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We are Entrepreneurs

We are…Entrepreneurs

For more than two hundred years, Jews have helped transform the state’s economy as peddlers, storekeepers, and industrialists, producing everything from flannel to Christmas tree ornaments, Gunk to office furniture, ginseng to underwear. Brand names established by North Carolina Jews include Family Dollar Stores, Heilig & Meyers Furniture, Brody Department Stores, Pic ‘n’ Pay Shoes, and Tanger Outlet Malls.

 

“Push, pluck, and perseverance.”

Samuel Wittkowsky, Charlotte

 

Entrepreneurs Gallery

Click the thumbnails below to view a slideshow of Jewish Entrepreneurs in North Carolina.

Jerry Levin, CEO, Lebo's store, Charlotte, n.d., Courtesy Jerry Levin
Herman Blumenthal, Chairman, Radiator Specialty Company, Charlotte, n.d., Courtesy Blumenthal Foundation
Lindy Store, Charlotte, n.d., Courtesy Al Rogat
Charlotte Pawn & Loan Company, Charlotte, c. 1910, Courtesy Charlotte Jewish Historical Society
Heilig Meyers Store, Goldsboro, n.d., Courtesy Amy Meyers Krumbin
Schiff Store, Charlotte, n.d., Courtesy Linda Bresler
Oettinger's Store, Wilson, 1878, Courtesy Robert J. Boykin III
Bon Marche Department Store, Asheville, n.d., Courtesy D. H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville
Mann's Ladies Shop, Whiteville, n.d., Courtesy Jackie Steinberg
Max Samet Furniture Store, High Point, c. 1915, Courtesy Samet Family; Left to Right: Uncle Jake, Celia (Mom), Jacke, Alex, Robert,  Max (Pop), Bessie (10?)
Lebovitz Store, Gastonia, n.d., Courtesy Jerry Levin
Louis Kittner Store, Weldon, n.d., Courtesy Sam Kittner
H. Stadiem Clothing Store, Kinston, 1920, Photo by Dixon Studio, Courtesy Stadiem Family
Gordon Scrapyard, Statesville, n.d., Courtesy Saul and Kalman Gordon
The Hub, Rockingham, n.d., Courtesy Sandra and Leon Levine Foundation
Finklestein Pawn Shop, Asheville, n.d., Courtesy D.H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville
Family Dollar Store, n.d., Courtesy Sandra and Leon Levine Foundation
Wittkowsky Store, Charlotte, n.d., Courtesy Charlotte jewish Historical Society
Barker Store, Wilson, n.d., Courtesy Dennis Barker
Charlotte Pawn & Loan Company, Charlotte, c. 1910
Charlotte Pawn & Loan Company, Charlotte, c. 1910, Courtesy Charlotte Jewish Historical Society