Oppenheim Collins & Company, Inc
Encyclopedia
Oppenheim Collins was a major women's specialty clothing store, headquartered in New York City, New York.
. Their first store was opened in 1901 in downtown New York City.
. The store expanded to include the Miss Vincent's Tea Room and was remodeled in 1935 and in 1951. In 1956, a suburban Buffalo location opened at Thruway Plaza in Cheektowaga, New York. The "Top of the Town" restaurant operated out of the Downtown Buffalo store. The Buffalo area stores closed in 1979, along with others in the Franklin Simon & Co.
chain with the bankruptcy of City Stores. Later expansion in the 1950's, led to the first store outside of New York. In 1958, Oppenheim Collins opened a location in the new Harundale Mall in Glen Burnie Maryland.
, CIO
won a new contract with Oppenheim Collins that included a closed shop
, a $2.00 pay increase, and elimination of "free" overtime
work during peak sales and inventory periods.
In 1948, Oppenheim Collins employees, represented by Local 1250 of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, CIO
, struck against the company.
although the two stores operated under their original trade names until the Oppenheim Collins stores were finally renamed Franklin Simon & Co. in 1961/1962.
Founding
Oppenheim Collins & Company, Inc. was founded by Albert D. Oppenheim and Charles J. Oppenheim, and was later joined by Isaac D. LevyIsaac D. Levy
Isaac D. Levy was a co-founder of Oppenheim Collins & Company, Inc., a ladies' skirt manufacturer and, later, department store in Manhattan. The store was founded before 1890 and was located on 34th Street W....
. Their first store was opened in 1901 in downtown New York City.
Branch Stores
In 1905, a branch store opened at 534 Main Street, in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. The store expanded to include the Miss Vincent's Tea Room and was remodeled in 1935 and in 1951. In 1956, a suburban Buffalo location opened at Thruway Plaza in Cheektowaga, New York. The "Top of the Town" restaurant operated out of the Downtown Buffalo store. The Buffalo area stores closed in 1979, along with others in the Franklin Simon & Co.
Franklin Simon & Co.
Franklin Simon & Co. was a department store chain specializing in women's fashions and furnishing based in New York City. The store was conceived as a collection of specialty shops rather than a traditional department store...
chain with the bankruptcy of City Stores. Later expansion in the 1950's, led to the first store outside of New York. In 1958, Oppenheim Collins opened a location in the new Harundale Mall in Glen Burnie Maryland.
Unionization
In 1944, Local 1250 of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store UnionRetail, Wholesale and Department Store Union
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union is a labor union in the United States and Canada that is a semi-autonomous division of the United Food and Commercial Workers, Change to Win Federation...
, CIO
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
won a new contract with Oppenheim Collins that included a closed shop
Closed shop
A closed shop is a form of union security agreement under which the employer agrees to hire union members only, and employees must remain members of the union at all times in order to remain employed....
, a $2.00 pay increase, and elimination of "free" overtime
Overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:*by custom ,*by practices of a given trade or profession,*by legislation,...
work during peak sales and inventory periods.
In 1948, Oppenheim Collins employees, represented by Local 1250 of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, CIO
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
, struck against the company.
City Stores
A majority interest in Oppenheim Collins was purchased by City Stores Company in 1945. In the 1950s, the store was merged with Franklin Simon & Co.Franklin Simon & Co.
Franklin Simon & Co. was a department store chain specializing in women's fashions and furnishing based in New York City. The store was conceived as a collection of specialty shops rather than a traditional department store...
although the two stores operated under their original trade names until the Oppenheim Collins stores were finally renamed Franklin Simon & Co. in 1961/1962.
Presidents
- Isaac D. LevyIsaac D. LevyIsaac D. Levy was a co-founder of Oppenheim Collins & Company, Inc., a ladies' skirt manufacturer and, later, department store in Manhattan. The store was founded before 1890 and was located on 34th Street W....
, - 1934 - James C. Bolger, 1934 -
- Robert D. Levy, - 1941
- Otto L. KinzOtto L. KinzOtto L Kinz held the offices of secretary, treasurer and president of Oppenheim Collins & Company, Inc from 1934 to 1945. In 1945, He resigned his position.-Early life:...
, 1941 - 1945 - Philip N. Cohan, 1947 - 1949
- Gordon K. Greenfield, 1949 -