Saul’s Ready-to-Wear

Israel Saul (1886-unknown) immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1904. By 1915, he was living in Greenville, South Carolina and had established men and women’s clothing store Saul’s Ready-to-Wear at 217 South Main Street. By 1922, the store had relocated to 116 North Main Street. Three years later, it moved to 102 North Main Street. In 1928, Saul opened a branch store at 171 East Main Street in nearby Spartanburg, South Carolina. The original manager of the Spartanburg store was a Gentile by the name of James H. Tollison. In 1929, Abraham “Abe” Simon (1897-1949) took over as manager of the branch store. An immigrant from present-day Lithuania, Simon served as a volunteer in the famous Jewish Legion—five battalions of Jewish volunteers who fought under British command and helped conquer the Ottoman controlled Palestine region during World War I. Simon became a partner in Saul’s Ready-to-Wear in 1930. After Israel Saul went bankrupt in 1932, Simon took over the business. In 1948, the Greenville store moved again, this time to 224 North Main Street. A year later, it moved to 104 North Main Street. When he fell ill in 1949, Simon hired merchant Alex Stahl to help his wife, Lottie Geffen Simon (1900-1991), manage the business. Saul’s in Greenville and Spartanburg remained in operation until around 1958.