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 wife’s 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 father’s millinery store. This location became known as Leeds. But by the 1950’s 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 women’s fashions. The basement of the store was dedicated to bridal wear. By the 1960’s, 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.