Joe the Tailor was located at 438 Wooster Avenue, in Akron, Ohio. It was owned by Joseph Savage, a Jewish man born in Lithuania in 1886. He came to the United States and became a tailor when he was 18 years old. The shop specialized in cleaning, pressing, repairing, relining, and remodeling. Joe ran the shop for 64 years before retiring in 1968. Joe the Tailor is featured in advertisements in the Akron Negro Directory in 1940. It may not have been a Black owned business, but at the corner of Wooster and Rhodes Avenues the shop was situated within a majority Black neighborhood.
Resources
- “Ex-Tailor Joseph Savage.” Akron Beacon Journal. November 16, 1971.
- “Joe the Tailor.” Akron Negro Directory. 1940.
- “Joseph Savage, 85, Ex-Akron Tailor.” Akron Beacon Journal. November 16, 1971.