L for Levine and Levine
Levine & Levine, Ladies Coat Factory
Harry Levine was a poor Jewish tailor who emigrated from Russia and got his start as a cap maker when he first came to Colchester. By 1920, he and his son, Eddie opened a coat store, with son Hy joining them a few years later. Hy Levine said, “We were probably one of the first factory outlets in the business. People came in a picked out the fabric and the style and the coat was made how they wanted. Today every store is (called) a factory outlet.” People would come from miles around to get a bargain price on a good coat.
During the Great Depression, Jewish men and women worked at the Levine and Levine factory making tweed coats. Farmers also worked part time as sewing machine operators. In the 1930’s and 40’s, Colchester also had dress and leather factories. The average wage was 20 cents per hour.
The business was sold in 1973, and no longer made coats, although clothing was still sold there. The store closed for good in 1996, and is currently occupied by Colchester Mill Fabrics, Inc.