Greenlees and Sons and Easiephit Footwear

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Scotland
Surname/tag: Greenlees, Footwear

James Greenlees' Family and Their Businesses

The Greenlees Businessmen

James Greenlees became a boot manufacturer and soon had 2 premises in Glasgow. ^[1] He moved to Dunoon and Kilmun where he was a boot manufacturer. ^[2] In 1883 the family started a mail order business called Scottish Wholesale Specialty Co. He and his sons gradually started a chain of shoe stores called Greenlees and Sons.

The sons:

John Greenlees must be the family member in charge of international sales as he makes numerous trips to Winnipeg. The family has a company called 'The Scottish Wholesale Specialty Company' at 263 Talbot Ave., Winnipeg. They are selling shoes internationally by mail order and this appears to be their head office now for some, or all of their international sales. In 1913, The Scottish Wholesale Specialty Co. advertised in newspapers outside of the United Kingdom. Lumbersole boots were advertised in Iceland at $2.00 with free delivery by mail from The Scottish Wholesale Specialty Co., 263 Talbot Ave., Winnipeg. ^[3] This is the address John Greenlees visited when he came to Canada in 1913, 1914, 1916, 1919 and 1922. John's travel records:

1909: John arrived 18 Apr 1909 in Halifax, Nova Scotia on his first trip to Canada. His destination was Winnipeg, Manitoba, about 3 days by train. ^[4] He stayed in Canada for about 3 months and returned from Montreal to Glasgow, Scotland, arriving there on July 27, 1909.

1912: John departs from Glasgow, Scotland June 21, 1912. His destination is 263 Talbot Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba. John stays for about 5-6 months. He sails from Portland Maine, arriving in Glasgow, Scotland on January 5, 1913. ^[5]

1913: John had arrived in Halifax by 9 Jun 1913 and went to the United States from Winnipeg 18 Dec 1913. ^{[6] [7]}

1914: John departed May 22, 1914 from Glasgow, Scotland. His destination was Winnipeg, Manitoba. He stayed in Canada for about 4 months. ^[8] He departed from New York to return to Britain.

1916: John departed Glasgow, Scotland on 26 May 1916 en route to Winnipeg. ^{[9] [10]}

Alexander Greenlees lived in Renfrew, Renfrewshire where he was a boot merchant. ^[11] Alexander and his brother Robert relocated to Leicester, England about 1907. The 1911 census indicates he was a dealer for the family business based there. ^{[12] [13]} Liecester then was a center of boot and shoe manufacturing, so they could have gone there to buy stock for the stores or supplies for their own manufacturing.

Robert Greenlees was a boot salesman living in Paisley in 1901. ^[14] Robert and his brother Alexander relocated to Leicester, England about 1907. ^[15] Robert was a boot merchant in Leicester in 1911. ^[16]

William Pulsford Greenlees died young.

Arthur Greenlees By 1891, Arthur was a boot salesman. ^[17] He continued in the Greenlees and Sons boot business in Glasgow.^{[18] [19] [20]}

Harry Greenlees By 1901, Harry was a "coat salesman" [boot salesman?] ^[21] "In March 1919 a new company was floated -- Greenlees & Sons ("Easiephit" Footwear Ltd.), under the chairmanship of Harry Dunsmore Greenlees". The new company planned to build a warehouse in Leicester to supply the English stores and return to manufacturing its own products.^[22]

The roles of the remaining brothers were in sales in the Glasgow area.

By 1941, Robert Smith Greenlees, son of Alexander, was a company director. Greenlees Shoes Limited was incorporated on 9 Apr 1987 with George Dickson Greenlees (born 1926) and Robin James Greenlees (born 1962) as directors. They were in retail sales of footware in specialised stores.

Scottish Wholesale Specialty Co.

The front cover of one of the Scottish Wholesale Specialty Co's footware catalogues, c 1925, advertising clogs for sale by mail order. The telephone number given was used in the 1920s by John Greenlees Ltd, boot and shoe makers in Holm Street.