In the late 1890s blacksmith James Henry Leeke started a small ironmongery business housed in the front room of his family terraced home in Court Street, Tonypandy. Very much a family affair, he worked alongside his wife selling to local miners and their families who were moving in increasing numbers to the area as the coal industry started to grow. In the 1940s, the family expanded the business to include selling hardware and also leased a yard from which to sell building materials. The business then moved to premises on the high street in Tonypandy before the family subsequently bought a disused station in the town where the increased floor space allowed DIY, flooring and then kitchen and bathrooms studios to be added.