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Gilded Age Asheville: Jewish Business & Community

Jeremy Reece

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Immigrants to Foreign LandsJews who came to Asheville in the Gilded Age

(1880-1910) were mostly from Eastern European nations, such as Poland, Russia, Belarus, Hungary, and Ukraine, and came to escape oppression. This was a contrast to the Jews who came before the Gilded Age, who were mostly from Western Europe and came for business and economical reasons. Both types of Jews worked together in American towns, especially Asheville, where they would play a vital role to the city’s economy and business.

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Locations of BusinessMost Jewish businesses

were located on streets such as Patton Avenue, South Main St. (Biltmore Ave.), and nearby streets, making the area a near all-purpose business sector of Asheville. Usually Jewish merchants would sell goods to the middle class for attractive, cheap prices.

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Morris Meyers with his employees in the Palais Royal, 1910.

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Stores on Patton AvenuePatton Avenue was a

business as well as social hub, with businesses like Lubinsky starting as early as 1887 and cafés such as S&W becoming local meeting and eating places. Over 80 stores on Patton Ave. were Jewish-owned, and had fairly-priced items for working families.4

The hubs, like S&W, had excellent food, were ideal meeting places for businessmen and their clients, and had movies for kids.

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What is S&W now?According to Asheville historian Ms. Brenda Seright Williams, the S&W closed down recently. She explained the history of Patton Avenue as well as a few ghost stories about the places located on it.5

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The Extravagant Bon MarchéMeaning “Good Market”,

Bon Marché was a department store on Patton & Lexington Avenues, brought by the Lipinsky family and owned for three generations, starting in 1911 with Solomon Lipinsky on Patton Ave. In the Gilded Age, their fame came not only from their high-quality, clearly marked items, but also Asheville’s 1st public elevator.6 Bon Marché in its early

years on Patton Ave. & Lexington Ave.

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The Mom & Pop StoresJewish business usually

ran in the families, where when the father retired, the mother or son took over. All family members would aid in the business, regardless of their role in the family. This is how families like the Lipinskys, Schanders, and Blombergs had such success in business, i.e. keeping the businesses family-owned.7

Louis and Clara Lipinsky, inheritors of the Lipinsky name after Solomon Lipinsky retired.

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Going Down Lexington AvenueKnown as Water St. until

1896, Lexington Ave. became the location of the Farmer’s Market in 1910, where farmers would sell their goods and buy from stores clothing, shoes, and dry goods they couldn’t make on their farms. Max Rosen (one such store owner) provided produce and poultry at various places on Lexington Avenue.8

Louis Resnikoff (left) with two customers; he was a prominent figure in Lexington Avenue’s success.

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Blomberg FamilyThe Blombergs

began in 1890 with the Model Cigar Store, The Racket Store, Blombergs Sporting Goods, and the Strand movie theater. These were at various locations on Patton, Lexington and Biltmore Avenues.9

Aaron Blomberg, original owner of the Model Cigar Store and many other Blomberg businesses.

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Michalove Family: The IXL storeThe Michalove family

sold china, glassware, and queensware (stone). The name came from a raffle for a set of dishes, in which the sender put in what they thought would be a good name for the store. Solomon Michalove heartily accepted IXL (I excel).10

The IXL store, pictured right, in the 1920s, located on Haywood Street.

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Congregation Beth HaTephila (The House of Prayer)Religion was just as

important to Asheville’s Jews in the Gilded Age as was the family business. Founded in 1891, the Beth HaTephila congregation created not only a place for people to congregate, but also to get more involved in the community. They purchased their first temple building in 1894.11

The Beth HaTephila Altar.

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Congregation SplittingIn 1899, several families

left Beth HaTephila and founded a conservative congregation called Bikur Cholim. In 1951 members changed its name to Beth Israel. Despite being separated into two congregations, the Jewish community still held the family bonds that tied them together before the split.12

A banner from Beth Israel’s website showing their current building.

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YMHAIn 1915, the Asheville

Branch of the YMHA was founded, helping boys in the community to become faithful Jews. Common events included debates, readings, and all meetings opened with a prayer and music.13

Flyer for the New York City YMHA’s 1879 Chanucka (Hannukah) celebration.

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In Summary…Downtown Asheville prospered because of so many Jewish

businesses and unity in the community.Jewish businesses varied widely, from groceries to

department stores to shoes and toys, giving plenty of variety and income to Downtown Asheville.

Jewish business people served as a connection between the local community and the large numbers of visitors to Asheville from places like New York and Chicago, providing these (often rich) visitors with the products to which they were accustomed and enriching the local community.

The Jewish community in Asheville was very tightly knit, helping one another and forming bonds not only in business, but socially, culturally and spiritually, as seen in the Beth HaTephila and Beth Israel congregations and the YMHA.

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End Notes1. Weiner, Deborah R. Coalfield Jews: An Appalachian History. Urbana: U. of Illinois Press, 2006. Print.2. Rogoff, Leonard. Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2010. Print.3. Schochet, Jan. The Family Store: A History of Jewish Businesses in Downtown Asheville, 1880-1990.

Asheville, NC: History@Hand Publications, 2008. Print.4. Schochet.5. Williams, Brenda Seright . Herstory Tour of Downtown Asheville, NC. March 2, 2011. Oral presentation.6. Schochet.7. Schochet.8. Schochet.9. Schochet.10. Schochet.11. Beth HaTephila Congregation Collection. UNC Asheville D. L. Ramsey Library Special Collections. Print

and Online. 12. “Beth Israel History.” The Congregation Beth Israel Website. 2011. Web. 8 March 2011.

www.bethisraelnc.org/index.php?submenu=OurCommunity&src=gendocs&ref=History&category=OurCommunity. Also, based on remarks of Helen Wykle, archivist at UNC Asheville’s Special Collections.

13. Beth HaTephila Congregation Collection.

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Picture Credits Slide 1: WNC Heritage. <http://www.heritagewnc.org/> Slide 3: The Family Store, S. Main St. <

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/web_exhibits/family_store/jpg_panels_jewish_businesses/3SMain_mod.jpg> Slide 4: The Family Store, Patton Avenue. <

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/web_exhibits/family_store/jpg_panels_jewish_businesses/Patton_mod.jpg> Slide 5: Gilded Asheville Miniterm Blog. <http://gildedasheville.blogspot.com/> Slides 6 and 7: The Family Store, Bon Marché. <

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/web_exhibits/family_store/jpg_panels_jewish_businesses/BonMarche_mod.jpg Slide 8: The Family Store, Lexington Avenue. <

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/web_exhibits/family_store/jpg_panels_jewish_businesses/Lex.Ave_mod.jpg Slide 9: The Family Store, Harry Blomberg. <

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/web_exhibits/family_store/jpg_panels_jewish_businesses/HBlomberg_mod.jpg> Slide 10: The Family Store, Haywood Street. <

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/web_exhibits/family_store/jpg_panels_jewish_businesses/Haywood%20St_mod.jpg> Slide 11 : Asheville Library Archives. Beth HaTephila Congregation Collection Photo. <

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/mss/beth_ha/default_beth_ha_tephila.html> Slide 12: Beth Israel Banner http://www.yelp.com/biz/congregation-beth-israel-asheville Slide 13: American Public Media, YMHA Chanucka Ad. <

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2008/hanukkah/ymha-ad.shtml>