Brian Smith opened the door at 38-40 Pilgrim Street on 13 May 1978, aged twenty-three. Josie Smith joined the floor in 1981 after they married, and has run the womenswear room ever since. Forty-seven years, two people, one shop, six days a week. Menswear, womenswear, footwear, accessories. Bespoke men's tailoring 34 to 50 inch chest. No online sales by choice, only the shop.
Pop into the shop, or phone the floor on 0191 232 9083 if you are after a specific brand or size. Josie and Brian will pick up. We do not push, we do not chase, and we will hold something at the counter if you want to see it in person.
Josie has run the womenswear floor since 1981, the same year she and Brian married. Vilagallo, Dea Kudibal, Elisa Cavaletti, Samantha Sung, European Culture, Amuse and Maison Scotch sit alongside one another, not boxed by brand but placed by what works together on the hanger. Fashion with a small f, priced above the high-street multiples and below designer.
Brian opened on Pilgrim Street in 1978 having already spent eight years in tailoring, and menswear came in as soon as Josie joined the floor. Remus Uomo, Thomas Maine, Gibson, Jeffery West for the shoes, MAC Jeans for the denim, Scotch & Soda and Maison Scotch for the casual end. Brian is on the floor, six days a week, fitting in person.
The bespoke service is the specialism most non-customers never hear about. Pick the jacket, the trouser and the waistcoat each in the size that suits the body, not the size that the rack assumed. Three lengths short, regular, long. Wedding suits fitted in the shop, with the groom and the groomsmen on the same afternoon. Brian is the cutter and the fitter, both.
If you are coming in for a wedding suit or a fitted occasion piece, give us a day or two of notice so the right hands are on the floor.
Most high-street suits come as a set. A 40 inch chest jacket on a 32 inch waist trouser and a regular length, take it or leave it. The bespoke service at Leaf is the opposite. The jacket comes in its own size. The trouser comes in its own size. The waistcoat comes in its own size. Three lengths short, regular and long, across the 34 to 50 inch chest range, with the body of the suit cut to match.
“You just don't get any better personal service than here. Brian is a legend in Newcastle.” Andy Anderson · from the customer testimonials wall
The shop opened on 13 May 1978. Brian was twenty-three. He had spent eight years on the trade floor already, in clothing and tailoring, before he had the keys. By his own count there were about three independent fashion shops in Newcastle when he opened, against a city full of department-store frontages and high-street multiples.
Josie joined the floor in 1981, after she and Brian married. She took the womenswear room. Brian took menswear. The original business partner was bought out around the same time. Forty-five years later the two of them are still the two of them, in the same room, on the same street.
Other independents on the road have moved online. Brian and Josie have not, deliberately. Every conversion goes through the Pilgrim Street door. The Drapers profile of the shop calls them “the most enthusiastic fashion double act you could meet” and it is hard to fault that line forty-five years on.
“A very pleasant experience, not like shopping at all. More like visiting friends who really know you.” Alison White · customer review on the testimonials wall
Pilgrim Street is the working spine that runs south from the Tyne Bridge approach up to the Monument and Grey Street. The shop sits on the cream-fronted Victorian stretch a few doors down from the Grainger Town conservation boundary. Monument Metro station is three minutes' walk straight up Grey Street.
On-street meters are short stay. Carliol Square car park is the nearest covered park, two minutes' walk on foot. Buses on the Pilgrim Street corridor stop a few yards from the door. If you are coming in for a fitting, we will hold the time. If you are coming in to look, the door is open.
Closed on Bank Holidays. If you are planning a fitting, phone ahead so we can put time aside on the floor.
Tell us what you are after. A brand we stock, a size you cannot find on the high street, a fitting for the wedding next month, an opinion on something you saw in the window. Josie or Brian will reply during shop hours. If it is quicker to phone, the number is on the contact card. We do not run an out-of-hours inbox, only the shop.
A reminder that Leaf does not sell online. The shop is the place. Mail order on a known item is something we will arrange on the phone, but the website is not a checkout.
If yours is not here, phone the shop on 0191 232 9083 or pop in during opening hours.
Yes, men's. Suits are sold mix-and-match, with the jacket, trouser and waistcoat each sized independently from 34 to 50 inch chest, in three lengths short, regular and long. We fit in the shop, Brian on the floor. Wedding parties are common and we will fit the groom and the groomsmen together if you tell us in advance.
No. We have looked at it more than once and we have chosen each time to put the energy into the shop itself. Pop in if you are in Newcastle, or phone us on 0191 232 9083 during opening hours and Josie or Brian will pick up. Mail order on a known item is something we will arrange on the phone, but the website is not a checkout.
Yes. A lot of the floor works this way. Josie is well known for knowing what suits a customer's partner without needing to ask which one is theirs. Bring whoever helps. The fitting rooms are private and the room is calm. We do not push.
Pilgrim Street is metered on-street for short stops. The nearest covered car park is Carliol Square, two minutes' walk. Monument Metro station is three minutes' walk, straight up Grey Street. We are easy to reach on the bus and the Metro and there is no need to drive.
Yes, in the shop. Any amount you choose, no expiry date stamped on it. Phone the shop and we will hold one at the counter for collection, or post one out by recorded delivery if you tell us a date.