Flint & Kent
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1832 |
| Defunct | 1956 |
| Fate | Sold to The Sample[1] |
| Headquarters | Buffalo, New York |
| Products | Clothing |
Flint & Kent was an upscale department store based in Buffalo, New York.
History
It had its roots in a dry good store that opened in 1832 by Benjamin Fitch (1802–1883) at 288 Main Street, Buffalo. In 1836, the store was called Fitch, Marvin & Co., then Fitch & Marvin — the second name reflecting Fitch's partner, Eurotas Marvin (1810–1887)[1]
On February 17, 1865, the owners — (i) Ethan Howe Howard (1812–1898), (ii) Joshua Mortimer Whitcomb (1821–1897), and (iii) William Bradford Flint (1826–1887), operating as co-partnership under the name Howard, Whitcomb & Co. — dissolved their partnership and sold their interest to a newly formed co-partnership of (a) William Bradford Flint, (b) Henry Mellen Kent (1823–1894), and (c) R.P. Stone, operating as a co-partnership under the name Flint, Kent & Stone. On October 25, 1866, Stone sold his interest to Henry Cogswell Howard (Ethan Howard's son; 1847–1913) and the firm henceforth was known as Flint, Kent & Howard. The eventually became known as Flint & Kent.[2]
In 1856 William Bradford Flint (1826–1887) joined the company, followed by Henry Mellen Kent (né Henry Mellen Kent; 1823–1894) in 1865, the store became known as Flint, Kent & Stone – and eventually just Flint & Kent.[1] In 1897, Flint & Kent moved its flagship store from 554 Main Street to a building that was designed by Edward Austin Kent, Henry Kent's son and noted Buffalo architect who died in 1912 as a passenger aboard the RMS Titanic.[1]
Sale
In 1954, the company was sold to "Jack" Hahn (né Charles John Hahn, Jr.; 1927–2014), whose father owned Sattler's. The company was sold in 1956, to The Sample.[1] Jack Hahn, a Buffalo native and 1949 alumnus of Princeton University, sold the company in 1956 to The Sample and went on to Harvard Law School, graduating in 1960.
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ a b c d e LaChiusa, Chuck. "Flint & Kent Dry Goods /Hippodrome Theater". www.buffaloah.com. Buffalo Architecture and History. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Howard, Whitcomb & Co." becomes "Flint, Kent & Stone" (paid announcement), The Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, Vol. 31, No. 11433, February 18, 1865, p. 3, col. 8; OCLC 16095896
- Sources
- Rizzo, Michael F. (2007) Nine Nine Eight: The Glory Days of Buffalo Shopping Lulu Enterprises, Inc.; Morrisville, North Carolina. ISBN 978-1-4303-1386-1.
- Elvins, Sarah (2004). Sales & Celebrations: Retailing and Regional Identity in Western New York State, 1920-1940. ISBN 0-8214-1549-2.