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April 25, 2008
Freedmans step up to help
Proceeds from shoe sale will go to Richmond Jewish Day School.
TRUDE LABOSSIERE HUEBNER
Deborah Freedman is excited. She's rustling through shoeboxes in her garage, and describes a pair of Italian boots she has wrestled from one box. "These are great," she related in a telephone interview. "They are white vinyl and fabric and they are made by Sarbi, Italy." This is just one of the many dozens of shoes that will be on sale in a fundraiser to build a new kosher kitchen for Richmond Jewish Day School.
These particular shoes have a history. Myer Freedman started the Freedman Shoes store in downtown Vancouver in 1931 – right from the start, the Freedman store was known for fashion and fit. Myer Freedman had an artist's eye for style, and he quietly began collecting some of the smartest pairs over the years.
The first Freedman Shoes was located kitty-corner from where Château Granville now stands. Granville was a smart shopping avenue in those days and the shoe store was located up a flight of stairs, quite like a salon, and Myer and Thelma Freedman lived in a suite behind the store, walking only a few steps to work each day. Soon, they moved into new premises across the street. Then, in 1948, or thereabouts, the Freedmans picked up the stock and moved up the hill to the present location on South Granville, an area that was becoming known for quality shops and restaurants.
During this time, Myer Freedman had a business partner but, after the move to South Granville, the store was doing so well that he bought out his partner and became in charge of all aspects of the business.
Around 1960, Freedman's son, Ernie, started working in the store. Other family members joined the staff, and Freedman Shoes was truly a family-owned and family-operated business.
According to David Freedman, Ernie's son and Myer's grandson, the north side of the store was originally two stores but, with the burgeoning sales, the shoe store expanded to its current size.
David Freedman has stories of life on South Granville in the 1960s. In one, a location just south of Freedman's became available and his grandfather had the opportunity to purchase it, but didn't have the cash. He asked his friend, Peter Szasz, if he wanted to buy the building. And so was launched Szasz's Deli, a food emporium that featured fragrant cherry strudel and home-style cooking. Szasz may even have invented the pizza bagel, known on the menu as "Pizza Bucci."
With the death of Ernie Freedman in 1988, Myer Freedman came back onto the retail floor and continued bringing in the stylish shoes for Vancouver's feet. Finally, after almost 60 years as a shoe salesman, he sold the business to Sterling Shoes in 1997.
After his grandfather's death in 2003, David Freedman was approached and offered the "shoe collection." Freedman thought the collection was the assortment of ceramic miniatures, which were displayed throughout the store. To his astonishment, his father and grandfather had salted more than 900 pairs of shoes away over the years. The collection represents styles from the 1920s through to the 1980s. And what labels: Alvorado and Lucene from Italy, Barker from England, Spring Airs and Bandolino and even Bootlegger brand.
Ivan Sayers, a local vintage clothing collector and archivist, commented on the Freedman collection: "There are definitely some items that serious collectors would be interested in." Sayers viewed the collection last year and still recalls one style in particular, a pair of fine French platforms in size six.
David Freedman said of the collection, "This is the heritage of my grandfather and father. It's a part of them that is going forward."
The total cost of the new kosher kitchen is estimated at $35,000, said Deborah Freedman, member-at-large of the RJDS board. The school has 157 students and every child has an opportunity to have a hot lunch. Each year, a traditional Passover seder is held, and each student samples matzah ball soup. Last month, Purim boxes were given out. There is a daily breakfast program and snacks prepared for the before- and after-school programs, too. The kitchen is busy every day, she said, and once each quarter, food is prepared for the entire student population.
The shoe sale will take place Sunday, May 4, at Richmond Jewish Day School, No. 5 and Blundell Road, Richmond. Times are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact the school for more information at 604-275-3393.
Trude LaBossiere Huebner is a Vancouver freelancer.
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