In 1900, an 18-year-old Joe Davidson left the bleak prospects of his native Lithuania in search of a more promising life. As the business he started in 1910 celebrates its 100th anniversary – "A Century of Style" – join us in looking back on the history of the company (as recounted by Joe’s children Sig Davidson and Mimi Davidson Leeds and compiled by his great-grandson Douglas Davidson). We hope you’ll join in the story. Please use the comment section below to share some old (or new) memories and perspectives on the Davidsons story.
Joe entered America through Ellis Island, that traditional gateway by which so many entered the new world – and new opportunity. He started work alongside his elder sister in a Providence factory and before long followed a distant relative’s invitation to come to Roanoke, where his seemingly unbounded ambition combined with an innate sense of style fueled his long-held desire to work in the clothing industry.
Fortunately, Joe’s arrival in the city coincided with the great shift from hand-made to quality ready-to-wear clothing, which produced an explosion of small, independent clothing shops in cities across the country.
He found an outlet for his aspirations when he landed a job in a local clothing store owned by Simon Silverman.
Joe spent a few years at Simon’s, honing a philosophy of selling a few nice things well rather than selling many things quickly (and getting closer to Simon’s daughter Daisy Belle).
Despite early success, his ambition could not be contained within the walls of this little store. In 1910—100 years ago this year —Joe took the next great leap. He married Daisy and opened his own clothing shop at 101½ South Jefferson Street. The Davidsons legacy in Roanoke had begun.
Most newlyweds dream of steaming off to exciting adventures in exotic lands, but not Joe & Daisy. The Davidson honeymoon was spent sleeping on chairs in Baltimore, waiting on meetings to procure the clothing for this brand new store.
With everything in order (and merchandise finally on the shelves), they opened the store, where Daisy tended the books (just as she had at her father’s store) and Joe — along with a several of Daisy’s relatives — saw to the customers.
Joe and his team in the early days of Davidsons were guided by a simple principle: that customers were community. These men made certain from the beginning that every customer—whether he made a purchase that day or not—was made welcome in the store and was helped to the very best of their ability. This simple approach of fostering relationships rather than sales was a natural result of Joe’s bedrock conviction that if one expects support from the community one must offer a sincere investment into that community. This simple, gracious attitude ensured that Davidsons would persevere (and even expand) through one Great Depression and two World Wars.
To be continued…
Joe entered America through Ellis Island, that traditional gateway by which so many entered the new world – and new opportunity. He started work alongside his elder sister in a Providence factory and before long followed a distant relative’s invitation to come to Roanoke, where his seemingly unbounded ambition combined with an innate sense of style fueled his long-held desire to work in the clothing industry.
Fortunately, Joe’s arrival in the city coincided with the great shift from hand-made to quality ready-to-wear clothing, which produced an explosion of small, independent clothing shops in cities across the country.
He found an outlet for his aspirations when he landed a job in a local clothing store owned by Simon Silverman.Joe spent a few years at Simon’s, honing a philosophy of selling a few nice things well rather than selling many things quickly (and getting closer to Simon’s daughter Daisy Belle).
Despite early success, his ambition could not be contained within the walls of this little store. In 1910—100 years ago this year —Joe took the next great leap. He married Daisy and opened his own clothing shop at 101½ South Jefferson Street. The Davidsons legacy in Roanoke had begun.Most newlyweds dream of steaming off to exciting adventures in exotic lands, but not Joe & Daisy. The Davidson honeymoon was spent sleeping on chairs in Baltimore, waiting on meetings to procure the clothing for this brand new store.
With everything in order (and merchandise finally on the shelves), they opened the store, where Daisy tended the books (just as she had at her father’s store) and Joe — along with a several of Daisy’s relatives — saw to the customers.
Joe and his team in the early days of Davidsons were guided by a simple principle: that customers were community. These men made certain from the beginning that every customer—whether he made a purchase that day or not—was made welcome in the store and was helped to the very best of their ability. This simple approach of fostering relationships rather than sales was a natural result of Joe’s bedrock conviction that if one expects support from the community one must offer a sincere investment into that community. This simple, gracious attitude ensured that Davidsons would persevere (and even expand) through one Great Depression and two World Wars.
To be continued…
Great history, and I love the pics!
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