Siegrist & Fraley: Forgotten East Side Department Store
Image: Jacob Siegrist, 1910. Source: "Buffalo & Its German Community"
Born in Eden, NY in 1858, Jacob Siegrist came to Buffalo and began working with the retail firm of Barnes, Bancroft & Co. at age 18 for $6 a week. After 14 years with the company and having progressed to manager and buyer, Jacob Siegrist became aligned with the New York City retailer, George F. Fraley, and in 1891 opened a small department store at 514 William Street called Siegrist & Fraley. They sold dry goods, notions, millinery, shoes, carpets, furniture and stoves. Jacob Siegrist's motto was: "Serve the public well, furnish best quality merchandise at honest prices."
Within five years, a very successful Siegrist & Fraley expanded by taking over the entire block at William & Emslie and buiding a large warehouse. The store and warehouse employed 250 people. In Buffalo's East Side, the store was the equivalent of its Main Street competitors J.N. Adam, William Hengerer & Co., and H. A. Meldrum, among others.
In 1895, Siegrist & Fraley opened a second location on Broadway across from the Broadway Market. It employed 150 clerks. Total employee count would reach 500.
Jacob Siegrist emphasized quality merchandise at reasonable prices and friendly customer service. Said J.G. Sharp, one of his managers, in a 1907 trade publication, "I believe in paying clerks straight salaries - good compensation for good men. That prevents petty jealousies among employees that prove inimical to discipline. Good men always work better when assured of a good income regardless of failure in sales, the loss of which cannot be attributed to them."
Original Store William & Emslie, c 1900. Image source: private collection
Broadway between Peck & Mills St., c 1900. Store at right. Image source: private collection
Right: campaign button for Siegrist's mayoral run. Image source: internet
Jacob Siegrist was active in Buffalo poliitics, well-regarded and elected as a Republican councilman in 1908. He ran for mayor in 1910 and lost to Louis P. Fuhrmann by less than 2,000 votes. He was a member of the Buffalo Club, vice president of the Citizens Bank, a member of the Royal Arcanum, the Ellicott Club, a director of the Marine Trust Safe Deposit Company. He belonged to the governing council of the Richmond Avenue M.E. Church. In 1916 he was named to the Seawall Commission with E. J. Barcolo and John G.Cloak; its purpose was to settle the ownership of the land from the foot of Michigan Avenue to the lighthouse fronting the inner harbor. (An unpopular task, no doubt, because all the residents of houses along the strip were going to be evicted so that the land could be sold for business development.) Mr. Siegrist was also a director of the Peace Bridge, which gave him great pride.
As an employer, Jacob Siegrist appears to have been enlightened. He sponsored an annual Thanksgiving Eve dinner, with entertainments by the employees. He closed the store on the day of the annual employee outing, held in 1917 at Olcott Beach. He chartered interurban cars to transport the 500 employees to the Niagara County resort, entertainment during the trip and later on the grounds furnished by a 12-piece band. Among the after-lunch entertainments was the traditional baseball game between the competitive William St. and Broadway store employees.
In 1919, Siegrist purchased insurance policies for all employees, $500 for the employee of 6 months' service, and increasing annually thereafter. At that time 25% of the employee workforce had been with the company for 25 years. The company had previously installed lunchrooms, rest rooms, a first-aid room and eatablished two-week paid vacations. The company also paid employee bonuses.
I A year later, in March 1920, Siegrist & Fraley sold both stores to W. A. Morgan, who immediately held a sale advertising 35% to 50% off everything. Morgan sold both of the stores within the year.
By February 1921, Siegrist re-organized and re-purchased the William St. store with 15 of his previous associates now having a financial stake in the store. It would be known as J.J. Siegrist & Co. He was 63 years old. (Kobacker's bought the Broadway store). He advertised that "nintey percent of the original Salesforce will be back in their old positions." See the full-page announcement here.
The store in 1935. Image source: The Buffalo History Museum
Jacob Siegrist retired for the last time in 1932. He died in 1946 at age 88, six weeks after the death of his wife of 64 years, Caroline. He was survived by their daughter, Florence Jauch.
The William & Emslie Street store was demolished in 1970. the site is now occupied by the Jesse Nash Health Center. The Broadway site of the second store is now a parking lot across from the Broadway Market.
