TORRINGTON – For several decades, the Leithead name and Torrington’s Main Street have been practically synonymous with one another. Since the early 1980’s, Aileen Leithead has helped to ensure the local legacy continues.

Leithead was born in Scottsbluff, Neb. She graduated from Scottsbluff High School in 1973.

“Back when I was in high school, there were not a lot of options for girls for sports,” she said. “The first year they (offered) track for girls, I was on the track team.

“I was mostly in band,” she continued. “Orchestra for musicals – I played
clarinet.”

Leithead attended Western Nebraska Community College for one year, until she married husband, Gary, in the summer of 1974.

“I was working for Jack and Jill grocery stores in Scottsbluff,” she said. “I was a checker, and he was the assistant manager for the grocery store.”

The Leitheads stayed in Scottsbluff for a couple years, but eventually moved to eastern Iowa when Gary received a promotion and was transferred.

“We lived in Iowa for four years, and lived in several different towns – we kept getting moved from town to town,” Leithead said. “Gary was the ‘cleanup manager’. If a store was struggling, he’d get it back on its feet and then move to a different store.”

The Leitheads had their first daughter in Iowa, and soon moved to Custer, S.D.

“She was getting close to 5 (years old),” Leithead said. “I didn’t want to keep moving around when she

In 1980, the family made their final move – to Torrington – so Gary could work at his father’s business, Harry’s Appliance Repair, as an appliance repair technician.

“In May of 1981, we bought the Sears Catalog Store with his mom and dad,” Leithead said. “At that time, I had to go to work at the store. I did the accounting and waited on customers … whatever needed to
be done.”

The Leitheads had two more children in Torrington, a son and a second daughter.

“I was expecting Craig the day we signed papers for the store,” Leithead said. “We raised the kids at the store. A couple weeks after they were born, I would go back to work and customers would come in just to see how the kids were doing. We now have granddaughters here in town who have done TV and radio commercials for us. Just to be able to have the kids and grandkids as a part of the business has
been good.”

In 1991, the Leitheads bought Gary’s parents out of the Sears Catalog Store.

“Two years later, in 1993, Sears decided to close all of their catalog stores,” Leithead recalled. “We closed for maybe two or three months during the transition, but we didn’t want to just shut the doors and walk away.”

Western Auto approached the couple to open a franchise store, and the Leitheads agreed. In about 2003, however, Western Auto also decided to shutter its doors, and the couple decided at this point to become “totally independent” storeowners.

“In the meantime, Harry’s Appliance just continued,” Leithead said. “The Sears Catalog Store was (at 2029 Main Street). In 1999, we bought the building at 1936 Main, and in about 2007, we bought the old Kellum Drug Store – just kept expanding.”

Leithead worked at the store until 2012, when her son moved into the manager position.

“I felt like I needed to go somewhere else so he could be a manager,” she explained.

While she’s moved a little further down Main Street, now working as human resources director at St. Joseph’s Children’s Home, Leithead said she still helps out at the family store.

“We’ve had a lot of employees over the years, a lot of good memories,” she said. “Even though I’m working here, I still do marketing, advertising, (etc.). I’m still a manager, just not the manager all the time.”

In her free time, Leithead continues to play the clarinet, now in the community band in Torrington, as well as in the orchestra for several Goshen Community Theatre productions.

“Gary and I would like to travel,” she said of her plans for the future. “We don’t have to travel far to see our kids, but we’ve got some destinations in mind we’d hopefully someday like to visit.”

Looking back, Leithead said she has many fond memories as part of Torrington’s business community.

“Just getting to know the local people, forming relationships – business relationships and friendships – with local people because of interactions through the business (has been a highlight),” Leithead said. “I’ve been in Torrington now 38 years. I’ve seen a lot of changes over those years, good and bad. Fortunately, we’ve been able to maintain a presence on Main Street.”