THE HEART OF THE CITY
HARRY GEROFSKY -- LEEDS
125 King Street
East
BUILDING INFORMATION
Date Built: 1919
Original Owner: Jennie Green
Original Use: Green Furnishings Co.
Subsequent Uses: Movieland Shoes
Previous Building on Site: Isaac Buchanan's
importing firm
ARCHITECTURE
Size: Frontage: 24.25 feet; 4-storeys
Design and Style: N/A
Architect, Builder: Unknown
Construction Materials: Brick masonry
Architectural Integrity: Good
Architectural Features: Decorative patterns formed by use of contrasting brick and glazed terra
cotta; also distinguished by coping at roof and cornice line
Harry Gerofsky was a prominent business owner in
Hamilton for many years. He was born in Latvia in 1889, where he was an entrepreneur. He
dealt with furs, flax and grain. Once Gerofsky immigrated to Canada, he worked in a
foundry for ten cents an hour. He became dissatisfied with the foundry and opened a
livery. But his wife persuaded him to give that line of work up when it took too much time
away from family life. The Gerofskys moved from their home in Stratford to Hamilton where
he immediately became a buyer and seller of raw furs. However, when that market began to
decline, he purchased a millinery shop from his wifes employer. It was in the
millinery business that Gerofsky prospered. One shop eventually turned into seven, four of
which were located in Hamilton. He became known as the King of Ladies' Hats in Hamilton.
Harry Gerofsky had two sons, Wilf and Robert. The sons inherited the King and Catherine Streets location of their fathers millinery store. This location became known as Leeds. But by the 1950s when the Gerofsky brothers were running the store, beehive hairdos were all the rage and the hat business was declining. Wilf and Robert changed the store to include all womens fashions. The basement of the store was dedicated to bridal wear. By the 1960s, the bridal section had taken over the entire shop. Specializing in bridal wear seemed to ensure the success of the Gerofsky brothers. Leeds was soon considered the place in Hamilton for a bride-to-be to buy her dress. And there came a time when former customers were bringing their own daughters in to buy a wedding gown.
Richard Gerofsky retired in 1970, leaving Wilf to oversee things on his own. He usually worked about fifty-five hours a week, taking time to get to know every customer. Wilf Gerofsky genuinely cared about the members of the community. He was a Rotary Club Member, as well as president and one of the founding members of the Downtown Business Improvement Association. He also ran an annual bridal show every January, hosted by his wife, which became tremendously popular in Hamilton. The shows continue annually to this day.
After working at Leeds for forty-three years, Wilf Gerofsky retired at the age of 68.
He sold the business to Lily Magaro, an Oakville woman with some previous experience
running bridal shops. However, only two years after taking on the Leeds business, it became more than Magaro could handle.
She closed the shop on October 2, 1997. A bailiff opened the store for four days to let
people who had dresses ordered pick them up. But the only acceptable way to pay for the
dress was cash, and with no warning some people lost their dresses, deposits, or both.
Gerofsky was shocked at the closing, having received no prior notice himself. He had run
the store successfully for forty-three years and Lily Magaro went out of business in only
two. But more than that, the Leeds name had been tarnished after remaining prestigious for
so long.
Only a few months later, in January 1998, the Leeds location reopened as Laura Janes Bridal Boutique. A local Mohawk College graduate named Jennifer Davino took over the business. She named the store after her grandmothers and considered the shop a family business. The interior of the store was remodeled in order to convince people that the new bridal shop was different from Leeds. Gerofsky was impressed with Davino and remained eager to help, but only if approached. He regretted the loss of the name, but admits that it was devalued after the Magaro incident. At least the tradition of bridal shops will remain on the King and Catherine intersection, and Hamilton brides will have a place to purchase their gowns locally.
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