Freedlander's

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Freedlander's logo.JPG
About
Name
  • Freedlander's
Retail
  • Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores
Retail
  • General Merchandise Stores
Trading names
  • H. Freedlander Company, D. L. Freedlander One Price Clothier, Buffalo Clothing House, Buffalo One Price Clothing House,
Services
  • Clothing Store, Department Store
Facts
Founded
  • 1884
    Wooster,Ohio
Dissolved
  • February 28,2009
Key Persons
Founders
Owners
Location
  • Old Numbering
    • 9-11 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio 9 & 11
      1908–1908
    • 119-131 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio
      1952–1952
    • 125-127 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio
      1912–1925
    • 119-141 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio 1983 and 1997 the City directory lists 125 W. Liberty St.
      1964–1997
    • 125-131 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio
      1928–1937
    • 119-133 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio
      1948–1949
  • New Numbering
    • 125 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio
      1912–1913
    • 119-125 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio
      1954–1960
  • Old Numbering
    • 9 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio
      1900–1904
  • Old Numbering
    • W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio City directory did not list an address
      1909–1910
    • 119-139 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio
      1962–1962
    • 119-131 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio
      1939–1947
  • Old Numbering
    • 8 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio 8 & 9
      1894–1895

Freedlanders-1948-Storefront.jpg

Freedlander's storefront in the Jacob Frick Memorial Block building.

Freedlander's Department Store has been a historical icon in downtown Wooster, Ohio since 1884. It was founded by David Louis Freedlander, a East Prussian immigrant to Wooster. He borrowed enough money to start a store selling work clothes. The store was originally called the Buffalo One Price Clothing House and was located in Germania Hall on South Market St. David Freedlander died in 1898, and his son, Herman Freedlander, took over at the age of 17. Over time, the store evolved into a department store, expanding from 1,800 square feet to 41,000 square feet on four floors. People from all over came to Freedlanders for Dollar Days. In addition, Toyland was loved by children throughout the county.

Herman Freedlander passed away in 1974. His son, Harold Freedlander, continued operating the business until 1989. In 1983, it was reported to be one of the last one-family stores in the United States[1]. In February 2009, the business closed its doors for good. The building was razed eight months later.

Freedlander's was an independent department store that belong to the Arkwright Buying Group in Midtown Manhattan. This buying office was the largest group serving independent department stores in the world. [2]

  • Pneumatic tubes, known as the Lamson maker, William Stickney Lamson, patented by David Brown. Lamson created the Lamson Cash Carrier Company
  • Freedlander's added Lamson's pneumatic tubes in 1946. (No. 1-28), prior to that they used wire baskets and cups. Money was placed in a leather cup with a lid, which was put in a wire basket. The basket would travel from the department to the office and back to the proper department.
Freedlanders pic.jpg

Discover the history of the building and land.

Page 3 of Dalton Gazette,published in Dalton, Ohio on Thursday, July 20th, 1967.jpeg

Find out about the successful dollar days at Freedlander's.

Herman Freedlander office.png

Find out more about the Freedlander family.

Documents.png

View Freedlander's historical documents.

Toyland partial view.png

The Freedlander department store covered a basement and 3 more floors.

Gallery covpic.png

Discover logos, letterheads, maps, ads, and photos.

Timeline Cover Title.png

View Freedlander's timeline.

Slogans

  • 1901 - "The People's Clothier" [3]
  • 1901 - "One Price to All" [4]
  • 1918 - "Quality First" - Freedlander's first slogan
  • "Satisfaction since 1885", and are pleased that we can tell the world" Wooster has good Stores" [5]
  • "It Pays to Buy Quality"

Sales

Anniversary Celebration / Cake Days

Prior to the 1930s, the store celebrated its October anniversary by handing out individually wrapped pieces of cake. In the later years, entire cakes were given to lucky winners. The winners were not chosen based upon.

Christmas Catalog

The annual Christmas Catalog was a big draw. It was up to Weldon Lehman to make certain that ads were posted and mailed to every customer with a charge account so they'd receive them in plenty of time.

Further reading

  • Gone But Not Forgotten: a Freedlander Legacy by Ann Freedlander Hunt. Minneaspolis, MN: Two Harbors Press, 2010. LOCAL AUTHOR B HUNT, ANN FREEDLANDER

External sites

  1. The Daily Record, April 28, 1983, p. 10
  2. Ann Freedlander Hunt. "Gone But Not Forgotten: A Freedlander Legacy", Two Harbors, 2012, p. 82.
  3. Wooster High School annual. 1901. Wooster, Ohio
  4. Wooster High School annual. 1901. Wooster, Ohio
  5. Ann Freedlander Hunt. "Gone But Not Forgotten: A Freedlander Legacy", Two Harbors, 2012, p. 90.