Harris & Frank

Harris & Frank was a clothing retailer and major chain in the history of retail in Southern California, which at its peak had around 40 stores across Southern California and in neighboring states and regions. Its history dates back to a clothing store founded by Leopold Harris in Los Angeles in 1856 near the city's central plaza, only eight years after the city had passed from Mexican to American control. Herman W. Frank joined Harris in partnership 32 years later in 1888.

Family
Leopold Harris originally Lewin Hirschkowitz, (c.1836–1910) was born into a Jewish household to parents whose names are quoted differently by two different sources. His own advertisement for his name change to Leopold Harris states his father's name as Feibisch and his mother's as Hannah. However, the Jewish Museum of the American West states his parents' names as Morris and Johanna and lists the following siblings who emigrated:
 * Stella who married Rudolph Anker of San Bernardino, who had a dry goods and clothing store there
 * Zara who married Maurice Diego Katz of San Bernardino
 * Emma who married Simon Goldsmith, who ran a country store in San Bernardino, and later a shoe store in Santa Ana
 * Herman and Philip who worked for Simon Goldsmith in Santa Ana, then opened their own clothing store there
 * Leo who established a country store in Lancaster, as well as a ranch and a freight business
 * Herman, Philip, and Arthur who with Leopold's help, founded the Harris Department Stores in San Bernardino in 1905.

In his name change advertisement, Leopold Harris mentioned his brother's Moritz, and his sister Rosa Sommerfeld, who had remained in or near Löbau (as of 1872).

Löbau, Prussia
Harris (Hirschkowitz) was born in the town of Löbau in the Province of Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, which in 1871 became part of a united Germany. In 1920 this part of Germany was ceded to the newly recreated country of Poland. In Polish, the town is now called Lubawa. The town was also the birthplace of prominent Los Angeles businessman Harris Newmark and of the Jacoby brothers, who also founded a major Los Angeles department store, Jacoby Bros.

Emigration to the U.S.
He arrived in the United States, in 1852 at the age of 16, spent time in Kentucky, then traveled via Nicaragua together with fellow Löbauer Harris Newmark, to California, arriving in October 1853 and establishing his store on the Los Angeles Plaza in 1856.

First business partnerships
Leopold Harris decided to enter business in the new Mormon colony of San Bernardino, California. He created the partnership Lewis & Harris there with Lewis Jacobs, which they dissolved in April 1862. He then spent some time outside the U.S., then returned to Los Angeles and founded the London Clothing Company.

He became a U.S. citizen in 1857. With Henry M. Cohn (or Cohen), Harris formed the business partnership Cohen & Harris to raise and graze sheep at San Gabriel, which they dissolved in 1860. In 1862, they partnered again and opened a kosher meat market. Harris also participated in a business partnership in San Francisco. In 1868 he married Minna Jastrowitz, sister of his business partner Benno Jastrowitz. In 1972, he officially changed his name from Lewin Hirschkowitz to Leopold Harris.

He died in 1910 on Long Island, New York on his way back to Los Angeles after falling ill on a trip to Europe.

Harris & Frank (1860s–1947)
Harris's first store, then called The London Clothing Co., was on the Los Angeles Plaza. Harris, alone and with partners, operated a succession of locations, each time further southwest from the Plaza, as the main shopping district moved in tandem.

By 1870, Harris joined Isaac, Nathan, Charles, Abraham, and Lessor Jacoby to buy out Herman W. Hellman's store, to form Harris & Jacoby, which was not only a forerunner of Harris & Frank but of Jacoby Bros., which would grow into a department store that would do business in Los Angeles through the 1930s. The Jacoby brothers also came from Löbau, Prussia.

From 1876 to 1882 the store operated as the Quincy Hall Clothing House, at 63 Main St., (pre-1890 numbering), in the Downey Block. (at the time, Commercial St. ran eastward from Main St. just north of Temple St.)

In January 1883, Harris entered into partnership with Benno Jastrowitz (born 1852, like Harris in Löbau, West Prussia), brother of his wife Minna Jastrowitz, as L. Harris & Co..

By February 1883, the Quincy House store had closed and the new L. Harris & Co. store was doing business on the south side of Temple Street in a building that stretched the short distance between Spring and New High streets: 129–131 Spring and 5-7-9 New High streets, in the pre-1890 numbering. This is currently the north end of the Los Angeles City Hall block.

In July 1886, Harris and Jastrowitz re-added the moniker London Clothing Co.

On June 4, 1888, Jastrowitz sold his part of the business partnership to Herman W. Frank (b. 1860, Walla Walla, Washington), who started as a clerk in Harris' store and married Harris' daughter Sarah. Thus, the business came to have the name it would bear for over a century: Harris & Frank.

By 1894, the store was at 119–125 N. Spring at the southwest corner of Franklin St.

