Richman Brothers

[Shawn F.]

I just won another fedora off of Ebay today for a pretty cheap price. The name is Richman Brothers in a size 7 1/8. I looked up the name and see they used to make clothing, hats, jackets, gloves, etc but no reviews on their hats/fedora's.

Does anyone here own any hats made by Richman Brothers? If so then how well are their quality? How are they compared to say Stetson or Dobbs?
Thanks a lot for any info!

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

Richman Brothers didn't manufacturer anything; they were retailers of menswear. They've been out of business for quite some time, I think. The hats sold under their name were probably made by Lee or one of the other large hatmakers who made hats for retail chains. I have a Richman Brothers Open Road clone and it's a nice hat - maybe not on par with Stetson/Knox/Dobbs, but still a nice hat. Felt's a little thinner but the ribbon/liner/brim binding are all first rate.

This thread is a good place to start when you come across an obscure label.

 

[Gromulus]

Richman Brothers didn't manufacturer anything; they were retailers of menswear. They've been out of business for quite some time, I think. .

Actually Richman Brothers did manufacture some of their own clothing in their Cleveland, Ohio plant. I bought a few semi-custom suits and jackets from them back in the 80"s. I think you are correct in saying they did not manufacture hats.

 

[Shawn F.]

On this site :http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/the-beginners-guide-to-dead-zones/Content?oid=1913204 I found some info on Richman Brothers and their building they used to make clothing, etc... Here's what it reads in the article somewhere in that link:

Richman Brothers Factory

WHERE YOU'LL FIND IT: 1600 East 55th Street, in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood, across the street from the vacant but smaller Wilson Middle School, near many vacant but smaller homes.

HISTORY: Richman Brothers had been a purveyor of men's suits, hats, and furnishings since back in 1879. But by 1916 the company needed a great big factory to supply its stores nationwide. That factory — built by Christian Schwartzenburg and Gaede Co. — is a five-story, 23-acre facility where hundreds of workers cut and sewed clothes for decades. The Woolworth Co. bought Richman Brothers in 1969 and shuttered the operation in 1992. Since then, people have been trying to figure out what to do with the massive building.

VALUE: $312,000

STATE OF DECAY: Semi-boarded and semi-open to the elements, the factory is structurally sound enough to have attracted a steady stream of hopeful visionaries...yet decrepit enough to still be sitting lifeless.

WHAT IT'S GOOD FOR: Late councilwoman Fannie Lewis wanted to recast the building as a jail, and a local developer envisioned 350 market-rate apartments. There's always something "percolating" there, in the words of mayoral spokesman Silliman, but not much really happening. An investment group called 1600 East 55th St. LLC bought the place last fall with hopes of attracting a range of new tenants. They don't seem to have had much luck.

Volpe has studied the site at least three times and hasn't come up with a viable solution. He says it's too big for most uses, but partial demolition would negate historic tax credits. He'd love to see an institutional campus, like a school or small business incubator. "Is it worth mothballing for an extended period until the market provides an opportunity for a viable use?" he asks. And if so, could the same be done with Michael Stanley?

 

[Shawn F.]

Hopefully I did not make a bad purchase on the fedora I bought on Ebay which is a Richman Brothers brand. I spent just below $30 I believe and I needed a grey hat so it will hopefully work. I guess I will find out for myself how well the hat is made once I receive it. No box unfortunately. The seller said he threw the box away because it was in bad shape.

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

Can you post a link to the auction? The price you paid is not out of line provided the hat's in good shape.

 

[Shawn F.]

Sure thing! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...393048&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_500wt_1156
Hopefully that link works! I actually got it for just over $22 and not near $30. Even if it's not in great shape I will still wear the hell out of it. I just got a Dobbs hat with no box for $16 on Ebay and in the picture it looked old and worn out but I got it in the mail yesterday I believe and all that was wrong with it is it was dusty! I dusted it off and it looks like brand new!

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

I think you did fine.

 

[Lefty]

Yep. Richman Bros. stuff can be found in every Cleveland thrift store. I remember going into one of their shops at the local mall in either the late 70s or very early 80s. I can't say who made their hats but, from what I've seen they had hats of varying quality. The one you picked up certainly looks to be from toward the end of Richman Bro.'s life, but for $20, there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy it.

 

[Shawn F.]

Sounds good to me, thanks for the input! I will update you guys when I receive it in the mail.

 

[Ordinary Guy]

Richman Brothers starting selling hats in 1939 and merged with the Stein company of 91 stores in the south in 1959. For awhile after the merger both names were included in the hats, I happen to have one of those hats.

Unfortunately it is not in my size but a very nice hat..

 

[Bob Beecher]

I came to this thread looking for info on Richman Brothers hats . . . because I just got one on eBay. It's not remarkable that I got a Richman hat; it's remarkable that I found . . . a vintage size 8! [Hallalujah Chorus!]

Of course, my wife will probably say, "ANOTHER brown hat?" but . . . meh!

Oh . . . extra sweet was the price: $15.50. Here's the listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/110764999283

It looks pretty nice, with a diamond crease and includes its wind trolley and the box. I'll post some pix after it arrives in the mail.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

On this site :http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/the-beginners-guide-to-dead-zones/Content?oid=1913204 I found some info on Richman Brothers and their building they used to make clothing, etc... Here's what it reads in the article somewhere in that link:

Richman Brothers Factory

WHERE YOU'LL FIND IT: 1600 East 55th Street, in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood, across the street from the vacant but smaller Wilson Middle School, near many vacant but smaller homes.

HISTORY: Richman Brothers had been a purveyor of men's suits, hats, and furnishings since back in 1879. But by 1916 the company needed a great big factory to supply its stores nationwide. That factory — built by Christian Schwartzenburg and Gaede Co. — is a five-story, 23-acre facility where hundreds of workers cut and sewed clothes for decades. The Woolworth Co. bought Richman Brothers in 1969 and shuttered the operation in 1992. Since then, people have been trying to figure out what to do with the massive building.

VALUE: $312,000

STATE OF DECAY: Semi-boarded and semi-open to the elements, the factory is structurally sound enough to have attracted a steady stream of hopeful visionaries...yet decrepit enough to still be sitting lifeless.

WHAT IT'S GOOD FOR: Late councilwoman Fannie Lewis wanted to recast the building as a jail, and a local developer envisioned 350 market-rate apartments. There's always something "percolating" there, in the words of mayoral spokesman Silliman, but not much really happening. An investment group called 1600 East 55th St. LLC bought the place last fall with hopes of attracting a range of new tenants. They don't seem to have had much luck.

Volpe has studied the site at least three times and hasn't come up with a viable solution. He says it's too big for most uses, but partial demolition would negate historic tax credits. He'd love to see an institutional campus, like a school or small business incubator. "Is it worth mothballing for an extended period until the market provides an opportunity for a viable use?" he asks. And if so, could the same be done with Michael Stanley?

Too bad. That location is one of the worst in the Cleveland area. It's in the heart of the hood. Sad to say, it will most likely be torn down, along with about half the old city. The urban blight in places like Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, is just too overwhelming to save historic buildings no matter what value we may perceive in them.

 

[TheGreyPiper]

Richman Bros. Facory in the (not-good) news. . .

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/06/cleveland_firefighters_respond.html

" Cleveland firefighters are inside the massive and abandoned Richmond (sic) Brothers Co. factory on East 55th Street trying to extinguish a fire burning on the fifth floor."

That's the substance of the story, but there's a good picture of the building.