Smallman & Ingram (1877-1944)

“People dressed up more in the old days. I remember once in Smallman & Ingram, they had a big glass case with hats in them. We went up to town to buy my sister a hat. The only hat she would leave the store with was this big white felt one. Imagine, a big felt hat for a kid. I think it cost $12.50” – L.C.

Smallman & Ingram was a dry goods department store located at 151 Dundas that operated from 1877-1944. The company owned by Lemuel Hill Ingram and J.B. Smallman offered a wide selection of household goods such as dishware, textiles, and sewing supplies. Notably, the store also provided a fantastic selection of fashions for the family. In its early days, the store employed seamstresses and milliners to produce different styles. Advertisements from the stores opening describe the sale of a “great variety” of mantles, or cloaks and jackets for ladies and children. Those searching for millinery could find a selection of hats, bonnets, and ribbons. By 1908, the store offered fashions directly off the rack. The catalogue pictured above was one of the companies last publications displaying fashions for women, men, and children. Unfortunately, Smallman & Ingram was purchased by Simpsons in 1945, marking the end of the independent business. 

Reference:

Fred Israels, Londoners Remember, Part Two: A Collection of Reminiscences (Ad Ventures in Publishing Inc, 1993), 23.

 

 

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We acknowledge all the treaties that are specific to this area: the Two Row Wampum Belt Treaty of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy/Silver Covenant Chain; the Beaver Hunting Grounds of the Haudenosaunee NANFAN Treaty of 1701; the McKee Treaty of 1790, the London Township Treaty of 1796, the Huron Tract Treaty of 1827, with the Anishinaabeg, and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum of the Anishnaabek and Haudenosaunee.

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