Lester Lampert's Store Sidekick was a Leopard Named Luther

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Engagement and nuptial band legend, Lester Lampert on Oak Street may now be known for their sparkling multi level boutique, however, back in the day, nearly 20 years ago when they moved to Oak Street, they were known for their store sidekick, Luther the leopard.

As explained by David Lampert, Lester's son, the family name "Lampert" in Hebrew means the leopard - hence, the store's logo is a leopard and felt it was nice to have Luther the leopard around the shop. Though Luther has since died, he was the star of the show at the boutique's grand opening and even made an appearance in an Oak Street fashion show where a model was walking him down the runway. David tells us, the staff "would feed him chunks of meat and whenever he was in the store he would really stink up the place-so he wasn't here too often.

In Luther's memory we asked David if Luther the leopard were to buy a piece of nuptial jewelry, what would he buy? His answer? A Lampert Original with raised beads on the band that emulate a leopard's spots.
· Lester Lampert [Official Site]