Marty's Formal Wear Takes Pride in Sending Boys to Prom

Mindy Glickman and Jon Nissenblatt learned a lot from their father, acquiring expertise and skill that requires them to exercise "crowd control" when prom season arrives. The brother and sister duo run Marty's Formal Wear, Inc. in Cortlandt Manor. Handfuls of young men gathered outside the Main Street shop Wednesday, waiting for their turn to try on the tuxedo they'll wear to prom. On days like that, when teens from as many as five high schools across the area show up for time in a fitting room, the doors are locked. Prom-goers sign their name on a sheet and wait for their peers to trickle out so they may be allowed inside. Mindy refers to it as a "crowd control" measure. "We really don't want to put out an item without seeing it," Mindy said. "I sleep better when I know everybody's tried on and the shoes are comfortable." Between jotting down new orders, ringing folks up and making last-minute adjustments--"How does the bow-tie work?" asked one teen--Mindy, Jon and their staff were attending to customers constantly Wednesday. "I just prefer him to have a little bit longer on his sleeve," Mindy said as she stitched a button-up shirt for one of the teens. "We'll steam it up and send this boy off to the prom." Marty's moved to Cortlandt Manor in 1976. Before that, it was based in Peekskill. "Jon and I have really been carrying on dad's way," Mindy said, referring to her father Marty. "He really taught us how to care about putting out a quality, well-fitted garment. And that's what we're doing."