Straus Clothing

Meanwhile, Adolph Sternberg's wife Anna encouraged her niece Frederecka (Rickie)'s husband Morris G. Straus to open a clothing business in Casselton, 40 miles away, in 1897.

[5] In 1939, Herman Stern purchased The Esquire Shop in Fargo[16] for $1200,[17] which was managed by his younger son Ed.

[17] Ed Stern oversaw a major expansion in the Straus business during the prosperous post-war period.

A fire destroyed the downtown Fargo store in 1963 (intentionally set by the manager of the business next door, in an attempt to hide the embezzlement of funds from auditors[17]), but Straus rebuilt and reopened in the same location.

[21] Before Fargo's first shopping mall opened in 1972, Straus Clothing was the first to negotiate a contract for a store in that space.

In the mid-1970s, the Stern family opened their own multi-level small shopping mall in Valley City, with Straus Clothing as the anchor store.

Four of the Straus stores were located in downtown shopping districts in North Dakota, which saw less business as shoppers departed for malls.

[16] In late 2015, with none of their children interested in taking over the business, Rick and John Stern announced the closure of Straus Clothing in January, 2016.

Shortly thereafter, Chad Herring, step-son of John Stern, along with his wife Dorene, announced their intentions to revive the store.

Chad, who had previously worked at the Straus store in Fargo's West Acres mall during his twenties, returned to the area after gaining experience in various other businesses.

[33] Between about 1934 and 1941, Herman Stern worked tirelessly to rescue more than 140 German Jews from the Holocaust by bringing them to the United States, beginning with members of his own family, and eventually helping more distant relatives, friends, and acquaintances.