presley31
08-16-2008, 04:16 PM
PICO RIVERA - It has been 31 years today since Elvis Presley died, but a Whittier man says he'll always remember the rock icon as a friendly and polite young man - and a good customer.
Rudy Cervantes is in the necktie business, and met Presley when the King bought about 20 of his ties in 1965 at an upscale store at Hollywood and Vine. The shop didn't carry a few colors the star was looking for, so he asked the owner for the manufacturer's number.
A few days later, Cervantes' secretary beckoned him to the phone, saying she had Elvis on the line.
"He's one of the nicest human beings I've ever met," Cervantes, 77, said Friday from his office in Los Angeles.
Presley told him to bring the ties to Paramount Studios, where he was filming "Girls, Girls, Girls." When the neckwear was finished and Cervantes brought the box to the studio, Presley was visibly pleased and took him to lunch.
According to Cervantes, Presley refused to call him "Rudy," and always stuck to Mr. Cervantes. He would eventually order about 300 neckties.
"He used to like nothing but narrow ties," Cervantes said.
Presley also got him tickets to one of his sold-out shows in Las Vegas in 1965 and the two spoke several times.
This past week, enthusiasts have been celebrating Elvis Week in Memphis, Tenn., and especially at Graceland, the singer's private estate-turned-museum.
Miss., eventually sold more than a billion records globally and starred in 33 films, according to the official Elvis Web site. He died Aug. 16, 1977 at age 42.
He wasn't Cervantes' only famous customer. The Whittier man sold his wares to men such as former Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
He remembered Ford with particular fondness. Though Ford was a Republican and Cervantes typically votes Democratic, the president often asked his advice and how things were in California. He even made Cervantes a political appointee, choosing him to help get people off welfare and back into the work force.
"He was such a humble man," Cervantes said. "Gerald Ford and I had a warm relationship."
President John F. Kennedy, however, was sometimes a thorn in his side because of his trendsetting in the fashion world, Cervantes said.
"He killed the tie business," Cervantes said. "He was wearing turtlenecks."
Cervantes maintains a few relationships with politicians, like Mayor Joe Vinatieri who he said is a good friend.
"Rudy is a guy who loves Whittier and he loves people," Vinatieri said. "He's more than a breath of fresh air. He's a big gulp of fresh air."
And, he said, he also gave away lots of ties and told his many stories about Elvis Presley and other star clients.
"He's a great salesman," Vinatieri said. "When you're a great salesman you have got to be able to tell great stories."
Cervantes eventually became known for his Mickey Mouse ties, authorized by the Walt Disney Co. He was the first official licensee for the Olympics in 1984, and the city of Los Angeles even declared "Rudy Cervantes Week" in 1976.
Cervantes, a Whittier resident for more than 50 years, even manufactured a special Whittier centennial necktie in 1976.
He said he got into his business "by accident," when he was searching for a better way to make money as a salesman. He wanted to find a job selling wholesale products to retailers and wound up selling neckties. At first, he had little success. He worked entirely on commission.
"I didn't sell a tie for four months," Cervantes said, adding that he scraped for the money to pay his mortgage, then $65 monthly, on his home on Scott Avenue in Whittier. He now resides in Friendly Hills.
Soon business boomed, however, and he opened his own establishment, in 1962, building his own warehouse and office on Main Street in Los Angeles, where he still bases his work.
The walls there are lined with photos and memorabilia from his famous clients and the warehouse is filled, of course, with neckties.
The building still has its old green shag carpeting, powder blue filing cabinets and blue linoleum. Cervantes said he's slowed down business in recent years and is in semi-retirement. But he said he won't sell the business.
"Who knows, I might still continue," Cervantes said. "I'm still pretty sharp for my age."
source: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/rds_search/ci_10220265?IADID=Search-www.pasadenastarnews.com-www.pasadenastarnews.com
Rudy Cervantes is in the necktie business, and met Presley when the King bought about 20 of his ties in 1965 at an upscale store at Hollywood and Vine. The shop didn't carry a few colors the star was looking for, so he asked the owner for the manufacturer's number.
A few days later, Cervantes' secretary beckoned him to the phone, saying she had Elvis on the line.
"He's one of the nicest human beings I've ever met," Cervantes, 77, said Friday from his office in Los Angeles.
Presley told him to bring the ties to Paramount Studios, where he was filming "Girls, Girls, Girls." When the neckwear was finished and Cervantes brought the box to the studio, Presley was visibly pleased and took him to lunch.
According to Cervantes, Presley refused to call him "Rudy," and always stuck to Mr. Cervantes. He would eventually order about 300 neckties.
"He used to like nothing but narrow ties," Cervantes said.
Presley also got him tickets to one of his sold-out shows in Las Vegas in 1965 and the two spoke several times.
This past week, enthusiasts have been celebrating Elvis Week in Memphis, Tenn., and especially at Graceland, the singer's private estate-turned-museum.
Miss., eventually sold more than a billion records globally and starred in 33 films, according to the official Elvis Web site. He died Aug. 16, 1977 at age 42.
He wasn't Cervantes' only famous customer. The Whittier man sold his wares to men such as former Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
He remembered Ford with particular fondness. Though Ford was a Republican and Cervantes typically votes Democratic, the president often asked his advice and how things were in California. He even made Cervantes a political appointee, choosing him to help get people off welfare and back into the work force.
"He was such a humble man," Cervantes said. "Gerald Ford and I had a warm relationship."
President John F. Kennedy, however, was sometimes a thorn in his side because of his trendsetting in the fashion world, Cervantes said.
"He killed the tie business," Cervantes said. "He was wearing turtlenecks."
Cervantes maintains a few relationships with politicians, like Mayor Joe Vinatieri who he said is a good friend.
"Rudy is a guy who loves Whittier and he loves people," Vinatieri said. "He's more than a breath of fresh air. He's a big gulp of fresh air."
And, he said, he also gave away lots of ties and told his many stories about Elvis Presley and other star clients.
"He's a great salesman," Vinatieri said. "When you're a great salesman you have got to be able to tell great stories."
Cervantes eventually became known for his Mickey Mouse ties, authorized by the Walt Disney Co. He was the first official licensee for the Olympics in 1984, and the city of Los Angeles even declared "Rudy Cervantes Week" in 1976.
Cervantes, a Whittier resident for more than 50 years, even manufactured a special Whittier centennial necktie in 1976.
He said he got into his business "by accident," when he was searching for a better way to make money as a salesman. He wanted to find a job selling wholesale products to retailers and wound up selling neckties. At first, he had little success. He worked entirely on commission.
"I didn't sell a tie for four months," Cervantes said, adding that he scraped for the money to pay his mortgage, then $65 monthly, on his home on Scott Avenue in Whittier. He now resides in Friendly Hills.
Soon business boomed, however, and he opened his own establishment, in 1962, building his own warehouse and office on Main Street in Los Angeles, where he still bases his work.
The walls there are lined with photos and memorabilia from his famous clients and the warehouse is filled, of course, with neckties.
The building still has its old green shag carpeting, powder blue filing cabinets and blue linoleum. Cervantes said he's slowed down business in recent years and is in semi-retirement. But he said he won't sell the business.
"Who knows, I might still continue," Cervantes said. "I'm still pretty sharp for my age."
source: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/rds_search/ci_10220265?IADID=Search-www.pasadenastarnews.com-www.pasadenastarnews.com