Richter & Phillips Co Verified listing

In 1896, C. Edward Richter and three brothers named Phillips opened a store in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The store, called "The Richter & Phillips Company," offered a variety of items to customers, with jewelry being the main focus. Salesmen traveled across the country with large trunks full of jewelry, selling to other jewelry companies. The showroom displayed jewelry, diamonds, and gifts.

The store also offered catalog shopping. Customers could order items from their nationwide mail-order catalogs, which included jewelry, gifts, luggage, purses, trophies, plaques, clocks, electrical appliances, sporting goods, musical instruments, dolls, and toys.

Mr. Richter and the Phillips brothers worked hard to keep the company running for forty years. The downtown store did well, along with the catalogs and traveling salesmen. However, in 1930, during the Great Depression, The Richter & Phillips Company had to file for bankruptcy. A diamond salesman named Frederick W. Fehr, who worked for a different company, took his loose diamonds to the 2nd National Bank. The bank loaned him the money to buy the store and keep it open. Over the next few years, Mr. Fehr bought out all the remaining stockholders, turning The Richter & Phillips Company into a family-owned business.

Mr. Fehr, along with his right-hand man, Lawrence Fledderman, continued to run the company through World War II. Located in the Temple Bar Building at the corners of Court and Main Streets, Mr. Fehr handled all the diamond and jewelry deals, while Mr. Fledderman took care of everything else.