The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-04
The House of Cohen Be-
gins Its Fifty-Seventh
Year of Success.
MEN WHO STARTED
IT STILL AT HELM
Young Blood That Has Been
Infused in Great House of
Cohen-Establishment That
Richmond Is Justly Proud Y
Of-Story of Half-Cen-
fury of Growth. !.

F'ifty-sik years in business, and tho
same kind of business is something
that folks engaged therein may be d
proud of, especially IL that business
has grown and kept up right along
with the times, as the times changed
from year to year and from decade to
decade Richmond has number of es-
adjustments OF this character, OF all OF
which 1T Is proud. Some OF these es-
ADJUSTMENTS are in the manufacture
ing line. some are in the Wholesale
ceailnS line and some are in the retail
llne. dozen or more of such estab-
ilshments stand out in the half CEN
fury line, but doubt If there is moro
than one that has been here and been /.
going right along from small begin
nings TO mammoth proportions for SO
long time rs fifty six years. and still
is conducted by the men who started
with the small beginnings so long ago.
In this respect the Cohen Company.
incorporated, the people who conduct
great dry goods retail store and
department. storo on Broad Street,
stand out in bold relief. and the his
tory Of this strictly Richmond estab-
lishment. is unique.
Thousands of people who go out
shopping every day In the year think
they know all about the Cohens, for
4
something new about these men, and
what they have to sell, and they go
to the big store and buy to their sat
isfaction and profit. and then go home
and think they know all about the
Cohens. Maybe l can tell them some
thing about this great concern that
they never heard of before.
Fifty-six Years Old.
Last Wednesday marked the close
OF the hfty-siNth year Of the house OF
Cohen. and Thursday, the first day
oil the new year, was the beginning Of
n real new year for this up-to date
establishment. The anniversary found
Inc originators and founders OF the
business still active and as busy as
TWO young bees. although the two ac-
knowledged to be somewhat in advance
oil the seventy mark in the matter OF
age.
In 1857, about the first OF the wear.
Isaac and Samuel Cohen, brothers and
young hustlcrs, opened small dry
goods store on Broad Street. away long
down about Fifth or Sixth, and they
opened up with small stock of goods
and in very inferior quarters. but with 4
motto which suggested that they
would deal In nothing but the best; the
best for themselves and for their trade.
1T would take several columns to
trace the intensely interesting history
OF these two Cohens. rs they grew by
degrees until the breaking out of the
Civil War and how they lodged tho
bullets and how they did lend their
help to the country in those trying
times and how they ran the blockade
and kept up dry goods store for
Richmond and furnished things for the
army and for the hospitals and all that
kind OF thing.
After the wnr.
1t would also be very interesting to
the average reader to know how tho
Cohens got on their feet again after
the war and were the first folks to
open sure enough dry goods store
in the late capital of the Confederacy
after the crash and the smash OF things
in 1865. but the lack Of space forbids.
1t il sufficient to say that among the
first people who were able to resume
business on ash heaps In the awful
spring OF 1866 were Isaac and Sam
Cohen. They resumed the old business
they had established before under the
name of Cohen Brothers. and under
this firm name they continued 1t for
years. growing as Richmond grew and
charging az the demands of Rich
mond and Virginia called for enlarge
ment, and thus the house of CohCn has
kept up to this good day. and on the
occasion OF the celebration OF the be-
ginning OF the flfty-seventh year OF
continued prosperity the two brothers
who originated the business and the
young men who have come along to
help in its twentieth century devel.
opment had much to be thankful for.
and with bowed heads they accepted
the congratulations Of their Slousands
of friends who greeted them, many In
person and many by letter and by post
cards.
The Old and New Firm.
The nrm continued business under
the original namo OF Cohen Brothers
until q few years ago, when the sons
of Samuel Cohen were taken iii as
partners or stockholders, and then the
organized. The officers OF tho cons
pany are Isaac Cohen president: Sam
uel Cohen ce-president. and Leroy
Cohen. secretary and treasurer: Max
Cohen, general manager. These of
ncers with George A. Mortland, adver-
Using manager. and James n. Cohen
made up tho board of directors.
Just how this Cohen establishments
grew from the small retail dry goods
store, taking up but half OF q small
room. to n great dry goods. general
furnishing and general department
store. covering rnore than half block.
and iilling 1--WE floors. need not be ex-
planned. except in the torse languages I.
of the venerable Sam Cohen. He said:
We were here to meet the wants and K
the demands of tho people: we met g
them. and we have grown only as those q
wants and demands called for growth.1 &
That was rather modest way OF !;
Putei'iS ~, pHt SAaSA SoHViiS
very modest men, and they claim no b
glory except that which comes In the 8
proper way. Originally. the Conen &
stores were simply dry goods en-.
porlum. but In time tie demands Is {
the people called for other things, and "a:
the house became a department. stora.
but has always, and always will, main-
tain It's reputation as q distinctiysfy
dry goods establishment, "
Many Well Filled EToors. III Y
1t would take several columns Ia M