When most people think of Southern Indiana, they probably do not think of The King of Rock and Roll. However, Charleston has been home to an Elvis costume company since 1980. B & K Enterprises, founded by Butch and Kim Polston, is a local family-owned company known mainly for making recreations of Elvis’s costumes. On July 17th, the Carnegie Center for Art and History welcomed Butch Polston as a part of the museum’s “Fit for a King” program. During the program, we learned about the company’s history and how the company has served many tribute artists (don’t call them impersonators!) who honor Elvis. B & K Enterprises has also provided costumes for multiple films, television shows, and print ads. Butch said that because of his connections to media, he has many stories about meeting celebrities. He joked that if he were to share them all, his stories would have taken the entire hour.
Polston has been a life-long fan of Elvis and has always had a fascination with his elaborate costumes. His passion led him and his wife to start making costumes as their own tribute to the singer. For the museum’s program, Polston brought a couple of costumes on to show mannequins. We could really see from the costumes the amount of detail that goes into the work.
Polston also talked about the process of starting his business and how he has kept his business going. One topic he brought up is the importance of copyright law in art. Unfortunately, there have been all kinds of artists who have had their work stolen. Polston stressed that any artwork or business idea can easily be stolen for profit, and that anyone starting a business such as his needs to be careful about that. He also explained that from the beginning, he himself never wanted to steal another artist’s work. This led him to ask permission from one of Elvis’s actual costume designers, Bill Belew, to use his designs. Not only did Polston get Belew’s permission, but he gained a life-long friendship with Belew along with another of Elvis’s designers, Gene Doucette. Polston said that Belew was just honored that someone would ask his permission considering many people would just steal his designs.
Butch Polston’s passion for Elvis not only led him to start a business but has connected him to people from his favorite musician’s life. It was clear from the program how much he values the art that has gone into making costumes. When asked by an audience member if his family will continue the business after he retires, Polston insisted that B & K Enterprises will continue in Indiana whether it is by a family member or a friend.
The “Fit for a King” program was presented as part of the Lunch and Learn program. Lunch and Learn is a free program on cultural topics at the Carnegie Center taking place on the third Tuesday every month. More information on Lunch and Learn can be found at carnegiecenter.org.
By: Shelby Miller-Brengle is an intern at Carnegie Center for Art and History. She lives in New Albany and is currently a student at Indiana University Southeast majoring in English.
