| | Abstract: | Charles Cort emigrated to Cleveland, Ohio, from Gederowitz, Lithuania, in 1904. In 1906, he was joined by his wife, Tzeviah and their children. Charles Cort's sons, Al, Abe, and Lou, were introduced to the shoe business in Cleveland through helping out in their uncle's store, and then through work at various shoe stores in Cleveland. In September 1919, Abe Cort, along with his friend Phil Berman, purchased Oppenheimer's Shoe Store at Woodland Ave. and 37th St., renaming it the Cort Shoe Store. The Cort brothers, Al, Abe, Lou, and Paul, eventually became full partners in the Cort Shoe Company, which at its peak owned fifty-five stores. Most were called Cort Shoes, but several operated under the names King, Reed, Belmar, and Economy Shoe Companies. Stores were located in many northern Ohio communities. By the late 1970s, Cort Shoe Company went out of business. The collection consists of newspaper clippings, correspondence, family history, financial records, and legal documents. | |
