Jeff Jenkins

Mr & Mrs Lester Leonard started the one-of-a-kind
shop in 1933 in their Rumford, Rhode Island
residence. Their reputation grew and they soon
moved their operation to neighboring Seekonk, Massachusetts. As a boy, Jeff Jenkins, now the owner of Leonards New England, worked at the shop under the direction of his father, Robert Jenkins, who was sales manager. He fondly remembers Mrs. Hazel Leonard as a woman determined to use modern bedding on her antique bed and credits her with the concept of re-sizing beds for others.

Jeff Jenkins continues the Leonards’ tradition of offering customers an impressive, continually changing selection of beds and antique furniture. As households changed from generation to generation, families who have purchased furniture from Leonards have returned to take advantage of our unique trade-in policy. This has made it possible to develop lifelong relationships with our customers and their children, both near and far. Many beds have been given as wedding presents or passed down to lucky newlyweds by our longtime customers.

Although Leonards has expanded, the heart of Leonards remains the original Seekonk location with the workshop where craftsmen skilled in delicate cabinetry and finishwork repair, restore and refurbish antiques.

In 1988, Jenkins launched Leonards popular reproduction business. Highly skilled hands in our woodworking shop in nearby Tiverton, Rhode Island craft our authentic reproductions there. Upscale catalog giants, such as Cuddledown and Garnet Hill, soon recognized the craftsmanship and beauty of Leonards reproduction pieces and now regularly feature Leonards products in their catalogs.

In 2000, Jenkins launched yet another branch on the Leonards’ tree with The Leonards Mercantile Collection. For this upscale line of crystal, iron work and linens, he designs furniture and accessories using the finest materials and travels the globe seeking new sources for exquisite merchandise.

Future plans include exploring antiques and artisans in both Eastern Europe and China in an effort to continue to provide high-quality, distinctive merchandise at the best possible prices.