[1] His family was originally from Germany but soon returned to Berlin and opened a general merchandise store.
[1] After the American Civil War, the family immigrated to New York City where they opened Cohen Brothers, a company dedicated to the import of dry goods (textiles, clothing, and sundries).
[1] In 1867, two of his brothers, Morris and Samuel visited Jacksonville, Florida, which was still recovering from the Civil War and recognized the pent-up demand for dry goods.
[1] Jacob established a "one-price" policy with fixed price tags where there was no negotiating involved, an unusual practice at the time.
[1] In 1901, Jacksonville burned to the ground and Cohen built a 300,000 square foot store on the site of the burned down St. James Hotel designed by Architect Henry John Klutho promising that the building would be "institution for the people.