38-40 E. 30th St. near Madison Ave.(2004)

An extended stack of signs on this loft building on E. 30th St, among which:

M. Kashowitz was Morris Kashowitz (48 years old in the 1930 US Census, born Russia, immigrated 1906). Actually, M. Kashowitz, Cloaks seems to have been in business at 54 E. 11th St. in 1905. What looks like 1906 for year of immigration in the Census may be 1900, or whatever... Anyway, M. Kashowitz moved from E. 11th to W. 19th St., then 303 5th Ave. before landing at 38 E. 30th St. in 1916. The last listing for the business at this address was in 1923. Meanwhile, Kashowitz had become involved with two additional companies, the Kay Dress Co. (from around 1919 to 1924) and K & S Coat Co. (from around 1921 to 1933) where Kashowitz's daughter Sylvia Kashowitz (1908-1988) was president in the early 1930s. The S in K & S Coats was Rose and Charles Salzman. M. Kashowitz, Cloaks & Suits was last listed in the Manhattan telephone directory in 1925.

This ad for Morris Kashowitz appeared in The American Cloak & Suit Review, Jan. 1914, when the company was located at 303-305 5th Ave.

This ad for Morris Kashowitz appeared three years later, Nov. 1917, when the company had moved to 38-40 E. 30th St.

Kane & Cohen were Harry J. Kane (30 in 1920, born Poland, immigrated 1897) and Max Cohen (45 in 1920, born Russia, immigrated 1878). Joseph Altenberg (55 in 1920, born Poland, immigrated 1891), Harry Kane's father-in-law, was a vice-president of Kane & Cohen in 1917 when the business was located at 155 W. 30th St. They were located at 38 E. 30th St. from 1918 to 1920. In 1920 the business became Harry J. Kane, Dresses at the same address.

I. Grossman & Son, Suits & Coats were located at 38 E. 30th St. from 1916 to 1923. Isidor Grossman (1866/67-1946) appears in the 1910 US Census living at 247 W. 139th St., age 43, born Hungary, immigrated 1887. (Isidor was spelled "Isidore" in the 1930 US Census and in death notices that appeared in the NY Times, April, 1946.) His son Edward, 17, was living with him and listed his occupation as "Bookkeeper, Cloaks & Suits." This father-son combination appears as clothing manufacturers from 1911 to 1933. The company specialized in women's, misses' and children's ready-to-wear apparel. This ad for I. Grossman & Son appeared in the American Cloak & Suit Review, Jan. 1919. The business survived until the late 1940s.

This ad for I. Grossman & Son appeared in 1926, when the company had moved to 237 W. 35th St.

The first listing in Polk's New York City Directory for J. Hensel Co. in 1916 gives Julia H. Warwick as owner/pres., but I have not been able to trace her before her marriage to David Branch Warwick (1883-?). David Warwick registered for the World War I draft as "Salesman J. Hensel Co. 38 East 30th St." Julia Warwick was Julia Helen Warwick, so the connection with Hensel is unclear, although she was quite possibly Julia Helen Hensel before marriage. The company made ladies' dresses from 1915 to 1921, and was located at 38 E. 30th St. between 1916 and 1920.

D. Bloomberg & Co. arrived at 38 E. 30th St. in 1915 and left ten years later. (Click for "Buyers' Wants" ad from 1920.) David Bloomberg (40 years old in 1910, born Russia, immigrated 1882) had been in business with Aaron Goldstein, Bloomberg & Goldstein, suit manufacturers, from around 1908. The partnership dissolved in 1915, Goldstein starting up as Aaron Goldstein & Co., Cloaks at 12 W. 27th St. Bloomberg brought his son, Jacob (Jack) Bloomberg into the business around 1920, but apparently only very briefly. D. Bloomberg & Co. stayed in business until the mid-1930s. This ad appeared in Fairchild's Women's Wear Directory, Spring 1918.

The Princess Shirt Waist Manufacturing Co. was a partnership between Morris Kantrowitz (1883?-1977) and Nathan Benowitz (1883-1972). Both men gave their age as 36 in the 1920 US Census, both were immigrants from Russia (Kantrowitz specifies that this was Vilna (Lithuania) in the 1930 US Census), and both immigrated around 1902 to 1904. They were in business from 1906 to 1926, and were located at 38 E. 30th St. from 1916 to 1921. This ad for Princess Shirt Waist Mfg. Co. dates from April 1920. This ad dates from March 1921 after they had moved to 258-260 Fifth Avenue. Earlier they were located at 38 W. 21st St. (Click for "Salesman Wanted" classified ad from 1910.)

In 1925 Women's Wear announced the new firm of Mae-Ruth Dress Co., consisting of Nathan Benowitz and Morris Kantrowitz. This ad from 1922 shows them already in business in 1922 at 258-260 Fifth Avenue. Women's Wear, 1 August 1924, carried an advertisement for Mae-Ruth Dress Co. / Princess Shirt Waist & Dress Co. / 258 5th Ave., N.Y. In 1925 Mae-Ruth / Princess Shirt Waist moved to 470 7th Ave. In 1927 an involuntary petition in backruptcy was filed against Mae-Ruth by its creditors.

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