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The first Jewish businesses appeared in Saint John in the early 1860s with the establishment of the cigar stores by the Harts, Greens and Isaacs. These men also manufactured what they sold. The longest lived of the three businesses was Green's which after many moves established itself at the head of King Street by the 1930s. No more prominent location could be had.The Eastern Europeans brought a great diversity to the city's businesses. Although they began as peddlers, they soon established businesses. Most were along Main Street in the city's North End, extending across Mill Street to Dock Street. Others opened their doors along Union and King Streets and the blocks which connected them.
Clothing for men, women, and children, hats, shoes, dry goods, groceries, furniture, appliances, televisions, and used goods were soon available to all city residents. Others plied their trades as tailors and clothing manufacturers. One tailor, Myer Hoffman, stood out - it was said that men who could have a suit tailored by him had "arrived." The Stern family operated a dairy which introduced Saint John customers to pasteurized milk and a bottling plant which was among the first to sell commercial soft drinks under the label of Kik Cola. In the 1960s there were three butchers who were also licenced to prepare Kosher meat for Jewish homes.
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Hart's Cigar Box1900s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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Green's1900s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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American Clothing House1900s-1950s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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Babb's Store1920s-1930s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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Sunray Fruit Store1930s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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Sunray Sign1980s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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Star Ice Cream Parlour1930s-1950s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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Factory Shoe Outlet1960s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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Barney and Esther Everett, Factory Shoe Outlet1960s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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Duval's Hardware - Mort Paikowsky1940s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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Tobin's Grocery - Judy Tobin and Dr. Moe Polowin1960s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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In the 1950s there may have been as many as 85 Jewish businesses in operation throughout the city. Many stores advertised regularly in the Saint John newspaper and it seemed that their ads often ran on the same page from week to week. All of those stores are now long closed and often missed by those who bustled along the sidewalks.There were also a number of men who operated franchises, particularly as distributors for films between the 1920s and the 1950s.
Many of the Jewish businesses would have been members of the Saint John Board of Trade and some of the merchants may have been involved with the board itself. Lloyd Goldsmith served as secretary, first and second vice-president and for 1979-1980 served as the first Jewish president of the organization.
Today there is only one Jewish business remaining and two other young men in the community run franchises for signage and fast food.
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Loyalist City Antiques - Max Kashetsky1940s-1950s
Saint John, New Brunswick
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