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Then and Now: Leon's Fabrics , Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton

THEN: Barlow Moor Road in 1959

Fabrics are in the blood of Barry Leon and he is continuing a tradition that started with his grandfather.

Our latest picture in Then and Now shows the building in Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton in 1959 that was to become the home to Barry's fabrics business in the 1990s.

The building was built in the late 19th century and has been used for various things including a Barnardo's workshop.

Barry's grandad Ossie arrived in this country from Romania in 1912 and was soon travelling the markets of the north west selling fabrics.

Then just before the outbreak of the Second World War he teamed up with his five children to form Leon and Sons, setting up a wholesaler business among the cotton mill traders in Faulkner Street, Manchester city centre.

NOW: Jack (l) and Barry keep the business going

His son Barry was also bitten by the fabric bug and after leaving school decided to set up a business in Birmingham in the late 1970s, where his grandfather used to work on the market stalls

Trade was so successful at the Bull Ring he expanded the business by opening Leon's Fabrics in Beech Road, Chorlton in 1980.

Twelve years later he moved his shop to its current site in Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton, as trade expanded and he now employs 25 people in Manchester and Birmingham.

Barry said: "The family have been involved in the fabrics business since my grandfather arrived from Romania.

"My family has seen how the city centre has changed and Chorlton over the years.

"We are now one of the few suppliers of fabrics for the home sewer in the north west, specialising in fashion and bridal fabrics trading from our large superstore."

The archive photograph is part of a collection chronicling the changing face of Manchester during the past 250 years. The collection comprises more than 77,000 images on a computer at Manchester Central Library.

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