Morris Brothers was a

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...

clothing store that became a

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fixture between its

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

-era founding and its closing in 2007. Located from 1981 at

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

and West 84th Street in

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, the establishment was an

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retail institution alongside the likes of

Zabar's Zabar's ( ) is an appetizing store at 2245 Broadway and 80th Street, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, founded by Louis Zabar and Lillian Zabar. It is known for its selection of bagels, smoked fish, olives, and cheeses. Whi ...

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, the Thalia

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, and the

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bookstore Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, book people, bookmen, or bookwomen. History The found ...

. Morris Brothers became best known for its sale of

summer camp A summer camp, also known as a sleepaway camp or residential camp, is a supervised overnight program for children conducted during the summer vacation from school in many countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer residential camps ...

clothing, often to generations of the same family.

History

Morris Krumholtz and his brother founded Morris Brothers in 1939 or 1943 (sources differ) as an Army-Navy store on Second Avenue and East 101st Street in Manhattan. The store later moved to Broadway and West 98th Street before moving first to Broadway and

85th Street 85th Street is a westbound-running street, running from East End Avenue to Riverside Drive in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. At Fifth Avenue, the street feeds into the 86th Street transverse, which runs east–west ...

and finally, in 1981, to 2322 Broadway, at West 84th Street. The family expanded that space in 1985 to . The original store's merchandise expanded over the years to include children's clothing, before eventually dropping infant and toddlerwear to become a casualwear family clothing store and camp outfitter. Labeling summer-camp wear with children's names become a hallmark, creating a tradition that helped retain as customers former New Yorkers who had moved to the suburbs. Proprietor Barry Krumholtz, son of founder Morris, told the press in May 2007 that landlord Eagle Court LLC had scheduled a rent increase from $600,000 annually to $1.5 million, necessitating a shutdown by the August 2007 lease expiry date.

References

Companies based in New York City Culture of New York City {{NYC-stub