“Thank you for being a friend, a patron, a customer, a joy to us.”
— Larry Ettinger, President & Co-Owner
Three generations.
Four buildings.
One city.
Leo and Sadie Ettinger arrived from Europe with what they could carry under their arms. They settled in Indianapolis and opened a small tailoring shop on Indiana Avenue in 1905 — living upstairs above the store and making the clothes downstairs — working 7 a.m. to midnight to serve the working people of their day.
What began as “Leon the Tailor” grew into an institution. An Indiana governor once said the word around the Statehouse was that anyone who was anyone in this state had been through their doors at some point in their career. The business survived two fires and two occasions where city buses and cars devastated the building front — and kept going every time.
Brothers Larry and Norman Ettinger — third-generation owners — served clients from 41 different states, from ditch diggers to vice presidents. They grew up on a cutting table and gave their lives to this craft. Business remained strong until the very end.
An early advertisement — the record of a city institution
The Ettinger Family
Three generations built this place with their hands. Leo and Sadie started it. Their sons Shoolem and Eli carried it. And then Larry and Norman brought it to its full measure — 120 years, four buildings, a city dressed and proud. It is one of the great family stories in the history of Indianapolis.
“I take great pride in serving our clients; making sure that every item is perfect for their purpose and finished to perfection, including the selection of accessories to enhance their garments.”
At 85, Larry decided to close the shop he’d devoted his life to after an injury left him unable to move as he once could. He was the one who often said: “From the ditch digger from Citizens Energy all the way up to the vice president of the United States.” He meant it. He served them all the same.
“My main goal in business is to make sure each customer’s clothing fits properly. I want our customers to look and feel their best.”
Norman, 81, said their father died coming down to the store. Their uncle died getting ready to come to the store. The store was woven into who they were. “It’s together,” he said of closing with his brother, “that we’ve made this business a success.” And it was together that they closed it.
They arrived from Europe with what they could carry under their arms. They built a tailoring shop from nothing, on Indiana Avenue, and worked from dawn past midnight. Everything that followed was built on their sacrifice.
Leo and Sadie’s sons grew the business through the difficult decades of the mid-century, working alongside their parents at the Massachusetts Avenue locations until their passing between 1952 and 1964.
Eli’s sons joined in the 1950s, grew up on a cutting table, and carried the business for decades. Their father died on his way to the store. They gave the place everything, and closed it with grace at 85 and 81.
“To have the opportunity of assisting in the fabric and style choices of each individual is extremely rewarding. It seems as if you gain a friend after every finished garment.”
“I take pride in making sure every customer is happy with the fit of their garment — whether purchased from us or brought in for alterations.”
To everyone who ever worked here.
Over one hundred and twenty years, Leon Tailoring was kept alive not only by the Ettinger family, but by the many skilled tailors, dressmakers, fitters, and staff who gave their time and craft to this place. Immigrant tailors from Italy, Germany, Greece, and across Europe helped build it in its early decades — many of them on Massachusetts Avenue, where the business grew into something truly remarkable.
To every tailor who sat at a machine on Massachusetts Avenue and Delaware Street. To every fitter who took a measurement with care. To every person who opened those doors in the morning and locked them at night. Thank you. Your work lives on in the clothing you made and the people who wore it.
It’s been an honor.
Leon Tailoring Company permanently closed its doors on February 28, 2025. Larry Ettinger, 85, and Norman Ettinger, 81, are retiring after a lifetime devoted to this craft and this city.
They dressed governors and vice presidents, professional athletes and prom kids, ditch diggers and CEOs — and they treated them all the same. That is the measure of the place.
They watched Indianapolis grow up around them too. “Between the football and the basketball, and the baseball and your museums, and the symphony … it’s not a sleepy town,” Norman said. “It used to be a sleepy town. It was once called Naptown.” They were here for all of it.
The building at 809 N. Delaware Street stands. The suits remain in closets across 41 states. The craft lives on in the hands of those they trained and the memories of everyone they dressed.
Thank you, Indianapolis. — The Ettinger Family