In 1904, Harris Bloom (1859-1942), son of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Joseph and Mina Bloom, and his oldest son, Sam (1890-1951), immigrated to the United States from Bialystok, Poland. The pair settled in Columbia, South Carolina. In 1909, Mr. Bloom arranged for his wife, Amelia Mulinski Bloom (c.1867-1934), son, Julius (1895-1973), and daughters, Minnie and Anna, to make the journey from Bialystok to Columbia. Shortly after they arrived, the Blooms moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where Mr. Bloom opened a clothing store. Following service in World War I, Julius opened a retail store in Greenville. A few years later, he joined his father’s business, which remained open until he retired in 1966.