Kraft Department Store

Born in Savannah, Georgia, to Morris (1883-1943) and Sarah Kessel Kraft (1882-1951), Aaron Kraft (1911-1954) worked in the clothing industry in Madison, Florida, in the 1930s and early 1940s. In 1939, he married Celia Insel (1913-1997) of Florence, South Carolina, and in 1946, the Krafts moved to Florence with their daughter Gwendolyn (1941-2011). There, Aaron managed the Florence Shoe Store and served as a contributing photographer for the Florence Morning News. About a year later, the young family briefly moved to Asheville, North Carolina, before relocating once more to Timmonsville, South Carolina, in 1948. There, Aaron operated both Kraft Department Store and Kraft’s Photography Studios with financial assistance from his brother-in-law, Herman Insel (1915-1999). In 1954, Aaron died at the age of 43 following several months of declining health.