H. L. Schlosburg

Harry Leon Schlosburg (1877-1940) immigrated to the United States from Russia around 1896. Upon his arrival in the United States, he moved to Camden, South Carolina, where he initially worked as a grocer. In 1899, Harry married Anna Karesh (1878-1946) of Branchville, South Carolina, with whom he would have four children. Around 1902, Schlosburg partnered up with his uncle, Sol Liebman (1871-1937), to found Schlosburg & Liebman Bros. Dealers in general merchandise, the pair operated stores in Camden and Cheraw, SC. The following year, however, Liebman and his growing family moved to Bristol, Virginia, ending the partnership. After Liebman’s departure, Schlosburg worked on his own until 1910. That year, he entered a business partnership with Sam Goldberg, a merchant from Augusta, Georgia. Together, the pair bought goods from merchants looking to retire or facing bankruptcy. As they bought the goods at discounted rates, their business was probably a lucrative one. Schlosburg continued to work with Goldberg until around 1912. Around that time, he opened his own dry goods store in Camden, which soon expanded to become a department store. Building on his success in Camden, Schlosburg opened a branch store in Chester, SC in 1916. Although his obituary states that he retired in 1934, the 1940 Census shows that he continued to work as a salesman.