LEADING  MANUFACTURERS  AND  MERCHANTS  CITY  OF  BROOKLYN


SMITH (Edward), GRAY (Allen) & Co.

Clothiers
Southeast corner of Broadway and Bedford Avenue; 
Branch, corner of Manhattan and Greenpoint Avenues, Greenpoint.-

From almost insignificant proportions the clothing trade has, within the 
last quarter of a century, grown to be one of the first in the magnitude 
of its transactions, and is daily increasing in importance. Until about the 
year 1860 the sale of ready-made clothing was confined to a small volume, 
the goods handled being made of poor materials, badly cut, while in style and 
finish they bore no comparison to the garments of the well-conducted and 
extensive establishments of the present day. They were intended to supply 
the wants of an uncritical class of trade, and were made to sell rather than 
wear. To-day, in Brooklyn, all this is changed, and the finest productions 
of the merchant tailor are duplicated by the retail dealer, especially if he 
obtains his supplies from a house like the one under review. 

In this connection a few facts concerning the history and resources of the 
leading clothing houses of this city, and the extent of their business, cannot 
fail to be of general interest to our readers. Engaged as specialists in fine 
clothing we find the representative and progressive house of Messrs. Smith, 
Gray & Co., whose extensive establishment is located at the southeast corner 
of Broadway and Bedford Avenue. 

This mammoth house was founded in 1859 by Messrs. Edward Smith and Allen Gray. 
Mr. Smith is a pioneer in the business of ready-made clothing, especially for boys. 
More than half a century ago, while he was doing a fine tailoring business in 
Chatham Street, New York, he saw the need of something better than the 
ill-fitting, home-made clothing which most of the boys then wore. With his 
thorough knowledge of what was required, he embarked in this branch of business 
with marked success, and thus laid the foundation of the fortunes of his widely 
known and trustworthy house. After several changes in location, owing to the 
rapid increase of business, in 1884 Messrs. Smith, Gray & Co. erected their 
present attractive and magnificent premises, which are a handsome architectural 
ornament to this section of the city. 

The building is 80x80 feet in dimensions, six stories in height, with basement, 
and has been built expressly for them, it is supplied with two hundred incandescent 
electric lights, furnished by three dynasmos, driven by a one hundred and 
twenty-horse power steam engine, and every other possible appliance, elevators, etc., 
which skill, capital, and science can supply to make the building perfect in every 
respect. One hundred and eighty efficient and able assistants, salesmen, clerks, etc., 
are employed, while thirteen hnndred operatives work outside. 

The individual members of the present copartnership are Messrs:
Edward Smith, 
Leslie H. Gray, 
W. G. H. RANDOLPH, 
Millard F. and W. R. SMITH, 
Charles D. SPENCE, 
Edward G. BOYCE, 
all of whom have had great experience, and are fully conversant with every detail 
of the business and the requirements of the trade. An inspection of the stock reveals 
the fact that the specialties in fine clothing shown here are made from the finest 
productions of foreign and domestic mills, by skilled designers and workmen, while 
the garments are made up in every particular with the same skill, care, and attention 
which are bestowed upon the same class of goods by merchant tailors to order. 
The range of sizes is designed to fit all proportions of the human form, while the 
grades of style and quality are sufficient to meet the most critical and exacting 
wants of the trade and public. 

The trade is both wholesale and retail, while several travel- jog salesmen are 
employed to represent the interests of this responsible house at the-different 
centres of wealth and population in the United States, in the custom department 
patrons are always assured of obtaining not only a perfect fit and superior workmanship, 
but also an artistic and finished style that can only be secured in an establishment 
like this. 

The specialty of this house is boys' and children's clothing, and in this particular 
the firm is unsurpassed for the quality, elegance, finish, and excellence of its 
productions. It is impossible in a short sketch to give a just account of this 
mammoth establishment, but it is absolutely certain that its manufactures of fine 
garments are unsurpassed by any contemporary first-class house in this country or 
Europe. There is no more competent authority on clothing than Mr. Edward Smith, who 
is looked upon as the leader in this line by the trade, and is greatly respected by 
the community for his business ability and inflexible integrity. 

The other partners, Messrs. Leslie H. Gray, W. G. H. Randolph, Millard F. and W. R. Smith, 
Charles D. Spence, and Edward D. Boyce, are highly regarded in commercial and financial 
circles for their sound business principles, energy, and honorable methods. 

The establishment reared by Messrs. Smith, Gray & Co. is a lasting source of credit to 
Brooklyn, and a monument to their industry, enterprise, and perseverance. 



With Special Thanks to: Cathy Harrison Speciale
Transcribed exclusively for the Brooklyn Genealogical Information Pages: Nancy E Lutz

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