# Boyd's of St. Louis?



## ATL (Nov 29, 2011)

Anyone have any details on the Boyd's of St. Louis house brand? Or, at least, I assume the sportcoat I just picked up from a thrift is from the house brand.


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## xcubbies (Jul 31, 2005)

I use to shop at Boyd's in the 1960s. They sold good quality traditional clothing, with a men's, women's and boy's department in their Clayton store. I suppose it was where I first came to admire clothing, though as a sixteen, seventeen year old, I could not afford much there. I don't think they still exist, which is a shame.


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## ATL (Nov 29, 2011)

Yeah, it went under in the '90s, I think. The jacket is really well made, so I'm happy, I was just hoping someone knew a little more about the manufacturer.


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## cincydavid (May 21, 2012)

A lot of their store brand items were under the Threadneedle Street label...I used to go to the Boyd's Subway discount section on the lower level of the store in Clayton when I was a student at St Louis U in the 80s. They were downtown St Louis, Clayton, and I seem to recall there was a store in Crestwood, maybe?


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## AtlantaPete (Jan 25, 2019)

In the early 1960s, the downtown Boyd's store was the outlet for Gant shirt seconds, at the time Gant was the gold standard. I was in college in Chicago and my family lived in downstate Illinois about 90 miles from St. Louis. I would take orders from my college buddies, and load up on Gant button downs and make a small premium for my efforts. I still had some of those shirts many years after college.


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2020)

I worked at the downtown Boyd's while attending SLU in the late '60s. Absolutely first-rate clothes...Pringle sweaters, Gant shirts, belts, ties. Those were the days.


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## Color 8 (Sep 18, 2015)

The Boyd's in Center City Philadelphia is still open, but I don't know if they were affiliated.


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## Guest (Feb 24, 2020)

*Southwick and Hickey Freeman were also labels @ Boyd's. Gittmen Bros shirts were the gold standard as were Allen Edmonds shoes. *


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## Color 8 (Sep 18, 2015)

Guest-524718 said:


> *Southwick and Hickey Freeman were also labels @ Boyd's. Gittmen Bros shirts were the gold standard as were Allen Edmonds shoes. *


Boyd's in Philadelphia still sells Gitman Bros shirts, but that only makes sense as Gitman is semi-local and even used to have an outlet on Race St. I still mourn it's closing.
There is an Allen Edmonds factory store in the next block, so there wouldn't be any point in stocking AE.


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## Guest (Mar 15, 2020)

Color 8 said:


> The Boyd's in Center City Philadelphia is still open, but I don't know if they were affiliated.


The St. Louis Boyd's was much older than the Philadelphia one, and was not affiliated.


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## Guest (Jan 4, 2021)

Boyd’s had several stores at one time : downtown, Clayton, Northwest Plaza, Crestwood, northland, Jamestown mall, st. Clair to name a few. Their house brand was Threadneedle made by Southwick in suits and shoes were also called Theadneedle made by Bostonian, they carried both men and women’s clothing. They were owned by Cluett Peabody (Arrow Shirt Co.).


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## Pblshrtom4 (9 mo ago)

Boyd's was founded in the 1870s. Somebody just asked me when the last store closed. I believe it closed in the '80s or early '90s, then the name was revived briefly in the later '90s. I bought a bow tie from their store in Clayton on Central Ave before it closed. The original Boyd's in Clayton was on Forsyth near Famous and the Fatted Calf. Stores were Downtown, Clayton, Crestwood, Northwest Plaza and West County. I worked there from about the age 14 until I went off to college. Threadneedle Street shoes were one of their brands. They sold a lot of Hickey Freeman suits and Dobbs hats. I learned from Boyd's about single-needle tailoring, mother of pearl buttons, etc. ... quality stuff that lasts forever. The outlet store, which started in the lower level downtown was called The Subway. Women would come in and unpin all the seconds Gant shirts looking for flaws. We'd refold and repin them... and they would do it again. My grandfather, Charles B. Wheeler, was president after Ingram Boyd Jr., the last member of the Boyd family. The company was bought by Cluett Peabody, maker of Arrow Shirts. Cluett Peabody was owned by Warren Buffett.


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## BridgetCalcaterra (2 d ago)

Pblshrtom4 said:


> Boyd's was founded in the 1870s. Somebody just asked me when the last store closed. I believe it closed in the '80s or early '90s, then the name was revived briefly in the later '90s. I bought a bow tie from their store in Clayton on Central Ave before it closed. The original Boyd's in Clayton was on Forsyth near Famous and the Fatted Calf. Stores were Downtown, Clayton, Crestwood, Northwest Plaza and West County. I worked there from about the age 14 until I went off to college. Threadneedle Street shoes were one of their brands. They sold a lot of Hickey Freeman suits and Dobbs hats. I learned from Boyd's about single-needle tailoring, mother of pearl buttons, etc. ... quality stuff that lasts forever. The outlet store, which started in the lower level downtown was called The Subway. Women would come in and unpin all the seconds Gant shirts looking for flaws. We'd refold and repin them... and they would do it again. My grandfather, Charles B. Wheeler, was president after Ingram Boyd Jr., the last member of the Boyd family. The company was bought by Cluett Peabody, maker of Arrow Shirts. Cluett Peabody was owned by Warren Buffett.


 I worked in the “BJ Shop” (Boyd’s Juniors) downtown from 1966 to 1972 (high school & college). It was on the 2nd floor. I also worked in the Crestwood store for a short time after graduation. Mr Wheeler was and still is one of the nicest men I’ve ever met!


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