
Anderson–Little was an American clothing manufacturer and retailer of the 20th century, particularly of
men's suits. It operated in the
eastern United States
The Eastern United States, often abbreviated as simply the East, is a macroregion of the United States located to the east of the Mississippi River. It includes 17–26 states and Washington, D.C., the national capital.
As of 2011, the Eastern ...
, and in
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
in particular.
The brand has been revived in the 21st century as a small internet retailer.
Foundation and success
Anderson–Little was founded in the
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
area in 1918
[ or in the 1920s][ by Morris B. Anderson and Albert Little. Anderson had been born in Russia and came to America as a teen; before co-founding Anderson-Little he had worked for ]Singer Sewing Machine
Singer Corporation is an American manufacturer of consumer sewing machines, first established as I. M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac M. Singer with New York lawyer Edward C. Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Man ...
, and managed firms including the Morris B. Anderson Clothing Company.[ In the 1930s][ – perhaps 1933,][ or perhaps 1936][ – the company relocated to ]Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, tenth-largest city in the state, and the second- ...
, then a textile-manufacturing center.
The company opened a retail store in Fall River in 1936, and after World War II they opened their first factory showroom (a store in a factory), becoming a pioneer of factory–to–consumer retailing.[ These outlets were relatively austere operations with suits being hung on racks made of pipes assembled by company hands.][ Their main slogan and jingle for decades, "The Best Factory Makes the Best Clothing",][ emphasized the manufacturing side of the business. In 1956, the Fall River factory was producing 3000 garments every week and had employed over 1000 people.
By 1960 they had eleven stores, all in New England. In 1966 they were acquired by Richman Brothers,][ at which time there were 40 stores.][ In 1969 Richman Brothers (including Anderson–Little) was acquired by the retail giant Woolworth.][ In 1981, the company created three new brands – Strathmore, Shefford, and Southport – and added business attire for women (they had formerly only offered men's clothing).][
Reports in contemporary news publications showed that the growth of stores may have been much slower than the figures given by articles that were written decades later. The Daily Boston Globe reported that the firm had 7 stores in 1950][ and 9 stores in 1956.][ Women's Wear Daily reported that the firm had 19 stores in 4 states in 1966][ and 22 stores in 1967.][
During the time of Woolworth's ownership, ]Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
quarterback Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach (, -; , -; born February 5, 1942), nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 se ...
served as the company's celebrity spokesman.
Decline and fall
Under Woolworth control Anderson–Little grew to 100 stores and beyond.
However, when Woolworth took its swan-dive to extinction[ it ran Anderson–Little into the ground.][ By 1992 the company had swollen to 260 stores, three factories, and two distribution centers,][ but was no longer profitable. That same year Woolworth (just a few years short of its own 1997 demise) closed all but seven Anderson–Little stores and announced it would shut the division down entirely,][ but a buyer was found and the remnants of Anderson–Little were sold to Cliftex Manufacturing (owners of Gentleman's Wearhouse (not to be confused with ]Men's Wearhouse
Tailored Brands, Inc. is an American retail holding company for various men's apparel stores, including the Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank brands. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas, with additional corporate offices in Dublin ...
) that same year. Cliftex then rebranded some of their Gentlemen's Wearhouse stores as Anderson–Little stores[ and also began selling clothing under the Anderson–Little brand in their Gentleman's Wearhouse stores.][
In 1992, Cliftex operated 26 Anderson–Little stores, but closed 16 of them that year.][ Cliftex Manufacturing closed the remaining Anderson–Little stores in 1998.][
]
Revival
Ten years later, in 2008, Stuart Anderson (great-grandson of founder Morris Anderson)[ and his son Scott Anderson reclaimed the brand, which had become ]available
In reliability engineering, the term availability has the following meanings:
* The degree to which a system, subsystem or equipment is in a specified operable and committable state at the start of a mission, when the mission is called for at a ...
after Cliftex went bankrupt,[ and started a new clothing company under that name.
This revived company, based in ]Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, is a web-only retailer, with products made in America.[ Their first product was a classic blue ]blazer
A blazer is a jacket worn as part of a smart casual or business casual look.
Similar to a sport jacket, a blazer is not part of a formal suit, and the terms "sport coat" and "blazer" may be used interchangeably in daily life.
A nautical bl ...
, and as of 2023 that and a black version remain their sole product.[
In a planned succession Stuart Anderson retired in 2014 and Anderson-Little is now owned and run by Scott Anderson, the fifth generation of Andersons to run the brand.][
]
References
Notes
{{Reflist, group=note
External links
Anderson–Little website
Fall River, Massachusetts
1933 establishments in Massachusetts
1998 disestablishments in Massachusetts
2008 establishments in Florida
Clothing manufacturers
Online clothing retailers of the United States