The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-08
Men Who Went to Work
on Ash Heaps in Rich
mond's Dark Days.
THEY GREW ALONG
AS RICHMOND GREW
From Small Beginning Millinery
Store Becomes Great Distrib-
utor Of Women's Goods, and
From Retail Shop Grove
to Great Wholesale Dis
tributing House.

Thirty years of continuous bust
ness speaks we'll for the house that
does 1t. and speaks.-nighty well for the
good old town that keeps 1t going for
that length OF time. Richmond "a won
hertuiiy proud OF the many splendid
new establishments that have spr,In9
up within It's confines in the last few
years md made SUCCESSES that speak
In their way. OF Richmond progress
and Richmond upto- dateness. but
above all things, Richmond is especially
proud OF the good old houaes that hung
out their shingles In the early days OF
Richmond's -ecuDeration and took not
luck with Richmond in the DAYS when
1T was recovering from the disasters OF
war and all OF the evils that followed
the war.
Not long after the disasters OF war
and tho worse disasters OF tho recon
atruction period. young man stuck
out his shinglc IN Richmond and open
ed UP house that has since become
famous. and has carried the name OF
Richmond 10 the utterrnost PARTS OF the
Southland. j. became the house OF the
Kau:manns. and this old establishments,
now at 40i East Broad Street. Is the
house that is referred to-
Tho Start from Small BeHinning.
This house OF tho Kaucmanns is some e.
thing worth talking about. II was
founded In 1875 by Lewis Kaufman.
who had an Idea that Richmond wante ed
real millinery store and he had an
idea that he knew just what kind OF
Il millinery store Richmond wanted.
lie opened a little shop OF this kind at
Alb East Broad street. and IN the be-
ginning Il was really small estab-
lshment. II was then Just "a small mil
llnery and fancy goods store, one of
tho kind that Mr. Kaufman thought
Richmond needed and ought TO have.
~. q "a T.
years the necessity OF enlargement was
manifest. About that time j Kauf-
mann Was admitted rs a partner and
he put In some money OF his own and
larger amount OF good experience
and business Judgment so IL happen
ed that in 1856 the partnership con-
Germ OF Kaufman ~ Co. opened up at
ala East Broad street, and there they
did splendid business In the millinery
and fancy goods limo.
Their success was characteristic OF
Richmond and Richmond grit. and the
shop grew rs Richmond grew By
1883 they had outgrown their cramped
quarters. and they moved TO the larger
house. sol East Broad Street, which is
right AT the corner OF Fourth Here
the business was enlarged. and the
stock was added to from millinery en-
bracing everything In women's apparel
The Kaufmanns were the first peo-
pie 10 introduce in the South WON ems
rcady-to- wear goods. and II goes
without saying that in the changed
conditions OF things. this new feature
Of their business soon became exceed
ingly popular, and other establish
ments were not long in finding it to
their advantage TO copy after the
Kaufman methods.
wholesale House Started.
II was about this time that the
kaufmanns, feeling their. oats" about
tiie success OF their wonderful retail
establishment. conceived the idea OF
n wholesale establishment that should
do for the whole South what the re-
tail store had done for Richmond and
the surrounding country. and the
wholesale department was started in
Il small way. II is not necessary to
so into the details of the beginning
and growth, as the years went by, of
this wholesale house. 1t is sufficient
to say that the business grew with
strides, and IL was not a great while
before an addition to the big building
had TO be made for the exclusive use
OF the wholesale department. This ad-
dition was made on Fourth Street, and
II Is now one OF the large wholesale
establishments of Richmond. which
travels more than dozen men
throughout the South and these fell
lows sell millinery in all OF the South
ern States. from Nirgisia TO Texas. and
invade several Of the Western divi-
sions, covering in all about ffteen
States. In the year 1900 w b. Nelson,
who for several years had been tho
general manager Of the Wholesale de-
partment. became II member OF the
firm. This wholesale department en-
joys tho reputation of being the largest
distributors of millinery In all of the
South, and they have made their repu-
tation by adopting the rule from the
very start OF making the quality of
the goods they handle the very first
consideration, but, 1t may be rem en-
bered right here, that such is tho
reputation of the retail house of the
lSaufinanns.
They started out with the idea and
have stuck to 1T, that there was no
reason why the people of Richmond
and all of Virginia should not find all
of the goods they wanted and all of
the quality they called for right Mt
home instead OF going off or sending
off elsewhere for the same. 1t is like
ly that no house in all of the South
has done more to convince the trading
public that ii can do just as good, ii
not litter better at home than by
mail ordering or otherwise ordering
from the North.
Builders They Arc.
The Kaufmanns are substantial build
ers ana not just renters and tenants.
They bought the ground and made the
great house suitable for the business
and an ornament to Richmond 1t is
five-story building. and all of it is
devoted to the millinery business. 1t
fronts on Broad Street sixty-three feet
and runs back los feet on Fourth
Street and then has an II" opening
on Fourth Street and running east 100
feet.
On, re q,
building tho entire rear Is devoted to
popular prico millinery and tho front
to novelties. accessories. 1ewolry,
gloves. hosiery, etc 1t Is n mighty big
floor and filled with bargains of one
CONTINUED on Eighth page.l