The New York Store of Barbourville

With the Parker Mercantile building on its last legs, and as we lament the fact that Barbourville will soon be saying goodbye to one of the original structures of Barbourville’s early days, the Museum Corner thought it might be interesting to see which stores had been housed in the grand structure over the years. As luck would have it, we saw this photograph on the Knox Historical Museum’s Facebook page, and it immediately caught our attention.
According to our best estimates, based on Mountain Advocate articles and advertisements, The New York Store operated in the Parker Mercantile Building, from approximately 1910 – 1927. The store was owned and managed by two Russian immigrants, Michael Sherman and Sam Myre Cawn.
Sam Cawn was born July 1, 1889, in Kovno, Lithuania, Russia. Sam came to America with his family through Ellis Island on February 5, 1905, aboard the Philadelphia, an ocean liner that sailed between North Hampton, England and New York.
Sam completed his application for naturalization in 1942 while he was living in Barbourville. His occupation was listed as merchant. His children listed on the naturalization paperwork was Helen, Paul, Sylvia and Benjamin.
Michael Stuplemanovitz, (later changed to Sherman) was born August 19, 1881, in Kamenetz Padulski, Ukraine, Russia. His family immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island as well and eventually settled in Baltimore, Maryland.
How both men, both Russian, both entrepreneurs, both lovers of textiles, settled in Barbourville, Kentucky and became partners in business is a mystery, but the New York Store was Barbourville’s premiere clothiers with customers coming from all over southeastern Kentucky to buy the latest New York fashions.
The owners made trips to New York on a regular basis buying the spring line or the fall line of whatever designer happened to catch their eye.
Their advertisements of the New York Store appeared in the Personal Mention column of the newspaper like their sales were personal and much more than just a sale. Examples of their personal mentions include “Hubby runs around with a smile now, the madam has found where she can buy and save money. At the New York Store’s Great Sale.” “The children had a great time on Thursday morning blowing horns that the New York Store gave away at their opening.” “Old High Cost of Living hit an awful low for the next 14 days at the New York Store during their Gigantic Stock Reduction Sale.”
In a nearly half page ad in 1917, Sherman and Cawn wrote, “To the Public in General, It has always been our aim and idea to be the leading store of the community in which we are located and to make the people of Barbourville and the surrounding community feel proud of our store and enjoy it as a place to trade and meet with their friends. We have spent a large sum of money to make our store attractive and convenient as a place for our many friends and customers to do their shopping, with these things in view, we have not been unmindful of our duty in always securing the best values and bargains to be had in all lines of merchandise that we carry, with this in view our buyer has recently spent three weeks in the largest markets of the east, in order to secure bargains in all line of merchandise which we have on display now at prices that are popular and right, we invite everyone to visit our store and inspect our wonderful line of bargains we are sure you will find plenty of them. In shoes of all kinds, men and boy’s clothing, ladies’ suits, skirts and coats, ladies’ and children’s dresses. A very complete line of silks, pongees, poplins, woolen goods, lawns, curtains and curtain goods, linen drapery, in fact everything in the line of dry goods and notions carried in a high-class department store.”
The New York Store operated until June of 1927 when the store was closed and the Sherman/Cawn partnership dissolved. The Cawn family stayed in Barbourville until 1947 when they moved to Los Angeles and Mr. Cawn became a realtor. Upon his death in 1951, the Advocate wrote in his obituary that he would long be remembered for his willingness to help the less fortunate. Samuel Cawn was 62 years old at the time of his death.
After his business in Barbourville was concluded, Michael Sherman lived in Pineville where he continued his dry goods business and ran a boarding house on Kentucky Avenue. Mr. Sherman passed away in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 14, 1968. He was 86 years old. His interment was in the Middlesboro Jewish Cemetery.
The Sherman and Cawn partnership produced a popular mercantile to Barbourville that seemingly carried something for everyone. Its seventeen-year occupation of the Parker Building made the store one of the longest running in Barbourville and in the Parker Building.
When travel to Lexington or Knoxville wasn’t quick and easy like it is today, a comprehensive dress and dry good store served the people of Knox County very well. Two Russian immigrants settling in Barbourville understood the need for fashion and combined it with everything else in the line of dry goods in a small town, and apparently, they delivered. It was interesting for the Museum Corner to research their lives and read about their quest to live out the American Dream. Farewell to and fondest memories of the Parker Building. History cannot be destroyed as long as we keep the memories alive!