Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

Skip to content

Rodes-Rapier is a fine men’s clothing store originally located in the Starks Building on 4th St in Louisville KY. Founded in 1914 by John Price Starks, William Rapier and John Starks Rodes as the Starks Company, they had to change the name to Rodes-Rapier due to legal complications and a lawsuit by the existing menswear business Crutcher & Starks. Rodes-Rapier occupied two floors downtown in the Starks Building, with an extensive choice of business, sport and dress attire. The name was changed on some store advertising to Rodes upon the retirement of William Rapier. As late as 1951, the company used both Rodes and Rodes-Rapier in an ad for Swank cufflinks. Local ownership continued until 1983. Rodes added women’s wear by the 1990s. Additional Rodes locations included Oxmoor Mall in St. Matthews which closed in 2003 and stores in Tennessee and Indiana. The main location moved in 2003 from 4th St. to Brownsboro Rd. in Louisville. Vintage lines carried, among many others: Hickey-Freeman, Hart Schaffner & Marx, Palm Beach, Burberrys, After Six. Now known as Rodes For Him / For Her and still in business in 2023 at the Rodes Building, Brownsboro Road, Louisville, KY.

Written by Hollis Jenkins-Evans


from a 1918 Rodes-Rapier ad - Courtesy of Hollis Jenkins-Evans

from a 1918 Rodes-Rapier ad

Courtesy of Hollis Jenkins-Evans

from a 1940s cut-away suit - Courtesy of Hollis Jenkins-Evans

from a 1940s cut-away suit

Courtesy of Hollis Jenkins-Evans

from a 1950-dated suit - Courtesy of Hollis Jenkins-Evans

from a 1950-dated suit

Courtesy of Hollis Jenkins-Evans

from a 1950s Palm Beach dinner jacket  - Courtesy of Hollis Jenkins=Evans

from a 1950s Palm Beach dinner jacket

Courtesy of Hollis Jenkins=Evans