B. Forman Co.

Benjamin Forman, founder of B. Forman Co., was born August 29, 1874. His passport application of 1921 lists his birthplace as "Lemburg, Austria" and his father as Abraham Forman. His birthplace is likely Lviv, now located in the western part of Ukraine but, in the 19th century, in the Austrian Empire. Various United States Census reports list his native language as Yiddish. His 1921 passport application lists him as having immigrated to the United States October 10, 1891.^[1][2][3][4]

According to a Democrat and Chronicle story in 2016, Forman moved from New York to Philadelphia, Ithaca and Syracuse before arriving in Rochester in 1902.^[5] Forman does not appear in the Rochester City Directory until 1904.

Vienna Tailors, described as "mammoth ladies' tailoring establishment" at 255 E. Main Street, Rochester, by the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper in 1902, had been founded by A. Edelberg who, upon retirement, turned the business over to Noah Kahn.^[6][7]

Benjamin Foreman was associated with the tailor shop at 255 East Main Street, Rochester, by 1903. An advertisement for "The Vienna Tailors" listed the proprietors as Lessen, Foreman, and Rocker.^[8] The same advertisement warned: "Do not confound us with the persons who formerly ran a business here under our name. Don't be deceived, there is but one place of our name in each city, and that is conducted by the undersigned who guarantee satisfaction or no sale." The 1903 Rochester City Directory lists the partners as M. Lessen, B. Forman and I. Rocker; Max Lessen is listed as living in Syracuse and Isadore Rocker as living in Ithaca.^[9]

This tailor shop was renamed B. Forman a year later.^[10] He moved his shop, "B. Forman's, Ladies' Tailor", to the second floor of 42 North Clinton Avenue April 1, 1906, next to the new Sibley, Lindsay & Curr department store.^[11][12]

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

Mr. Forman opened a new ready-to-wear store at 50 South Clinton Avenue in 1911.^[13] A store advertisement claimed that "every garment will be properly fitted by Mr. Forman personally. The same supervision that is exercised in the made-to-measure department will also be exercised in the ready-to-wear department."^[14] Later that year, Foreman purchased a building lot next door (46 South Clinton Street) and announced plans to construct a three-story retail store, 38 feet fronting Clinton, and extending back to Cortland Street, 197 feet deep.^[15] The new store, now called "B. Forman Co." opened August 22, 1912.^[16] The South Clinton block was, until then, primarily lined with residential houses.^[17][18]

Benjamin Forman's first wife, Dorah, died in December 1915.^[19] He married his second wife, Raye Greenberg, two years later.^[20] They moved from 15 Harper Street to 224 Edgerton Street that same year.^[21] Raye Foreman died March 20, 1944.^[22] When he died, Benjamin Forman was survived by a third wife, Belle Friedman Forman.^[23]

Saks & Co. and Gimbel Brothers of New York City attempted, unsuccessfully, to entice Forman to come to New York in a management role in 1923.^[24]

B. Forman Co. was a founding member of a trade association, the retail Research Association. Other members included Abraham & Straus of Brooklyn, L. S. Ayers of Indianapolis, L. Bamberger of Newark; Filene's of Boston, Joseph Horne Co. of Pittsburgh, Hudson Company of Detroit, Hutzler Brothers of Baltimore, Rike-Kumler Company of Dayton, Strawbridge & Clothier of Philadelphia, and Wm. Taylor Sons of Cleveland.^[23][25]

In 1925, Benjamin Forman opened "Camp Forman", a 22-acre vacation and recreation center for employees of the company, in Pultneyville, New York.^[26] The property became the first public park of Wayne County, New York, in 1955.^[27]

There was a major expansion of the store in 1925, including a six-story office tower in the back end of the store.^[23][28]

B. Forman expanded the South Clinton store again in 1941, taking over half of the lot to the north that was the previous location of the Lyceum Theater. This expansion increased the sales area by 40%. The Clinton Avenue frontage of the store was remade in limestone, to harmonize the new and old frontage.^[29][30]

The store expanded again ten years later, taking over the other half of the old Lyceum lot. The store then fronted 200 feet on Clinton Avenue. The store featured some 50 individual 'shops', with separate buyers, each with a different theme. There were twelve separate 'shops' for dresses alone. The store was reported in the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper to be the largest woman's specialty store between New York City and Chicago, the first store in the country to install escalators, and the first in Rochester to be fully air conditioned.^[31]

Benjamin Forman died March 23, 1951, at his apartment in the Sheridan Hotel, 111 East Avenue.^[23]

Edward Forman, Benjamin's oldest son, had taken over as President of the company in 1946. He was born in 1899, served in France during World War I, and joined the B. Forman staff in 1924. He died, unexpectedly, on a trip to New York City January 13, 1953.^[32] He was then succeeded as president by his brother, Maurice Forman. Another brother, attorney Frederick Forman, served as Treasurer.^[31] Leo Mans, a French immigrant, served as Display Director from 1917 to his death in 1955.^[33]

The store began expanding with branch locations in the 1950s. A children's clothing store was created at Monroe Avenue and Glen Ellen Way, in suburban Brighton and a 40,000 sq. ft. store was built at Culver Ridge Plaza, Irondequoit, New York^[28] The Irondequoit store opened March 5, 1957.^[34]

The most bold venture of the B. Forman Co. was the creation of an indoor shopping mall in Downtown Rochester. Announced in September 1958, this was a joint venture of B. Forman and McCurdy's Department Store. The rear of both downtown stores were near each other, off of Cortland Street. The Midtown Plaza project enclosed Courtland, creating a two-story indoor mall, with the two stores now facing each other inside the mall. Early tenants, in addition to B. Forman Co. and McCurdy's, included Wegmans, Lincoln Rochester Bank (now Chase Bank), the United States Postal Service and Trailways, as well as several national and local chain stores.^[35] The mall opened April 10, 1962.^[36]

B. Forman Co. announced two additional stores for suburban Rochester in early 1967, one at Pittsford Plaza, Pittsford, New York^[37] and the other at Long Ridge Plaza (now Greece Ridge) in Greece, NY^[38] The small Young World store on Monroe Avenue, Brighton, was closed and its retail operation moved to the new Pittsford Plaza store in 1968 ^[39] The Pittsford store opened March 5, 1968.^[40] The Greece store, in Long Ridge Mall (now Greece Ridge) did not open until September 15, 1971.^[41]