Korvette's

 

E.J. Korvette department stores, commonly referred to as Korvette’s, were the brainchild of a WWII veteran named Eugene Ferkauf, who first entered the retail business back in 1948. At the time, due to various fair trade laws, department stores were required to offer goods at the manufactured suggested retail price.

Ferkauf decided to challenge these laws, and as a result, was able to sell products at a significant discount. The store's name intrigued many. Many believed it stood for Korean War veterans, but Ferkauf had a simpler explanation: E stood for Eugene, J for his Brooklyn friend Joe Zwillenberg, and Korvette for the World War II sub-chasing ship known as a corvette.

Sales increased steadily into the 1950s, encouraging the company to open a flagship 90,000 square foot store in Westbury in 1954. The impressive department store carried everything from furniture, housewares and clothing, to sporting goods, electronics and one of the most extensive collections of discounted music available.

More locations followed, in places such as West Islip, Hempstead and Lake Grove. Ferkauf sold his share in the store in 1966 for more than $20 million. By 1966, Korvette's had begun to decline and chose to merge with Spartan Industries, a soft goods retailer. Eugene Ferkauf was eased out of the company leadership, and Spartan managers attempted to revive the company.

From 1971 to 1979, Korvette's was owned by Arlen Realty and Development Corporation, a land development company that used Korvette's 50 stores as a source of cash flow. During this period, New York area Korvette's stores advertised heavily on local television, using game show host Bill Cullen as a spokesman.

In 1979, Korvette's was purchased by the Agache-Willot Group of France,[11] which initially closed Korvette's least profitable stores and began selling off merchandise, fixtures, equipment, and real estate. In 1980, they declared bankruptcy and on December 24, 1980, they closed all[11] of their remaining 17 stores

 

 

Sources:

“E. J. Korvette.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._J._Korvette

Eugene Ferkauf. 7 June 2012. obits.lehighvalleylive.com/obituaries/etpa/obituary.aspx?n=eugene-ferkauf&pid=157963616

70sKid. “Korvette's.” Long Island 70s Kid, 27 July 2019, www.longisland70skid.com/korvettes

Bausch Picture Frame and Moulding Manufacturing Company

One of Farmingdale’s earliest industries was the lumber company started by Mr. La Vine. Mr. La Vine started this company in the latter half of the nineteenth century and it was located on the east side of Main Street, on the corner of Rose and Richard Streets. The building was across from the Main Street School.  In the 1880s, Robert Bausch bought this lumber business. Robert Bausch turned it into a family business and employed his seven sons. When Bausch opened the factory, he wrote on the building “Bausch and Sons, Dealers in Lumber and mason’s materials and ladders, manufacturers of picture frames and mouldings.” This variety of offerings required a large amount of space, so the factory was located in an open field and surrounded by piles of lumber and materials.

Eventually, Adolph Bausch bought the business from his father and kept it as a family business employing some of his brothers. He also employed many Farmingdale residents. When Adolph took over the business, he expanded it by opening a window sash factory and then a factory that made the ornate gilded picture frames that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By 1909, the business employed 100 people and had an annual payroll of $36,000. At some point the company changed names to Bausch Picture Frame and Moulding Manufacturing Company. In 1910, the company moved to a newly constructed brick building on Eastern Parkway where he continued to manufacture picture frames and molding. This building was said to be extremely close to the train station for shipping purposes, and located at 361 Eastern Parkway.

In 1917, Lawrence Sperry bought the Bausch property near the Main Street School.  By the 1950s, the Bausch factory on Eastern Parkway was housing another company, therefore the company eventually dissolved and Farmingdale lost its largest manufacturer from the nineteenth century.

 

Sources:

Farmingdale Junior Honor Society. Farmingdale’s Story: Farms to Flight. The Society, 1956

Hanc, John. “Tracing the trail of a house's history.” Newsday, 15 July 2004, www.newsday.com/classifieds/real-estate/tracing-the-trail-of-a-house-s-history-1.733876.

“Many Proofs of Progress at Hicksville and Farmingdale.” 3 Sep 1911, Page 23 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at Newspapers.Com. Brooklyn Public Library, http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/53899087