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Gilded Age Asheville: Jewish Businesses

Made by Jeremy Reece

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

(1880-1920) were mostly from Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Russia, Belarus, Hungary, and Ukraine, and came to escape oppression from said E. Europe. This was a contrast to the Jews who came pre-Gilded Age, mostly from Western Europe and came for more business and economical reasons. Both types of Jews worked together in American towns, especially Asheville, where they would be a vital point to the city’s economy and business.

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Locations of BusinessMost Jews 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 they would sell goods for the middle class with attractive, cheap prices.

2Morris Meyers with his employees of Palais Royal; 1910.

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Pop’s 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. The stores, over 80 of which were Jewish-owned, had fairly-priced items for working families.

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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?Ms. Brenda Williams took us on a tour of downtown Asheville on Wednesday, March 2. S&W closed down recently, where we learned about the history of Patton Avenue as well as a few ghost stories about the places located on it.

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The Extravagantly Bon MarchéMeaning “Good Market”,

Bon Marché was a department store owned and by the Lipinsky family for three generations, starting in the 1911 by 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.

5Bon 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. The mother, like the father would be good in business, most getting supplies from New York, which was also the case for most of the sons as well. This is how families like the Lipinskys, Schanders, and Blombergs had such success in business, i.e. keeping the businesses family-owned.

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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) provided produce and poultry at various places on Lexington Avenue.

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Louis Resnikoff with two customers, Louis on the left; he was a prominent figure for Lexington’s success.

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Blomberg FamilyThe Blombergs

began in 1887 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 Avenue.

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Lewis Blomberg, in 1903 with most of his family, except Harry, his youngest child.

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Michalove Family: The IXL storeThe Michalove family

dealt with 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).

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

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Beth HaTephila: The SynagogueReligion was just as

important to Jews in the Gilded Age as the family business. Starting in 1893, the synagogue was not only a place for people to congregate, but also get more involved in the community. They received their first temple building in 1902.

The Beth HaTephila Altar.

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YMHAThe YMHA is the

Young Men’s Hebrew Association, starting after Beth HaTephila in 1915, helped the boys in the community in becoming faithful Jews. Common items were debates, readings, and all meetings opened with a prayer and music.

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Synagogue SplittingIn 1899, Beth

HaTephila split, founding the Beth Israel synagogue. Despite being separated into two synagogues, the Jewish community still held the family bonds that tied them together before the split.

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In Brief…The Jewish communities in Asheville were

very tightly knit, helping one another and forming bonds not only in business, but in faith in the Beth HaTephila.

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.

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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, N.C. : History@Hand Publications, 2008. Print.

4: Asheville Library Archives. Beth HaTephila Congregation Collection. Asheville: UNC Asheville Library, 2001-03-09. Online.

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Picture Locations Slide 4: The Family Store, S. Main St. <

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/web_exhibits/family_store/jpg_panels_jewish_businesses/3SMain_mod.jpg>

Slide 5: The Family Store, Patton Avenue. <http://toto.lib.unca.edu/web_exhibits/family_store/jpg_panels_jewish_businesses/Patton_mod.jpg>

Slide 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 and 12: Asheville Library Archives. Beth HaTephila Congregation Collection. Asheville: UNC Asheville Library, 2001-03-09. Online.

Slide 13: Beth Israel Banner http://www.yelp.com/biz/congregation-beth-israel-asheville