Harris & Frank was a clothing retailer and major chain in thehistory of retail in Southern California, which at its peak had around 40 stores acrossSouthern California and in neighboring states and regions. Its history dates back to a clothing store founded byLeopold Harris in Los Angeles in 1856 near the city'scentral plaza, only eight years after the city had passed from Mexican to American control. Herman W. Frank joined Harris in partnership 32 years later in 1888.^[1]

Leopold Harris originallyLewin Hirschkowitz (LEH-vin-HIRSH-koh-vits), (c.1836–1910) was born into a Jewish household to parents whose names are quoted differently by two different sources. His own advertisement for his name change to Leopold Harris states his father's name as Feibisch and his mother's as Hannah.^[2] However, the Jewish Museum of the American West states his parents' names as Morris and Johanna and lists the following siblings who emigrated:^[3]

• Stella who married Rudolph Anker of San Bernardino, who had a dry goods and clothing store there
• Zara who married Maurice Diego Katz of San Bernardino
• Emma who married Simon Goldsmith, who ran a country store in San Bernardino, and later a shoe store in Santa Ana
• Herman andPhilip who worked for Simon Goldsmith in Santa Ana, then opened their own clothing store there
• Leo who established a country store in Lancaster, as well as a ranch and a freight business
• Herman, Philip, andArthur who with Leopold's help, founded theHarris Department Stores in San Bernardino in 1905.^[3]

In his name change advertisement, Leopold Harris mentioned his brother's Moritz, and his sister Rosa Sommerfeld, who had remained in or near Löbau (as of 1872).^[2]

Harris (Hirschkowitz) was born in the town ofLöbau in theProvince of Prussia, Kingdom ofPrussia, which in 1871 became part of a united Germany. In 1920 this part of Germany was ceded to the newly recreated country ofPoland. InPolish, the town is now called Lubawa.^[2] The town was also the birthplace of prominent Los Angeles businessmanHarris Newmark and of the Jacoby brothers, who also founded a major Los Angeles department store,Jacoby Bros.

He arrived in the United States, in 1852 at the age of 16, spent time in Kentucky, then traveled via Nicaragua together with fellow LöbauerHarris Newmark, to California, arriving in October 1853 and establishing his store on the Los Angeles Plaza in 1856.^[4]

Leopold Harris decided to enter business in the new Mormon colony ofSan Bernardino, California. He created the partnershipLewis & Harris there with Lewis Jacobs, which they dissolved in April 1862.^[5] He then spent some time outside the U.S., then returned to Los Angeles and founded the London Clothing Company.^[6]

He became a U.S. citizen in 1857. With Henry M. Cohn (or Cohen), Harris formed the business partnership Cohen & Harris to raise and graze sheep atSan Gabriel, which they dissolved in 1860.^[7] In 1862, they partnered again and opened a kosher meat market.^[8] Harris also participated in a business partnership in San Francisco. In 1868 he married Minna Jastrowitz, sister of his business partner Benno Jastrowitz.^[9] In 1972, he officially changed his name from Lewin Hirschkowitz to Leopold Harris.^[2]

He died in 1910 onLong Island, New York on his way back to Los Angeles after falling ill on a trip to Europe.

• 
  Sign for "Harris & Jacoby, successors to H. W. Hellman", forerunner to both Harris & Frank andJacoby Bros., in the OldDowney Block around 1870. At right are signs for M. Kremer's and S. Lazard's stores, both forerunners of theCity of Paris department store
• 
  1878 ad for Quincy Hall in city directory
• 
  At far right, "L. Harris" sign is visible, when Harris' Quincy Hall store was located at 54 N. Main St. (old numbering, loc. approx. 308 N. Main today), c.1878
• 
  Harris & Frank's London Clothing Co., with its landmark clock, visible at far right in Allen Block. View south on Spring St. from Temple, c.1883–1894. The towers in the background are thePhillips Block; the two larger buildings to its right are theJones Block and (with turrets)City of Paris.
• 
  London Clothing Co., 119–125 N. Spring, c.1894-1900
• 
  Another view of the 119–125 N. Spring store. Roofline sign: "SEE US FOR OVERCOATS"
• 
  Inside the 119–125 N. Spring store, 1903
• 
  Leopold Harris late 1800s
• 
  Herman W. Frank in 1888
• 
  Herman W. Frank in 1902

Harris's first store, then called The London Clothing Co., was on theLos Angeles Plaza. Harris, alone and with partners, operated a succession of locations, each time further southwest from the Plaza, as the main shopping district moved in tandem.

