This month’s Back in My Day looks at Downtown Walterboro and the Clothiers that set up shop around the Washington Street Area. From Novit-Siegal’s to Handegans and Mademoiselles to Warshaw’s of Walterboro buying clothes was not just a pull it off the rack experience, it was a well thought out and tailored experience. Clothing was tailored to the customer.
I can remember as a child going into Warshaw’s to get suits or my mother going to Mademoiselles on Lucas Street to get dresses. I knew that if there was a wedding or a funeral, we were going to make a trip to Warshaw’s. This was an hours long process that would start with Mr. Warshaw greeting you at the door with the measuring tape draped around his neck to get measurements to tailor the suit to your measurements. They actually had seamstresses on site to hem the clothing to custom fit your size. The dressing rooms were small little closets to change in, if you were claustrophobic that was no place to be. I remember that Mr. Warshaw would lay out the clothes on the table to match the tie to the suit and shirt. He would always politely correct my choice of what I though matched. I did not have a very good since of style in those days. Side note, I still don’t. Sonya still corrects me before we leave the house for events.
Novit-Siegel was another department store on Washington Street with a wide assortment of clothing to choose from the store was located across the street from the Ritz Theater Building, the iconic sign can still be seen of the building today. The first floor of the building is no longer in use, awaiting a future owner to renovate the building and continue its history. The upper floor is occupied by a residence. The building has a long history. Built in 1890, the brick building began life as the Zalin’s department store. Albert Novit opened an emporium down the street in 1918, the business moved to the Zalin’s building in the early 1930’s and became Novit-Siegal when Sam Siegel married into the family business. The building which is divided into three distinct buildings was also originally a masonic lodge.
Sam Siegel was known for keeping a diary from when he was 19 and didn't stop until his death at the age of 92 in 2007. In 1944, He was married with two children, He joined the army and served in Europe, where he was seriously wounded at the Battle of the Bulge. He ran the department store for 62 years.
Mademoiselles' Dress Shop was located on Lucas Street across from where the city parking lot is today. I remember being bored out of my mind as a child, when my mother shopped for clothes. This was an hours long endeavor. Mrs. Lucille Hazard and her husband Arthur owned Mademoiselles; she died in 1997 but left her mark on downtown Walterboro.
Warshaw’s building in Walterboro was built in two parts, one built 1890 and the other in 1900. Warshaw’s was a clothing store and a flower shop. The clothing store was named after Murray Warshaw who purchased the business in 1920 from Philip Bogoslow. Bernard joined the business in 1945, after returning from WWII. On Jan. 1, 2000, Bernard closed the store and retired from the clothing retail business.
In 2005, I was working for South Carolina ETV, I had the honor of speaking to Mr. Warshaw about the store. Here is an excerpt from that interview, “Warshaw’s Clothes of Quality was started in 1920 by my mother and my father in the Warshaw’s Store location. It was a general dry goods store back in those days. They featured articles of clothing, then overalls and work shoes, as well as everything related to working and some church clothes. We wanted this to be the finest small town clothing store for men, women and children, not just a clothing store. We were very, very fortunate, and operated under the theme of good service at a fair price, and we had good products. We helped customers, we didn't just sell to them, we helped them. We ended up selling to third generations until we closed.”
On Jan. 1, 2000, Bernard Warshaw closed the store and retired from the clothing retail business. Mr. Warshaw passed on February 27,2014 at the age of 93. He graduated from the Walterboro High School, class of 1937, and then attended The Citadel, where he graduated in the class of 1942. He served in the European Theatre of Operations during World War II, and was instrumental in the Battle of the Bulge. It was the end of an era, but during his time at Warshaw’s, he dressed senators, governors, businessmen, and residents from all over the country always making sure that you looked your best when you left the store. A tribute to the pride that the stores of downtown Walterboro had in their service.
