WSJHS: Jewish Businesses Exhibit and Celebration

I talk about "Who’s Minding The Store?" everywhere I go. And, I haven’t gone anywhere in the last 8 months where someone didn’t say, "You know, my grandfather had a men’s clothing store in Tacoma, or "My father and his brothers worked at the family grocery store in Greenwood," or "You need to talk to my

grandmother – she remembers hearing from her mother who, at age 12, was the ’runner’ for the grocery store that was in their living room."

I couldn’t have imagined how excited people would be to tell their stories. And we have 150 of them from around the state! We tell of businesses from Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Spokane, Elma, Walla Walla, Bellingham, Toppenish, Aberdeen and more. Families met to write their stories together. Sisters had coffee to sort through their photographs. And now we know the words to the advertising jingle for the Bi-Rite drug store in Toppenish, as well as the secret behind their famous special ointment!

As the stories poured in, the threads of the tapestry that is the history of the Jews in Washington State began to weave together. The store that one family lost during the Depression was purchased by another Seattle family. Ben Bridge worked at Schwabacher’s in the tobacco and candy department. A family business in Toppenish led a friend to a long lost Chicago cousin, whose family also had a business in Toppenish.

It’s the little details that make the history come alive. Sol Amon, who joined his father Jack, in the Pike Place market, is now known as the "Cod Father." Ralph Mackoff, who had men’s wear stores in Spokane, was known as "2 pants Ralph." Morris Rosen, who became the founder of Alaskan Copper Works, worked on the construction of the Panama Canal, earning 68 cents an hour. Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones shopped at Myers Music. When Bert and Sid Thal bought Fox’s Gem Shop in 1948, they couldn’t afford to change the name on the store, and that’s why it’s still Fox’s and not Thal’s. Jack Richlen learned how to pickle meats while working as a clean up boy at McIntosh’s meat market. It was Johnny Cohn’s job, as a 12 year old, to walk down the line of hanging chickens and chop off their heads.

Join us on Sunday, June 7th at Congregation Ezra Bessaroth any time from 11am to 4pm. Brunch will be served all day. Come, fill your plate and browse through the story boards filled with photos and stories that, together, paint a picture of our relatives and friends who came to Washington State to start new lives and support their families.

We are creating a wonderful Tribute Book to honor and remember the event. The funds we raise from the Tribute Book will support the important work of the Washington State Jewish Historical Society. Tributes and "ads" run from $100 to $2500.

Cindy and Bob Masin are hosting a Patron Preview for those who contribute $1000 or more. The preview will be Sunday, May 31st from 10:30 am to noon at the Pioneer Square location of Masins Furniture – a 4-generation family business in an historic building that has its own fascinating story. There will be a lovely brunch with an opportunity to take a sneak peak at some of the stories collected for the "Who’s Minding the Store?" exhibit on June 7th.

If you have questions or want to make a reservation for the event on June 7th or the Patron Preview on May 31st, please call The Washington State Historical Society at 206-774-2277 or go to reservations@wsjhs.org.