More than just a catchphrase

Perhaps ranking near the top in audience recollection as well as memorable business “jingles,” a Joshua Doore warehouse would locate in Taylor on Eureka Road west of I-75 by the mid-1970s. This would be a tremendous expansion success for a furniture retailer which, just four years prior, was Robinson Furniture: a small business based in Detroit. Its main Downriver rival at the time was the Wickes Furniture outlet in Riverview along Pennsylvania Road.

The location in Taylor only lasted a few years before being taken over by John O. Laughlin Furniture. The building would achieve informal landmark status by 1982 as the permanent home of Gibraltar Trade Center locally until the mid-2010s.

But how could such a meteoric rise to the heights of peoples’ knowledge end up crashing so quickly, even by business standards? Definitely not without extreme inner-circle influence, which Joshua Doore had an overabundance of.

The takeover of the Robinson Furniture outlet, owned at the time by Harold Victor, was overseen by 34 year-old Harvey Leach in 1971, and the Taylor location was considered the flagship location of the expanded company, with additional outlets in Flint and Grand Rapids. By 1973, Leach became a millionaire with this business, which offered buyers a new way to have furniture purchased and delivered: the casual transaction system would have customers handle everything themselves, as they would provide their own transportation and equipment for hauling. Gone was the third-party responsible for delivery, which saved time for the purchaser, as well as expenses for the business.

However, this rapid rise was not satisfying enough: Leach wanted further expansion and more profit. Taking out a loan seemed the most logical way to accomplish this, but there were red flags prevailing over any request, especially when such an inner circle had as much internal controversy and unknown power to wield success or failure. In this case, Leach would reach out to Leonard “Left-hand Lenny” Schultz, his contact for labor-related issues within Joshua Doore. Keep in mind that Schultz was considered so vital because most furniture workers at the time were union, and any negotiations had to go through his department. Leach sought out Schultz to procure his loan from outside sources.

At about this time, Leach was purportedly having an affair with the girlfriend of an imprisoned mobster, which did not set well with the community. Having been recently divorced, he did find his eventual match in his fiancee Beverly Adelson, whom he was to marry on March 17, 1974. But still remaining on Leach’s agenda was the latest in a series of meetings with Schultz, in addition to Joshua Doore’s top management, and Anthony “Tony Jack” Giacalone, a noted Detroit mobster who reached the level of “street boss,” to take place on March 16.

This meeting would never take place. The original 10:00 AM start time was first pushed forward an hour by Giacalone, with no specific reason given. Schultz, acting separately, told his wife to visit family & friends that day, which would give both men the opportunity to orchestrate any shady plans they had for Leach. Adelson became worried when she found out Leach not only missed the initial meeting that day, but two others as well, and she then informed the police. An all-points bulletin was issued on his behalf.

Southfield police would eventually find Leach, deceased, in the trunk of his Lincoln Mark IV, outside the Congress Building at Southfield Road & 13 Mile. The cause of death was a neck wound from blunt-force trauma. Within days, Southfield Police would turn the case over to the Federal Government, which began calling witnesses, including Schultz, “Tony Jack” Giancalone, as well as his brother, Vito “Billy Jack” Giancalone, another mobster recently released from prison. All three stuck to their individual stories, which indicated they showed up to the meeting on time, but Leach was a no-show. The federal representatives could not proceed further with questioning, as no clearer answers were being given.

The rumor mill was wildly swinging from all directions. Money had been a hot-topic among the participants for years, with “Tony Jack” desiring to use the Joshua Doore umbrella as a front for his other personal enterprises, an idea Leach steadfastly refused. However, the end result showed Leach underestimated his partners and what they were capable of doing. “Tony Jack” was at the center of the rumor informing the Joshua Doore management that day, “Harvey won’t be able to make it.”

As news of his death spread (his funeral was attended by over 1,000), the company began losing money. Leach ended up a millionaire on paper only, due to his involvement as Chairman of the Board. When his actual worth was determined some time later, it was only $4,600.