After the failure of his commercial endeavors in Manning, South Carolina, Benjamin Ness (1890-1956) and his family moved to Sumter, South Carolina around 1924. There, he and his wife, Esther Bergen Ness (1899-1976) opened Ness’, a ready-to-wear ladies’ clothing store. Out of money after they moved to Sumter, the Nesses received credit to open their store from Sam Solomon (1887-1954), a prominent Jewish merchant from Charleston known for his compassion and generosity.