the name of the game for MJ over the last 20 years in the wedding industry. "Fourteen years ago, while owning a wedding venue, my business partner and I started seeing couples come to the rehearsal dinners angry and frustrated." MJ describes weekly encounters in which customers described ill-fitting tuxes, additional costs to replace them, and an inability to know if the replacement tuxes would arrive on time.

"We figured out that if we just did the right thing – making sure the tuxes fit, getting replacements for parts that didn't fit, not charging additional fees, and providing great customer service—we would raise the bar substantially in the industry."

Celebrate Tuxedos was born, and MJ was not wrong about how to raise the bar. Her customers have demonstrated that with their repeated business and overwhelming requests for stores in additional areas. Celebrate Tuxedos now has 5 locations and plans to offer nationwide shipping for those outside of the area.

MJ attributes her business success to the roots and habits she established at Jax State, especially when it comes to getting out of her comfort zone, and she offers advice to current students in light of her success. "College is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to know yourself and make friends you will have for the rest of your life. Think a class sounds fun but not your major? Try it. Not really a social person? Go join a club or sit in a section of students at a ball game and scream your lungs out with them. Not feeling college is for you? Talk to someone! I went from academic probation to the Dean's List by just talking to a professor who believed in me more than I could in myself."

Now, it's MJ's turn to help others see something in themselves they might not have seen before. "I love being a part of someone's special day – whether it is a wedding, prom, or, yes, even attending a funeral. When a gentleman looks in the mirror and didn't realize he could look that good in a suit or tuxedo, his shoulders go back and the smile that comes across his face makes you feel like a million bucks."

For more information about Celebrate Tuxedos, email info@celebratetuxedos.com or give them a call: (678) 457-4698.