News Brief

In the horse-car days Isaac Strouss and Bernard Hirshberg of this city were struggling with a little one-room store here. Today their business has succeeded and has been enlarged a hundredfold.

Fifty-nine years ago this week when Youngstown had only a 7,000 population and a four-mile-long horse car, the two young Jewish boys opened their store. But the real history of their successful business goes back even before that, to around 1840, when Youngstown was emerging from a crossroad village and few pioneers had business establishments on the main street.

Strouss was working at his first job, as a clerk and later as manager, for David Theobald, one of the city’s first merchants. The store was called the “Little Woolen Store.” Hirshberg was employed in the D. Theobald & Company clothing store. David Theobald owned an interest in both establishments. He suggested that Mr. Strouss and Mr. Hirshberg go into a partnership and purchase the woolen store. Both boys accepted the suggestion and opened the store April 9, 1875.

For two years their little business thrived. It thrived enough to enlarge their establishment to the first floor of a larger building on West Federal street. The second floor was occupied by offices and the third floor was a dance hall. But it was not long before all the floors were held by the Strouss-Hirshberg company.

In 1906 an addition was made to the rear and in 1912 a six-story Commerce street building was begun. A few years later another building was added. In April, 1926, work was begun on the new building which was completed in November of the same year.

The company remained in partnership until it was incorporated in 1906 as a stock company. The stock was held closely for eleven years until employees were invited to join.

The store was one of the first to adopt modern business methods and business equipment.

C. J. Strouss, son of the founder is now the president and general manager.