By 1903, the store was under the management of Harris' son, Harry L. Harris, and his two sons-in-law, Herman W. Frank and M.C. Adler.

By 1905, the store moved further south to 337–341 S. Spring St., between Third and Fourth streets. For a few months operated concurrently with the Spring and Franklin store.

In 1907, the store moved just a block south to 447–443 S. Spring St., between Fourth and Fifth streets.

In 1925, Harris & Frank moved further south and west to 635–639 S. Hill St., one block west of Broadway, which had become the main shopping thoroughfare. The building now houses the Wholesale Jewelry Mart.

Brooks Clothing Co. (1922–1947)
The Brooks Clothing Company opened in 1922 in Los Angeles at 337–9 S. Spring St., Downtown Los Angeles, previously the main store of The Hub Clothing Co.. The company sold suits and overcoats at one price only, $25. The company quickly established a network of stores in the downtown areas of the surrounding towns in Southern California, such as Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Ana, as well as the San Francisco Bay Area, Stockton, and Fresno.

In 1935, Brooks Clothing moved its flagship store from 337–9 S. Spring to 644 S. Broadway, the former W. & J. Sloane flagship store. The seven-story building was redesigned and modernized by architect Harbin F. Hunter at a cost of $75,000 "in complete conformity with the modern school".

Harris & Frank (1947–1990s)
In 1947, Harris & Frank merged with Brooks Clothing Co., acquiring its flagship store at 644 S. Broadway and its 14 branches. "Harris & Frank" stores had operated in Downtown Los Angeles since 1888 but finally, 59 years later, there would be a network of "Harris & Frank" stores across Southern California and beyond. After the merger, Harris & Frank closed its pre-merger flagship store at 635

As of 1950, Harris & Frank had 15 branches. That year, it closed its pre-merger flagship store on Hill Street, which had was only a block west of the Broadway (former Brooks flagship) store. In the same year they opened a store in North Hollywood's downtown shopping district along Lankershim Blvd.,  and a few years later opened at Panorama City Shopping Center, five miles to the northwest.

In 1959, H. Daroff and Sons, makers of the Botany 500 line of men's clothing, bought Harris & Frank which at that time had 21 branches. In 1970, Northern California chain Pauson's was merged and Pauson's stores were renamed Harris & Frank, bringing the total number of H&F stores to 40.

In 1970, Botany Industries, Inc. bought both Harris & Frank and Pauson's, a men's clothier founded by Samuel Pauson in 1875 in San Francisco, and long a fixture at the corner of Sutter and Kearney streets in that city. The 16 Pauson's locations in Northern California and Reno, Nevada were rebranded Harris & Frank. In 1972, Harris & Frank closed the Sutter & Kearney location.

In 1971, Botany sold Harris & Frank to Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. of New York, now named PVH Corp., owner of Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and other brands.

In 1980, Harris & Frank closed its sole remaining location in Downtown Los Angeles at 644 S. Broadway. As of 1981, the chain had 31 stores in California, Nevada, and Texas.

By 1992, H&F had closed stores and there were only 17 remaining. Phillips-Van Heusen sold 12 of them to Miami-based Alan Glist, the owner of the Alan Stuart men's sportswear company, and who later bought the Florida men's clothing chain Baron's. Glist attempted to "save" the stores by moving to a discount format, in a market where sales of suits had diminished greatly due to changing dress codes and preferences.

Under Glist, stores continued to close, although a new store was opened in Los Cerritos Center. By 1994, the only stores left open were Brea, Cerritos, Torrance, Riverside, North Hollywood and Huntington Beach.

Retail
Harris moved to San Bernardino for eight years, and together with his other nephew Arthur, founded the Harris Company in San Bernardino, California, which would become a large, grand department store and a chain across the Inland Empire. All three nephews had worked for Leopold Harris at his Los Angeles store. Afterwards, Harris moved back to Los Angeles.

His nephews Philip and Herman Harris operated the White House store in Santa Ana, California.

Real estate
Mr. Frank was also a real estate developer of the Allen Block at Temple and Spring streets, in 1887 the Salisbury Block on Spring St., and in 1898 the site of Niles Pease Furniture until 1907 and afterwards the Harris & Frank store, 437–443 S. Spring Street. In 1887, Herman W. Frank (d. 1941) started working for Harris, and became a partner in the business a year in 1888, when its name was changed to Harris & Frank. Frank became Harris's son-in-law by marrying his daughter Sarah.

Locations
Stores were in California unless otherwise indicated. BC = Original Brooks Clothing Co. stores. Most rebranded H&F in 1947. P = Original Pausons stores, PE = Pausons/Eaglesons stores. Most rebranded H&F in 1970. HF = opened as or were rebranded Harris & Frank stores