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Note individuelle
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Cohn Furniture Store was our family's. The original store was founded I guess (who knew?) in 1931 by my grandfather, Louis Cohn, in Taylorville
During the war my grandfather had bought up several small pieces of real estate which became quite valuable as the country settled into a post-war economy. Decatur was booming with the conversion back of several manufacturing plants which had made war equipment. Not to mention Staley's which again was processing soy beans. Remember? Decatur Illinois -- Soy Bean Capitol of the World!! The Jews in Decatur were primarily commercial (small stores), a few scientists or two (Staley's), or medical [that must have been later after the easing of the quotas]. But the ones who profited the MOST during and after the war were in scrap metal!
That my grandfather finally made money brings us back to the story of the first Cohn Furniture Store. Of my four grandparents, "Bopa" as I named him--and it stuck-- was the only one born in this country (St. Louis). He had a series of general stores which he opened (and closed, having failed) in one small town after another moving north in Illinois from St. Louis: Gillespie, Pana, and another one I can't remember, and then Taylorville. I think of him as the 2nd generation of the Jewish peddlers. The family lived above the store, my grandmother ("Gommy" my name for her which also stuck) kept the books, and they sold lots of miscellanous things. There were traveling rabbis, two daughters after my father was born, unavailability which led to inability to keep Kosher--but delicious Eastern European food [which I inherited and thus call myself a "Culinary Jew"], and no success. Until Taylorville (where they lived in a house!) and Cohn Furniture Store, followed by Decatur and the second Cohn Furniture Store. NOTE: the Hickory Hills store in the ad Bob found was opened by the current owners, not the Cohns.
So that's how we got to Decatur where the family prospered and became the pillars of society in a very very close Jewish community of about 100 families. Growing up Jewish in a small midwestern town is a whole other story. And the amazing thing is that the journey and the life experience is identical for friends whether grew up in Gary IN, Green Bay WI, St. Joseph MI or dozens of others small cities. We probably need to write a book.
http://cohnfurnituredecatur1.com/
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COHN
Louis
WOOLF Ida ( 1895 - 1997 )
