For decades, Henry Lehr was a legendary Main Street women’s store.
Nearby, on the Post Road, Schaefer’s Sporting Goods was equally beloved.
Years later, they’re back — 2024 style.
Alex Lehr — Henry’s son — has opened a new shop, with the old name (and menswear too). It fills the space formerly occupied by Fig, just down from Barnes & Noble.
Before that — when the bookstore was a movie theater — the store was Schaefer’s. Generations of Westporters bought baseball gloves, soccer cleats and skis there.
Alex Lehr’s road back to Westport winds through Southampton and Indiana.
He grew up here, and attended Kings Highway Elementary, Bedford Middle School and Greens Farms Academy.
It was off to Indiana University, New York, then back to the Hoosier State. From college on he worked for American Colors, the brand started by his father. Alex made his way up from the factory to head of sales.
Alex Lehr, with the belt collection in his new store.
In 2004, Henry retired. Alex took over. His wife Shannon also joined the business.
American Colors was a wholesaler, selling at trade shows to 200 specialty stores around the world. Westport customers include Great Stuff and Katherine H.
When COVID closed trade shows, Alex pivoted to retail. It was a world he knew well.
Henry Lehr and his wife had moved to Westport in 1977. They owned a New York store, and soon added one on Main Street. (Today, it’s the site of Shoe-Inn.)
Through its closing in 2014, after the death of their daughter Camilla who ran it, it was one of the town’s most popular women’s shops.
Henry Lehr on Main Street, soon after it closed. (Photo/Dave Matlow for WestportNow)
In 2021, Alex Lehr opened a pop-up American Colors by Henry Lehr store in Southampton. It was an instant hit.
A surprising number of customers were Westporters. Many urged him to come back to their (and his) hometown.
The Hamptons location was great, but it was seasonal, with transient customers, Alex says. As he considered a permanent shop, he realized this was the place to do it.
Attorney and real estate investor Jim Randel found him the Fig/Schaefer’s space.
Schaefer’s Sporting Goods is the 3rd store from the left, next to the Fine Arts Theaters and an art supply store. Fred Cantor took this photo in 1976 — around the time Henry Lehr opened on Main Street.
It was perfect. It reminds Alex of the Henry Lehr shop on Main Street. It looks out on the Post Road, with plenty of visibility. The tin ceiling gives off the perfect vibe.
A pop-up shop there in July, with just a few racks of clothes, was very successful. Renovations began when it closed.
Two weeks ago, American Colors by Henry Lehr opened officially.
During the pop-up, customers told Alex that Westport lacked the kind of casual, comfortable, contemporary clothing men wanted. The new store now includes menswear, and a collection of vintage belts.
Alex Lehr, inside American Colors by Henry Lehr.
There’s more to come. After the holidays Alex will add a home store, with antiques, vintage clothing, gifts, and a made-to-measure area for men and women.
“I’ve come full circle. It’s fun to be back,” Alex says. Women bring Henry Lehr clothing they bought 30 or 40 yeas ago. He repairs some of those well-worn pieces for them.
The Westport store may be a prototype for satellite locations. Still, he envisions this as always the flagship.
Casual, contemporary clothing.
As Alex finished giving a tour of the new store, a customer walked in.
Unprompted, she said, “This is the talk of the town!”
(American Colors by Henry Lehr is open 7 days a week, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
(“06880” often reports on the Westport business scene — old, new, and old ones that are new again. If you enjoy our coverage, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
