Labadie Art Store

Kalamazoo's Go-to Store for Supplies

Edmund Eugene Labadie was born in Mattawan, Michigan (Van Buren County) in 1868 to Joseph and Octavia Labadie. As a young boy, Edmund worked on the family farm. He also studied telegraphy at the local railway depot. Before opening his long running art supplies store, Edmund worked as a salesman for a portrait painter. He left Michigan for Houston, Texas, but returned to Kalamazoo and married Maud Inez Munson in September of 1897.

Labadie Arts & Crafts was founded around 1894 and was located in multiple storefronts along W. Main Street and S. Burdick Street during the first two decades of the 20th century, before eventually moving southward to 408 S. Burdick around 1935. Edmond’s business is where locals could purchase photography equipment, have their portrait taken, get a piece of artwork framed, buy a postcard, or indulge their creative life with the acquisition of oil paints, palette knives, canvas and brushes. In 1909, Labadie made a significant contribution to the history of his community by republishing and adding to the seminal souvenir book Picturesque Kalamazoo (originally published in 1890). The book has served local historians well as a record of life in Kalamazoo during the Victorian and Progressive eras since its publication, with its many images of persons, businesses, buildings, and residences.

In addition to keeping local artists well-equipped with the essential tools of their trade, Edmund was a member of the Elks Lodge, and an alderman from 1910 to 1912. Edmund died in 1943 in his Cedar Street home, and was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Antwerp Township. The business was then sold to Edwin N. Saville three years later. Saville moved the store to 240 W. Michigan Avenue, where it operated until it closed its doors for good by then owner William Keegan in August of 1991.

Article written by Ryan Gage, Kalamazoo Public Library staff, August 2025