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Levy, Hannah, 1905-1984

 Person

Biography

Hannah Levy became a nationally known fashion expert, traveling extensively to New York, Europe, and Asia to buy clothes for Fashion Bar, which was started by her brother Jack in 1933. Fashion Bar became the largest privately owned chain in Colorado. Hannah was born in the town of Haigerloch, near Stuttgart in Southern Germany, on May 19, 1918, to Raphael and Bertha Hilb Levy. Hannah's uncle, Isidore Hilb, came to Denver in the early 1900s and founded Hilb and Company, a wholesale clothing supply business. Jack Levy came to Denver in 1923 to work at his uncle's company as a salesman. Hannah Levy reached New York in 1925, working at menial jobs for 20 months to earn enough money for a train ticket to Denver. She worked as a cleaner, a nanny, a manicurist, and a delicatessen worker. Hannah Levy supported many Jewish, civic, and cultural causes, including Temple Emanuel, Rose Hospital, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the Denver Symphony, Jewish Community Center, and the University of Denver's Holocaust Awareness Institute.After a 50-year career at Fashion Bar, Hannah Levy died December 1, 1984.

Citation

Not found in LCNAF or VIAF. mmata 2016-10-26

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 2 Collections and/or Records:

Fashion Bar and Levy Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: B097
Abstract 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...
Dates: 1938-1993; Coverage: 1900-1993

Levy Family Portrait, circa 1929

 Item
Identifier: B063.05.0005.00023
Abstract

Bertha and Raphael Levy stand in the center, surrounded by their children. Jack and Hannah stand to Bertha's right, and Edward Levy is to Raphael's left. Kate and Ruth Levy are sitting in the grass. This photograph was taken in Denver, Colorado. Hannah and Jack Levy were the founders of the Fashion Bar retail women's clothing stores throughout Colorado.

Dates: circa 1929

Filtered By

  • Subject: Clothing trade X

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Type
Archival Object 1
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Subject
Businesspeople 1
Colorado 1
Department stores 1
Immigrants 1
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