By 1870,^[1][10] Harris joined Isaac, Nathan, Charles, Abraham, and Lessor Jacoby to buy outHerman W. Hellman's store, to formHarris & Jacoby, which was not only a forerunner of Harris & Frank but ofJacoby Bros., which would grow into a department store that would do business in Los Angeles through the 1930s.^[3] The Jacoby brothers also came fromLöbau, Prussia.^[3]

From 1876 to 1882 the store operated as theQuincy Hall Clothing House, at 63 Main St., (pre-1890 numbering), in theDowney Block.^[11] (at the time, Commercial St. ran eastward from Main St. just north of Temple St.)^[12]

In January 1883, Harris entered into partnership with Benno Jastrowitz (born 1852, like Harris inLöbau,West Prussia),^[13] brother of his wife Minna Jastrowitz, asL. Harris & Co..^[14]

By February 1883, the Quincy House store had closed and the newL. Harris & Co. store was doing business on the south side of Temple Street in a building that stretched the short distance between Spring and New High streets: 129–131 Spring and 5-7-9 New High streets, in the pre-1890 numbering.^[15] This is currently the north end of theLos Angeles City Hall block.

In July 1886, Harris and Jastrowitz re-added the monikerLondon Clothing Co.^[16]

On June 4, 1888, Jastrowitz sold his part of the business partnership toHerman W. Frank (b. 1860,Walla Walla, Washington), who started as a clerk in Harris' store and married Harris' daughter Sarah.^[17] Thus, the business came to have the name it would bear for over a century:Harris & Frank.^[1]

By 1894, the store was at 119–125 N. Spring at the southwest corner of Franklin St.^[18][19]

By 1903, the store was under the management of Harris' son, Harry L. Harris, and his two sons-in-law, Herman W. Frank and M.C. Adler.^[3]

By 1905, the store moved further south to 337–341 S. Spring St., between Third and Fourth streets.^[20] For a few months operated concurrently with the Spring and Franklin store.^[21]

In 1907, the store moved just a block south to 447–443 S. Spring St., between Fourth and Fifth streets.^[22]

In 1925, Harris & Frank moved further south and west to 635–639 S. Hill St.,^[23] one block west of Broadway, which had become the main shopping thoroughfare. The building now houses the Wholesale Jewelry Mart.^[24]

The Brooks Clothing Company opened in 1922 in Los Angeles at 337–9 S. Spring St., Downtown Los Angeles, previously the main store ofThe Hub Clothing Co.. The company sold suits and overcoats at one price only, $25.^[25] The company quickly established a network of stores in the downtown areas of the surrounding towns in Southern California, such as Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Ana, as well as theSan Francisco Bay Area, Stockton, and Fresno.

In 1935, Brooks Clothing moved its flagship store from 337–9 S. Spring to 644 S. Broadway, the formerW. & J. Sloane flagship store. The seven-story building was redesigned and modernized by architect Harbin F. Hunter at a cost of $75,000 "in complete conformity with the modern school".^[26]

In 1947, Harris & Frank merged with Brooks Clothing Co., acquiring its flagship store at 644 S. Broadway and its 14 branches.^[23][27] "Harris & Frank" stores had operated in Downtown Los Angeles since 1888 but finally, 59 years later, there would be a network of "Harris & Frank" stores across Southern California and beyond.^[27] After the merger, Harris & Frank closed its pre-merger flagship store at 635

