Tailored to perfection: Theo and Co. provides custom suits, styling for men and women

Finding the perfect fit is no problem at Theo and Co. in Davenport. 

The menswear boutique at 219 E. Second Street is owned by Annie Stopulos, who specializes in custom suits, alterations and personalized styling.

A Quad-Cities native, she didn't always have her eye on fashion. 

When she left the area at 18 to attend the University of Kansas, her sights were set on something, and somewhere, bigger than Davenport.

"While I was there, I kind of always had the itch to get out. I studied abroad ... and then I wanted to get into the film industry," she said. "I took acting in college and moved out to LA going into senior (year) and got an internship at Dick Clark Productions while I was there."

While Los Angeles seemed glamorous and exciting, Stopulos quickly learned she wanted nothing to do with the film industry, or the city. Having been born and raised in a smaller community, she wasn't used to the fast-paced lifestyle or cut-throat energy of the film industry.

But, she wanted to stay in LA a little longer and eventually found a company called Trunk Club, by Nordstrom. The styling service was based out of Chicago, but was opening an LA location.

Her sisters encouraged her to give it a shot, she applied, and was one of the first eight stylists hired for the LA branch of the company. Before long, it grew to 100 stylists, all working out of a 14,000 square foot building.

"It was a huge success, and that's kind of where I learned everything," she said. "My main background is custom garments, custom clothing and styling. You learn about the textiles, the different types of fabrics, the different types of fits, how to measure and everything in between."

That job is where she fell in love with creating clothing, she said, because it took styling to the next level. The more personalized process appealed to her, and she continued down that path when she eventually left Los Angeles and moved to Kansas City.

There, she found a job working for a custom tailor who styled everyone from bigtime businessmen to Kansas City Chiefs football players.

"I kind of got the gamut of all different styles. It was really fun to some things for football players that were going to the ESPYs or getting married and they wanted something cool and unique," she said. "And then you get the businessmen that really wanted the cool sport coats. So I had a lot of fun in Kansas City."

Before long she found herself moving back to Davenport where she could be around family once again. With five brothers and sisters, family is a crucial part of the business process in the Stopulos house.

Her brother, Pete, owns several businesses in the area and had a storefront open at 219 E. Second St. in Davenport if she wanted to try her hand at entrepreneurship. The space was a former tax firm with drop tile ceilings, carpeted floors and cubicles.

The tiles, carpet and cubicles were all removed to reveal exposed brick and wood floors that provided a warm, inviting feeling for a brand-new business. In 2018, Stopulos made the decision to open her own store, selling custom suits.

Progress was halted in early 2019, however, when a barrier holding back flood water broke in downtown Davenport and put many businesses literally under water. Stopulos was able to navigate a way through, however, and opened shortly after.

The original idea, she said, was to focus on custom garments, but she had to shift the business model a bit to meet the needs of the community. Instead of opening a store with heaps of overhead and hopes people would come in for suits, Stopulos aimed for a mix of retail and suiting, with personal styling included.

This summer, she added a full-time seamstress who can do alterations on anything from jackets to curtains, whether they were purchased in the store or not. For those purchasing a suit in the store, everything is custom down to the color of the stitching.

Below a row of custom suits waiting to be picked up are rows of fabric books with references for everything needed to create the garment. Stopulos takes more than 30 measurements per person, making sure the suit fits perfectly when it's done.

The suits can be custom made for men or women, with the latter becoming more regular clients. Stopulos said women have a hard time finding pieces that fit, but getting them custom made alleviates that headache.

"We look at everything and then we build a pattern based on all of their measurements and observations," she said. "They choose a fabric, they choose a lining, they choose their buttons, they choose their lapels."

The customization allows for customers to get the fit they want, but one that is completely unique to them. And, it's what makes the store unique to Davenport.

"You're getting a much higher quality garment. It's more expensive, but that suit's gonna last 10-15 years, as opposed to something that's only going to last a few years, max, if you're wearing the suit regularly," she said. "I just love what I do."