Leon "The Tailor" St Louis Missouri - 8" Vintage Wooden Shoe Brush - Scarce

Description

Available is this scarce vintage 8" wooden shoe brush manufactured for Leon Neuman and his Leon Uniform company based in St Louis Missouri.
Leon Uniform had been located at 4125 Manchester Road since Leon Neuman opened as Leon the Tailor in 1907. In July, the company moved to 15,400 square feet at 142 Hanley Industrial Court. "You couldn't appreciate this (current space) unless you saw the old store," Seidler said. Now the company has both a kitchenette and a meeting room, amenities it lacked at its old location.
History: About three decades after Leon Neuman started the company, his son Julius joined him in the business and was followed by a son-in-law, Harry Smith. After Julius returned from military service in World War II, the business seized an opportunity to expand its uniform distribution business with police and fire departments. To grow the new line, Smith's brother-in-law, Philip Klepner, came in as sales manager. Smith later took over the company.
In the mid 1950s, Marvin Seidler, Smith's son-in-law, joined the company. Besides being the featured model in the company catalogs, he started expanding the company into public safety accessories, including duty belts, holsters and shoes. Other family members worked in the business over the years, including Harry Smith's son, Richard, and his daughter, Jeanne Seidler, who started working for the company just before Harry died in 1987.
Careful packaging including protection from water and rough handling.
Thank you for looking.