Here then is a short interview with Meyer Goldberg himself at the time of the 15th anniversary of his first store. It ran in the Lorain Journal on Thursday, November 3, 1966. It includes a nice capsule history of the store chain that many of our mothers (including mine) shopped at.
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Meyer Goldberg’s 15th Anniversary
Question: How come you decided to celebrate on the 15th anniversary of your first store?
Answer: Fifteen years is a long time – and I decided I wanted to show my appreciation to the people who have supported me and made all this possible. I’m humble and grateful.
Q. You keep saying that the people in Lorain County have helped you help them. What do you mean?
A. I mean simply that as more and more people came to patronize my stores, I learned how to reduce costs, buy in volume and pass on the savings to the customer. In fairness, I must admit I couldn’t have done it without my fine co-workers in the stores – nor without the great number of people who came to buy.
Q. You now claim that you are able to bring fine merchandise to people in Lorain County at a low cost. How do you do it?
A. It’s very easy. We have been able to give people a greater variety of goods because we have utilized every modern technique of merchandising – quantity buying, cost control, promotion and personal observation. We not only attend sales seminars on merchandising, but we send our people to learn. We try to be part of the community. Because of cost accounting alone, we have been able to lower 4,000 items.
Q. How does a store become a part of the community?
A. You participate with the community in worthwhile activities, such as charity drives. We try to help any church without a redemption program. We give any church back one percent of the total sales that people deposit in a special box. We have bake sales. And I started the Cystic Fibrosis program in Lorain.
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For more Meyer Goldberg memories, revisit my 2011 post entitled (appropriately enough) Meyer Goldberg Memories.
There was a Meyer Goldberg in North Ridgeville on Center Ridge Rd. in the 1960s and early 70s. It sat on the same strip as Big Town. G.C. Murphy was nearby as was a fabric store and the old Cyrus Erie. I don't remember my mother shopping there, but my girlfriend's mother did.
ReplyDeleteMy late mother worked for Phillip Goldberg after she retired from the C/T as his driver. She would pick up his dry cleaning, drive him to the office (he would still go into the office for a half day until he died), etc.. When he passed his wife Rebecca gave my mother his Elgin pocket watch with gold embossing as a parting gift. Their initials MGR were added in gold lettering on the back by a jeweler in Chicago. I still have it. It was made in 1917, has 27 jewels and still keeps great time.
ReplyDeleteI do believe I’d give the family a chance to buy it back from me.
DeleteI have many great memories with my grandma shopping at Meyer Goldberg in Elyria on rt 57 and griswald rd afterwards she took me to Arby’s across the street for lunch some great memories of grams and me.
ReplyDeleteAM looking Myers Goldberg obiturie , he was my grandfather who passed away 2014 , he was the loving husband to Leah Goldberg , father to the late Susan Goldberg who passed away in 1988 , and grace Goldberg , Grandfather to Sarah Goldberg , GERSHOM Goldberg , and Rainer Goldberg
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