Few department stores symbolized the aspirations of a community or represented the identity of its citizens in a stronger or more enduring way than Leonards in Fort Worth, Texas. For over fifty years, Marvin Leonard, the store's founder, and his brother Obie ran a store that was always a unique place to shop. Customers also found a stunning array of goods--fur coats and canned tuna, pianos and tractors--and an environment that combined the spectacular with the familiar.
But the story of Leonards goes beyond the store and the man who made it. For Marvin Leonard, downtown Fort Worth and...