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Leonard Brothers opens in Fort Worth
On this day in 1918, J. Marvin Leonard, "Mr. Marvin," opened his first
store in Fort Worth. Leonard was born in 1895 near Linden, Texas. During
World War I he moved to Dallas, where he worked in a store that
specialized in salvaged merchandise. In 1918 he moved west to Forth
Worth and opened a store in which his brother, Obadiah, joined him the
next year. Leonard Brothers prospered and rapidly expanded beyond its
original offering of groceries and salvaged merchandise. Marvin Leonard
used extensive advertising, eye-catching events, and a commitment to low
profit margin and high volume to turn the firm into the largest retail
establishment in Forth Worth. Obadiah, known as "Mr. Obie," was in
charge of store operations at Leonard Brothers. In this role he
participated in the design, construction, and renovation of a store that
eventually sprawled over nine acres of downtown Fort Worth. By the 1930s
Leonard Brothers dominated retailing in the Fort Worth area. Obadiah
Leonard purchased his brother's interest in the store in 1965 and sold
Leonard Brothers to Charles David Tandy in 1967. On March 4, 1974, Tandy
sold Leonard Brothers to Dillards, and the Leonards' name came down from
the stores.
- Links to Related Handbook of Texas Online Articles
- LEONARD, JOHN MARVIN
- LEONARD, OBADIAH PAUL
- LEONARD BROTHERS
- TANDY, CHARLES DAVID
- TANDY CORPORATION
- Other Texas Day by Day Articles for This Date
- League formed to help Mexican-American children (1934)
- Founder of Negro Fine Arts School dies (1978)
- Republic licenses doctors (1837)
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