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Sol Richer’s 1930s escape from a New York mob led to a beloved Gay Street fur shop

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6 months ago

May 29, 2024

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Sol Richer’s 1930s escape from a New York mob led to a beloved Gay Street fur shop

When Sol Richer left New York City in the early 1930s, his life was in danger. He found sanctuary in Knoxville, where he opened Richer’s Furs in 1938, selling fur coats for $47.50.

His father, Joseph Richer, had been running a fur manufacturing business, but Depression-era financial discrepancies saw Joseph and Sol Richer working for the man who had once been Joseph Richer’s partner and equal.

Organized crime pushes Sol Richer out of New York’s Fur District

In the 1930s, the infamous leaders of a murder-for-hire group, Murder Inc., were stirring up fear in New York’s Fur District, according to FBI.gov. The groups aimed to eradicate competition through brute force.

Tactics included harassing calls, assault, bombings, arson and acid attacks on top of destroying furs, according to FBI.gov, and Sol Richer didn’t escape. About 15 men came in to steal coats and break equipment, his daughter Nancy Richer told Knox News recently. When they tried to throw acid on Sol, he escaped and caught a bus out of town, leaving his family behind.

His odyssey took him from New York to Little Rock, Arkansas, then Amarillo, Texas, Muskogee, Oklahoma, and finally, Knoxville, a city that came to have a special place in his heart. “Knoxville was to him, paradise,” Nancy Richer said. “He always said, ‘If heaven above below would be, ‘twould only be in Tennessee.'”

Richer’s Furs becomes a gathering place for all

Sol Richer’s Jewish heritage was important to him, and he knew he could rely on support from this community. The first thing he did when he stepped off the bus in Market Square was find Temple Beth El, Nancy Richer said. Rabbi Jerome Mark connected him with Sam Averbuch, a wealthy businessman who owned the People’s Store on Gay Street and much of the nearby real estate.

Averbuch agreed to rent Sol Richer the storefront at 215 S. Gay St., Nancy Richer said. The lease was signed March 17, 1938, and Richer’s Furs opened Sept. 4. Sol brought the rest of his family to Knoxville the same year.

Joseph Richer came to work at the store, bringing with him Sol Richer’s mother and two siblings. Richer’s Furs sold and repaired furs made from animals including muskrats, seals and even skunks, as depicted in a 1938 Knoxville News Sentinel ad.

WNOX and its daily live variety show, the Midday Merry-Go-Round, was nearby. Superstars like Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Archie Campbell, Homer & Jethro and Pee Wee King played there, according to a historical marker placed by the Cradle of Country Music Tour. The guests would often stop by to chat with Sol.

Nancy Richer remembers her father as a man committed to helping others even as he faced challenges himself. “He was so kind and nice to everyone, and there was a lot of terrible anti-Semitism,” she said. “There were very few Jewish businesses downtown. My father was a very gregarious person; he always wanted people to know he was Jewish. He always wanted people to know he would do anything for them.”

Richer’s Furs is gone, but memories of Sol Richer and his store remain

Sol Richer left to serve in World War II, leaving the store in the care of his father, Joseph Richer. When he returned to Knoxville, the store was struggling, Nancy Richer said. It moved to 203 W. Clinch Ave. after the war and remained there until its closure in 1972, according to the News Sentinel.

Nancy Richer recalled a girlhood spent trying on coats and meeting folks who stopped by. It’s tied into her memories of a bygone era of downtown, from the underground portion of Gay Street, trips to Kress 5 and 10 Cent Store and summers when her father would buy her a root beer or Yoo-hoo.

“I remember the store as being a lively and wonderful place that people from all different nationalities and backgrounds came in and talked to him and loved him,” she said. “He was a remarkable man.”

The original Richer’s Furs building was razed when the 200 block of Gay Street was demolished to make way for Summit Hill Drive and additional parking near Crowne Plaza, according to a history of the street by Jack Neely of the Knoxville History Project.

Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com.

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