This business was established in 1898 by
Waldron B Leard. Mr. Leard had studied in New York City at the Mitchell Cutting school. He initially set up business on the former corner property of MacKenzie Motors (which, at the time, was the site of Eustice Shaw, the jeweler). By August of that year Mr. Leard had outgrown the front room of that shop, and moved his business to its present day location (in what is today known as the Leard Building). As Leard recorded in his journal on 17 August 1898: "Moved into new shop this morning by eight o'clock. Dan LaVie moved me in. Cleaned the paint off the back windows. Put up the sign this evening." This sign read "
Mr. R.A. Leard, proprietor. 1946.
At that time, this building was owned by Mathew and McLean. The tenant in the east side of this store at that time was Arthur J.B. Mellish, a lawyer from Charlottetown.
Mathew and McLean continued to use the second floor of this building to store their funeral supplies, and as a result a witty expression became popular in those days, referring to the building as the "three suit store", namely that W.B. Leard could provide a tailored suit, Mellish was an expert in lawsuits, and and the 'wooden suit' or 'overcoat', referencing both the attire one wear in the coffin, as well as the coffin itself, all could be found here.