Mahlon Haines
| Mahlon N. Haines | |
|---|---|
| Born |
John Morrison Haines March 5, 1875 Old Washington, Ohio |
| Died | October 31, 1962 (aged 87) York, Pennsylvania |
| Alma mater | Maryland Agricultural College |
| Known for | Shoe sales, philanthropy |
| Spouse(s) | June Brown Irwin (m. 1909; d. 1951); Grace Marianne Churchill (m. 1957–62) |
| Children | 3, with first wife |
Mahlon Nathaniel Haines (March 5, 1875 – October 31, 1962) was a well-known businessman and philanthropist in York, Pennsylvania. Haines arrived in York in 1905 where he became very successful at selling shoes. Referred to as the "Shoe Wizard", Haines shared his wealth with his community and employees. A local residential subdivision and adjacent road are named after him. He is most known for having built the Haines Shoe House in Hallam, which is readily visible from U.S. 30 east of York.
Haines was born in Old Washington, Ohio on March 5, 1875. His father died a few months later. His widowed mother, Elizabeth Ann Morrison Haines, changed his name to that of his father. The family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1882 and lived above a store she owned on 11th Street SE; it was there that Haines worked for much of his early life. The store's profits helped pay for his education and Haines enrolled at Maryland Agricultural College (now known as the University of Maryland) in 1892. That same year, his mother built a much larger department store in Washington, advertised as "the largest store in the world, built, owned and controlled by a woman".
Haines left college in 1894 to begin his adult life. After his mother denied his request to become a business partner, he went to California and was a sales representative for several clothing stores in the West. Becoming engaged, Haines moved to Ohio to get married. When the relationship was broken off, he began a bicycle trip back to Washington to get his old job back. Haines later summarized his status then as "single, penniless and alone".
Arriving in York, Pennsylvania in 1905 – the year he turned 30 – Haines initially rented a 3rd-floor apartment at 473 W. Market Street. After borrowing money to begin a business, he was bankrupt within two years. He then obtained a consignment of shoes for $127 from the local D.S. Peterman & Co. warehouse. With a combination of hard work and gimmickry, Haines became very successful in the shoe business. A particular gimmick for which he was known was his use of a customized Ford as a mobile retail store, which he would drive to the outer edges of town to show his products. By December 1917, Haines had saved enough to buy 199 acres (0.311 sq mi; 81 ha) of what became a 211-acre (1⁄3 sq mi; 85 1⁄3 ha) farm east of York in Springettsbury Township. Named Haines Acres, along what would later be named Haines Road, he built his home on the farm in 1922, the year he accumulated 30 stores. By 1931, Haines had the largest shoe store chain in the United States, and there were 50 Haines Shoe Co. stores across Pennsylvania and northern Maryland by 1935.
...
Wikipedia