Chain: Pearl’s Department Stores (Potsdam)
Date Opened: August 3, 1949
Date Closed: July, 1950 (?)
Street Address(es) when open (Building name/block) Main Street
[Current Address]: unkown
Former Store(s) in Location(s): unknown
Later Store(s) in Location(s): unknown
Buildings still exist?: unknown
Owners, Managers, Employees:
- Eli Cowen, co-partner
- Wilfred (Bill) Cohen, co-partner
- Mrs. Leo Murray , manager
Subsequent Owners if sold: None
Recollections: Wilfred Cohen ( Jay Cohen’s father) and Eli Cowen (Jay Cohen’s mother’s brother) were partners in the Pearl’s Potsdam Store from 1948 to 1952. The Madrid store was added since the business in the Potsdam store was not sufficient enough to support two families. (See description of Pearl’s (Potsdam) “chain”.) Jay Cohen remembers going to the store in 1949 when it was being remodeled before its opening and when he was 3 1/2 years old.
Jay Cohen, in his research, cannot find any mention of the store in ads after June 1950 so it is assumed it was closed around July 1950.
Newspaper Articles, Pictures, Ads:
Pearl’s Madrid – new store Mrs. Leo Murray manager (Courier and Freeman, 3 August 1949 p11)
Pearl’s Madrid – ad announcing opening of Madrid store (Courier and Freeman, 3 August 1949 p2)
Pearl’s Madrid – Madrid & Potsdam ad (Courier and Freeman, 26 October 1949 p9)
Pearl’s Madrid – Xmas ad (Courier and Freeman, 7 December 1949 p6)
Pearl’s Madrid – XMAS ad (Courier and Freeman, 7 December 1949 p12)
Pearl’s – Madrid & Potsdam – ad (The Potsdam Herald-Recorder, 19 January 1950 p7)
Pearl’s Madrid – Potsdam & Madrid (Courier and Freeman, 11 May 1950 p7)
Pearl’s – Madrid – ad (Courier and Freeman, 25 May 1950 p12)
Pearl’s Madrid & Potsdam – ad (Courier and Freeman, 15 June 1950 p4)
JIC Note; I have not found any pictures of the store or its exact location. Below is a picture from Google Earth of Main Street, Madrid, NY today.
Google Earth map of Main Street, Madrid, NY
Google Earth Main Street Madrid NY
Recollections: