A pair of jeans started it. In the 1970s John Kopplin, a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica, bought one from Susana Baltodano at a clothing store across the street, even though he already had five new pairs of Levi's in his luggage. The two married, and in 1977 they opened the first Maya Palace boutique at Sabino Square in Tucson. A little over a year later the shop moved to El Mercado, where it stayed for 35 years, and at one point it ran three locations around town. Today it is in Plaza Palomino on Swan Road, with owners John and Susy Kopplin personally choosing what goes on the floor.
Bridal is the side most people hear about. The store's own list of occasions, though, looks like a teen formal calendar: homecoming, prom and formals, quinceañera, cotillion, graduation and sweet sixteen.
Prom, quince and the teen formal calendar
Four parts of the store matter most to a family shopping for one of those events, and several can be covered in a single season:
Special Occasion Gowns
The formal gallery, sorted by color online, with long gowns and quinceañera ballgowns side by side
Boutique and Accessories
Shoes, evening bags, wraps and jewelry chosen to go with a gown
Maya Palace Too
The store's sale room for discontinued and sample pieces
The workroom
Six seamstresses on staff for fittings and alterations
The teen side gets its liveliest description in the store's 2023 awards post.
Or maybe you’re on the search for that killer prom dress, that jaw-dropping quinceañera dress, cotillion, or that sweet sixteen gown they’ll be talking about ‘til you turn seventeen.
That post names Colors as a prom and quince designer and Jovani for gala gowns, the kind worn to the Angel Ball, the Southern Arizona Heart Ball and the Silver & Turquoise Ball. The color-sorted gallery runs from earth tones to gold, purple and silver, so a shopper can settle on a shade before coming in.
Six seamstresses and the accessories wall
The detail that sets Maya Palace apart is its workroom. Six seamstresses work there on staff, and they handle far more than hems: adding sleeves, adding or removing embellishments, changing a hemline completely, or taking crinoline out of a ballgown. They work on wedding dresses and, in the store's words, "any other garment for that matter," which covers a prom gown that needs a tighter bodice or a quinceañera skirt that needs less volume. For a teen formal, having the alterations team in the same building is the biggest advantage the shop offers.
Then there are the extras. Maya Palace carries shoes, boots and sandals from Helen's Heart and L'Artiste, beaded and sequined evening bags, one of the larger collections of Mary Frances handbags in town, wraps and shawls, and jewelry from Creations Georgianni and Treska. A prom shopper can leave with the gown, the bag and the earrings in a single afternoon. Boots and sandals sit next to the heels, which helps a quinceañera family planning a shoe change partway through the party. The About page also describes the store as a destination for unique clothing beyond formalwear, so the parent who drove can browse the boutique racks while the fitting room is busy.
Readers of the Arizona Daily Star have voted the shop the Readers' Choice winner for Best Bridal/Formal Wear Shop, including 2023, and also its favorite for Best Ladies Apparel and Accessories. For prom and other special occasions, the shop invites customers to stop by, and walk-ins are welcome.
Plaza Palomino sits in central Tucson, within reach of students from Catalina Foothills High School, Sahuaro High School and Tucson High Magnet School. For anyone comparing southern Arizona formal shops, the combination of a teen gown floor, an accessories wall and a staff workroom in one storefront is what Maya Palace offers.
The shop is also part of Tucson's charity circuit. Its blog describes outfitting models of all ages for the League of Mexican American Women's annual fashion show, a fundraiser for the group's scholarship program, and it posted a color-by-color gown guide ahead of the 2025 Angel Ball. Those posts are a good preview of the formal styles on the floor before prom season opens.
What Tucson families ask Maya Palace
Can the Maya Palace seamstresses alter a prom or quinceañera gown?
Yes. The six in-house seamstresses work on any garment, from hems and bodices to added sleeves and reworked skirts.
Is Maya Palace only a bridal shop?
No. Bridal is a large part of it, but the store also dresses teens for prom, homecoming, quinceañera, cotillion and graduation, along with gala and wedding guests. Its sale room, Maya Palace Too, is the place to check for discontinued and sample gowns at lower prices.