Ohrbach's Can Cooler

$9.99

GhostCorp Apparel - resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Keep a favorite beverage close while remembering Ohrbach's, the department-store name that began on Union Square in 1923. The retailer built its reputation on moderate-priced apparel and volume sales, later expanding from its New York roots to California and New Jersey. Its story captures the growth of postwar shopping and the changing fortunes of city and suburban stores. This can cooler makes a fitting addition to casual gatherings or a collection focused on the history of familiar American retailers.

Ohrbach's began on October 4, 1923, when Nathan M. Ohrbach and dress manufacturer Max Wiesen opened a store in a fire-damaged New York City building on Union Square. After a dispute, Ohrbach opened a nearby second store and bought Wiesen's interest in 1928. The moderate-priced retailer emphasized clothing and accessories, including ready-to-wear sold in volume, and later added men's and children's goods. In 1954, its flagship moved to West 34th Street, across from the Empire State Building. The company expanded after World War II, opening California buying offices and stores, including a Miracle Mile location in 1948 and branches in downtown Los Angeles, La Mirada, Panorama City, Cerritos, and Glendale. In 1962, Netherlands-based C.&A. Brenninkmeyer acquired an interest and eventually took full control; Nathan Ohrbach retired in 1965. The chain later came under holding company Amcena. In June 1986, Amcena acquired Howland-Steinbach and announced Ohrbach's closure. The remaining New York and New Jersey stores closed in January 1987 and reopened under the Steinbach name two months later.