Dawahares
| Company type | Retail clothing |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1918 |
| Founder | S.F. Dawahare |
| Defunct | 2008 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy and liquidation |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | more than 20 |
Area served | Kentucky |
| Products | Ralph Lauren, Dooney & Bourke, Tommy, Michael Kors, clothing, footwear |
| Owner | The Dawahare Family |
Dawahares (pronounced DAW-hairs[1]) was an American retail clothing department store chain.
Srur Frank Dawahare, a Syrian immigrant who arrived in the U.S. with only five dollars, Dawahare eventually walked from Harlan to Letcher County as a pack peddler. He established the original Dawahare’s Department Store in Neon around 1918, a business that anchored the town's economy for 71 years and grew into a significant regional chain.[2]
History
Dawahares was founded in 1918 in Neon, Kentucky, by Srur Frank (S. F.) Dawahare, an immigrant from Syria, and remained within the family for four generations.[3][4][5][2]
In 1979, the company expanded into the Cincinnati, Ohio market by acquiring the five-store Martin's Town & Country chain.[6] The chain operated nearly 30 stores in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia,[7] and Ohio.[1]
It declared bankruptcy in 2008 and liquidated its 22 remaining stores.[4]
References
- ^ a b Crocker, Mary Beth (November 24, 1992). "Style". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. C1. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ a b Bowles, Isaac A.; Sturgill, Bascom; Hale, Zelda (1949). History of Letcher County. Lexington, Kentucky: The Hurst Printing Company. p. 26.
- ^ "S. F. Dawahare brief history". The Courier-Journal. 1980-08-17. p. 91. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ a b "Dawahares closing all stores". WKYT. 2008-07-03. Archived from the original on 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ "Dawahare's (sic) Files for Reorganizational Protection". PR Newswire. 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Fields, Gregg (July 19, 1979). "Dawahare's buys Martin's Town & Country". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. C10. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ Jordan, Jim (2008-07-04). "Dawahare's(sic) to close 22 remaining stores". Kentucky.com. Retrieved 2009-03-13.