Kuppenheimer
1921 advertisement
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|
| Industry | Clothing manufacturer & Retail |
|---|---|
| Fate | Purchased in 1997 by Men's Wearhouse. The remaining stores were closed and the remaining assets were liquidated. |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Headquarters |
Terre Haute, Indiana Chicago, Illinois Atlanta, Georgia |
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Key people
|
Bernard Kuppenheimer (founder) |
| Products | Fashion apparel |
| Parent |
Hartmarx Men's Wearhouse |
B. Kuppenheimer & Co., or simply Kuppenheimer, was a men's clothing manufacturing and retail operation based in Chicago, Illinois and later Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1852, Bernard Kuppenheimer, who immigrated to America in 1850, founded a retail clothing store in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1852. In 1863, Julius Kohn, Martin Clayburgh, and Morris Einstein founded Kohn, Clayburgh & Einstein at 27 Lake Street in Chicago. Only two years later, in 1865, Kohn retired and Bernard Kuppenheimer, who relocated to Chicago leaving the Terre Haute store under the supervision of his brother John, and David Lindauer became members. Clayburgh, Einstein, Kuppenheimer, and Lindauer continued to operate the company without changing the name. They operated out of the Lake Street location until the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, when their building was burnt to the ground and they suffered losses totaling $200,000 (equivalent to $3,998,000 in 2016). After rebuilding, they resumed business and in July 1872, moved to the corner of Randolph Street and Wabash Avenue where they remained until the fall of 1876.
In 1876, the business was dissolved and Kuppenheimer formed the B. Kuppenheimer & Co. The new company was composed of him, his son Jonas Kuppenheimer, and Samuel Nathan. The remaining members of the Kohn, Claybugh & Einstein reorganized as Einstein, Longini & Co. B. Kuppenheimer & Co. started in business on Wabash Avenue and stayed there until 1880.
In January 1880, Kuppenheimer & Co. moved to Madison Street and Louis B. Kuppenheimer, the second son of Bernard Kuppenheimer, was admitted as a partner. As of 1884, Kuppenheimer & Co had annual sales of nearly $1,000,000 (equivalent to $26,656,000 in 2016). In 1903, Kuppenheimer died and was buried at Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Chicago.
In 1906, the company operated "The House of Kuppenheimer" branches in Boston and New York, with sales in Washington, D.C. handled by Isidor Grosner of 1013 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. During the World War I, Kuppenheimer manufactured the uniforms for the U.S. Army. By 1910, the company employed close to 2,000 men and women at shops in and around Chicago.
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Wikipedia