As of 1950, Harris & Frank had 15 branches.^[23] That year, it closed its pre-merger flagship store on Hill Street, which had was only a block west of the Broadway (former Brooks flagship) store. In the same year they opened a store inNorth Hollywood's downtown shopping district along Lankershim Blvd.,^[28][29][30] and a few years later opened atPanorama City Shopping Center, five miles to the northwest.^[31]

In 1959, H. Daroff and Sons, makers of theBotany 500 line of men's clothing, bought Harris & Frank which at that time had 21 branches. In 1970, Northern California chain Pauson's was merged and Pauson's stores were renamed Harris & Frank, bringing the total number of H&F stores to 40.^[32]

In 1970, Botany Industries, Inc. bought both Harris & Frank andPauson's, a men's clothier founded by Samuel Pauson in 1875 in San Francisco, and long a fixture at the corner of Sutter and Kearney streets in that city. The 16 Pauson's locations inNorthern California andReno, Nevada were rebranded Harris & Frank. In 1972, Harris & Frank closed the Sutter & Kearney location.^[33]

In 1971, Botany sold Harris & Frank toPhillips-Van Heusen Corp. of New York,^[34] now namedPVH Corp., owner ofTommy Hilfiger,Calvin Klein and other brands.

In 1980, Harris & Frank closed its sole remaining location inDowntown Los Angeles at 644 S. Broadway.^[35] As of 1981, the chain had 31 stores in California, Nevada, and Texas.^[34]

By 1992, H&F had closed stores and there were only 17 remaining. Phillips-Van Heusen sold 12 of them to Miami-basedAlan Glist,^[36] the owner of the Alan Stuart men's sportswear company, and who later bought the Florida men's clothing chain Baron's.^[37] Glist attempted to "save" the stores by moving to a discount format, in a market where sales of suits had diminished greatly due to changing dress codes and preferences.^[36]

Under Glist, stores continued to close, although a new store was opened inLos Cerritos Center. By 1994, the only stores left open were Brea, Cerritos, Torrance, Riverside, North Hollywood and Huntington Beach.^[38]

Harris moved toSan Bernardino for eight years, and together with his other nephew Arthur, founded theHarris Company inSan Bernardino, California, which would become a large, grand department store and a chain across theInland Empire. All three nephews had worked for Leopold Harris at his Los Angeles store.^[39] Afterwards, Harris moved back to Los Angeles.

His nephews Philip and Herman Harris operated theWhite House store inSanta Ana, California.

Mr. Frank was also a real estate developer of the Allen Block at Temple and Spring streets, in 1887 the Salisbury Block on Spring St., and in 1898 the site of Niles Pease Furniture until 1907 and afterwards the Harris & Frank store, 437–443 S. Spring Street.^[40]In 1887, Herman W. Frank (d. 1941) started working for Harris, and became a partner in the business a year in 1888,^[41] when its name was changed to Harris & Frank. Frank became Harris's son-in-law by marrying his daughter Sarah.

Stores were in California unless otherwise indicated.BC = Original Brooks Clothing Co. stores. Most rebranded H&F in 1947.
P = Original Pausons stores, PE = Pausons/Eaglesons stores. Most rebranded H&F in 1970.^[42]
HF = opened as or were rebranded Harris & Frank stores

1^ Photographic evidence in Wilson's book shows Harris & Jacoby in the Old Downey Block which was torn down in c. 1870. Also, advertisements for seeds sold at the Hellman store at No. 2 Downey Block, Los Angeles, cease in January 1870^[92] while an ad for the Harris & Jacoby store at No. 2, Downey Block, started appearing in the same newspaper in December 1870.^[93] It is currently difficult to establish the exact date in 1870, that the business changed hands from Hellman to Harris and Jacoby, as online archives for Los Angeles newspapers have a gap between the 1864 (for theStar) and 1873 (when theHerald archives commence).

• Defunct department stores based in Downtown Los Angeles
• Retail companies established in 1856
• 1856 establishments in California
• Defunct clothing retailers of the United States
• Lists of department store branches by company

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata