Eli’s Shoe Shop

Before moving to South Carolina, Russian immigrant Eli Ginsberg (1900-1961) settled in Ontario, Canada where he met and married London native, Anne Cooper (1905-1994). Together, Eli and Anne had two daughters, Barbara (1933-2006) and Rhena (b. 1935), and then immigrated to the United States in 1947. After briefly living in Vermont, the Ginsberg family moved south to Florence, South Carolina. In June 1948, Eli opened Eli’s Shoe Rebuilding at 156 North Dargan Street and began repairing shoes and making orthotics. In his first year in business, Eli changed the store name to Eli’s Shoe Shop and tested out slogans like, “work done while you wait” and “we do it right.” In 1954, Eli placed a wanted ad for a “first class shoe repairman” to take over the business. He moved to Camden by 1956. After his death in 1961, Anne moved to Dillon where she could be closer to her daughters.

¹ “Florence’s Most Modern Shoe Repair Service Now Open,” Florence Morning News, June 11, 1948, 9; “Shoe Repairs,” Florence Morning News, November 24, 1948, 2.

² “Wanted,” Florence Morning News, January 24, 1954, 14.