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187 m The Quality Shop—Herb Leach, proprietor—Haberdashers, Hatters, Tailors, and Shirt Makers, 523 Wabash Ave., Phone: Wabash 1113 The finer details of personal appearance have traditionally been the province of women, from polished nails to jewelry to perfume. But in 1927, men of average means gave enormous attention and spent a good bit of their resources on grooming and adornment. This effort might have occasionally gone to what we now consider extremes, in part because men today are simply unwilling to invest the necessary time or acquire the necessary skills to achieve a signature style. And in America, if adults become disinterested with something—it generally doesn’t get done. We’re not necessarily talking about an elegant presentation here, but rather an individualized one. Accessories for this distinctiveness included hatbands, boutonnieres, pinky rings, cuff links, watch fobs, cravats, and monogrammed handkerchiefs. Any or all of these would be compared, selected, and applied before stepping out into the world. Maintaining this practice might require a generous assortment of each to match the daily whims of the man in question. Ultimately, having a neat personalized attire served the same purpose as good grammar or a strong vocabulary. It placed solid intention behind one’s presentation to the world. Since that presentation was primarily conducted face to face in 1927, it engaged all the senses. The thought was to appeal to the eye with color or to the nose with fragrance, much as one would appeal to the ear with words chosen in speech. Along with Foulkes Brothers on North 6th Street, the Quality Shop was the fashionable choice for men in Terre Haute in 1927. Herb Leach had purchased the shop from Arthur Asbury. Along with the inventory, Herb received a small file drawer with customers’ collar, waist, and inseam measurements. As the old saw goes: “Try to please all and you will wind up pleasing none.” At the Quality Shop, Herb Leach and his salesmen helped customers to cultivate an awareness of subtle detail that is the foundation of personal style: selecting the suit pattern that enhanced or disguised the physique, favoring a color that matched the eyes or skin tone. Bowties for pointed chins, neckties for broad chins. It made little sense to abandon personal style after shedding the suspenders and laying down the watch and chain for the night. Accordingly, the Quality Shop inquired of its customers in print ads: “Do you appreciate good pajamas?” If so, Manhattan Silk and Silk Weave Pajamas were available at the Quality Shop for $6.00 to $8.00—probably more money than a man of average means spent on his day clothes. Louis B. Radcliffe (Alda)—manager, The Vim—h 395 N. 8th It was a sporting goods store located at 423 Wabash. In 1927, only four businesses operating in Terre Haute actually listed themselves as dealers in sporting goods. One of these was a hardware store. Not that there was a lack of interest in physical activity or the sporting life. It was just that much of the time spent in movement or exertion was not considered leisure, but rather a necessary component of everyday life. You’d balance high up on a step ladder. You’d lift a wicker basket of wet clothes. You’d walk back home from the grocery store toting a sack of groceries. You’d sprint 20 yards to catch a trolley car. Maybe Q-R 188 Charles Ragan all of it in the course of one day. Still, no one at the time would have labeled this a workout regimen. Whenever leisure time did combine with physical activity, it generally took on a different form than power walking or step aerobics. The Herz employee picnic was held every summer along the Wabash River. Excursion boats ferried 300 employees, their families, and an 18-piece band to a place called Kramer Landing. (See Frank M. Graham.) While many were content to relax beneath shade trees or play cards, the day offered strenuous physical activities. They included the requisite baseball game with a crooked umpire and a board walking contest. Long lengths of 2 × 4 were suspended 3 feet off the ground. Contestants balanced and walked as far as they could without falling. A young clerk, Zadah Baird, once won the competition by completing a distance of 70 feet. (See photo of Herz Picnic at www.hometown.indiana.edu/1927.) There was another impressive athletic feat by a young woman that would be talked...

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