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Fashion Bar (Denver, Colo.)

 Organization

Biography

Siblings Hannah, Jack and Edward Levy immigrated to America in the 1920s. Jack Levy came to America in 1923, headed to Denver, and began working at his uncle's business, Hilb and Company. Edward Levy reached Denver in 1925 and also started working for Hilb and Company, eventually becoming the president. After working in New York City for 20 months at menial jobs, Hannah moved to Denver in the fall of 1927. Jack started as a traveling salesman for the Hilb company and Hannah as a shop-girl at Neusteters Department store, before Jack opened a hosiery store, which evolved into the Fashion Bar Corporation. Despite the Great Depression, the enterprise flourished, and within three years, Fashion Bar grew to five clothing stores. William Weil, a distant cousin, became a salesman for the company, and in 1968, he became president of the company. By the 1980s, Fashion Bar employed over 1700 people in over 84 specialty clothing stores. Fashion Bar became the largest privately owned chain in Colorado. Hannah and Jack Levy remained involved in the business until their deaths. The Fashion Bar Company was sold in 1992. Hannah and Jack Levy remained involved in the business until their deaths. The Fashion Bar Company was sold in 1992.

Sources: https://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entry.php?rec=268 (article by Jeanne Abrams (2016). Tales of a Little Trunk by Hannah Shwayder Berry. Obituaries.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Oral History Interview with Siblings Hannah and Jack Levy, 1983 October 18

 Item
Identifier: B098.01.0005.00116
Abstract "Siblings Jack and Hannah Levy discuss the Levy family history, how they started the retail store, Fashion Bar, and the development of their stores. They also talk about the fashion business. Siblings Hannah and Jack Levy were born in Haigerloch, Germany. Jack Levy immigrated to the United States arriving in Denver, Colorado in 1923 at the age of 14. Hannah Levy immigrated to the United States, arriving in New York in 1926 at the age of 20. She lived on her own in New York for nearly two...
Dates: 1983 October 18

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