Meet Steve Antoniades, owner of Steve’s Tailoring & Men’s Wear

Steve Antoniades was born and raised in Canton. He grew up in the north end of Plain Township, where he lives today with his wife Kelly.

“My wife Kelly is my high school sweetie,” he said. “Even though I am a 1989 GlenOak graduate, and she is a 1990 Jackson graduate, our paths crossed at a dance in 1987. The rest of the story, as they say, is history. We have two amazing daughters Eliana (GlenOak class of 2021) and Alexi (GlenOak class of 2023). I also have to mention our sweet dog Paisley. She is an 8-year-old mini–Australian labradoodle and she is always keeping us laughing.”

Antoniades owns and operates Steve’s Tailoring & Men’s Wear in Canton — and provides tailoring services to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He learned his craft in several ways, including earning a clothing and textile degree from the University of Akron.

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He attributes learning much of his skills to working with his family.

“Most of my knowledge of the trade has come from work experience with my father and mother,” he said.

His father is a master tailor from Greece and he opened his first store in 1950. His mother spent two years apprenticing as a seamstress.

“They taught me everything I know about men’s tailoring. I also spent about three years outside the family business working at a prominent men’s clothing store where I learned a lot about sales and merchandising,” Antoniades said.

His business offers a wide variety of services, including men’s custom suits, sport coats and slacks. The store also has a selection of ready-made clothing from business dress, business casual, to casual wear and accessories. Steve’s also offers tuxedo rentals and sales.

“Some of my tasks when working at my own store include tailoring, sales, marketing, merchandising, accounting, and building maintenance," he said laughing. "I am pretty much a one-man show except that my 82-year-old mother does come in about 16 hours a week to help with the tailoring.”

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What lead you to become a tailor?

I became a tailor by default. My father was a master tailor and my mother is an accomplished seamstress so I had no choice. They would take me to work at a very young age and I would spend long days at the business eagerly waiting for mom and dad to close the store.

Around age 12, I was sewing buttons and hemming slacks. By 16, I was doing more advanced tailoring.

Most of my tailoring skills came from my father and mother, but I did pick up a few other skills, shortcuts, and tricks from some other local tailors, Alfonzo DeGregorio, Ubaldo Nono, and Frank Masioli to name a few. All were/are local tailors, all great craftsmen.

How long has your business been open and what is a bit of its history?

My father opened the business in 1950 in a small town outside of Veria, Greece. He left Greece in 1967 to follow his dream in the U.S.

At first, he worked for a prominent tailor shop in downtown Canton while he continued to make suits in the basement of our home. Then, he reopened his own store again in 1975. I became manager in 1999 and then bought the business soon after.

What are some of the benefits of having one’s clothing made/altered by a professional tailor?

The obvious answer to this question is “fit.” Nothing worse than an untailored suit.

I say it all the time, you can take a $500 tailored suit and put it up against a $1,500 untailored suit and the $500 suit will win every time.

What are the top three activities you enjoy in your spare time?

First, I love the outdoors and taking my UTV out into the woods and getting lost.

Second, I love sitting around a campfire with a craft beer or one of my favorite bourbons and a cigar.

Lastly, I enjoy cooking when I have the time, especially over a campfire. I can make a mean chili!

One for fun: If you could have one song played every time you entered a room, what would it be and why?

It would be “Times Like These” by The Foo Fighters because it is a song about optimism and hope for the future. And, it rocks!

Editor's note: Five questions with ... is a Sunday feature that showcases a member of the Stark County community. If you'd like to recommend someone to participate, send an email to newsroom@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Meet Steve Antoniades, owner of Steve’s Tailoring & Men’s Wear