New York

The story of John Larkin, Buffalo businessman, and his soap company that was one largest mail -order companies in America and left the legacy of Larkinville.

Born at 13 Clinton Street in Buffalo in 1845, John D. Larkin went on to become one of the most successful businessmen Buffalo has ever had. Developing from his experience in the soap industry with his brother-in-law Justus Weller in Buffalo and Chicago, the Larkin Company, established in 1875, became one of the dominant mail-order businesses in America. In 1885, Larkin and his wife's brother, Elbert Hubbard, promoted ""The Larkin Idea,"" which brought the business a national customer base through ""Factory to Family"" direct sales. At the height of the company, 90,000 ""Larkin Secretaries"" established clubs to bring Larkin soap and other products to women in their neighborhoods. This system of secretaries and clubs created an external promotional engine unlike any other previously known. The company closed in 1967, leaving its mammoth footprint in Buffalo's Hydraulic neighborhood, now aptly called Larkinville.

Buffalo boasts many attractions, from sports teams to unique culinary offerings. The city also once was a shopper's paradise, and those fond memories live on today for generations of locals. Buffalo native Seymour Knox helped his cousin Frank Woolworth open his famous chain of stores nationwide, and Cresbury Clothes remained a multigenerational family business for most of the twentieth century. Well-recognized national chains, like the A&P, and local department stores like AM&A's and Sattler's were among the great retailers that dotted the main streets of the Queen City. Others, like Tops Markets, were bought out by larger corporations. In this new, updated edition, join Buffalo native Michael Rizzo as he revisits the days when Buffalo's streets were lined with stores and its sidewalks crowded with shoppers.

Along with the Dodgers and Prospect Park, the Abraham & Straus department store was a legendary piece of Brooklyn's history and identity.

From Abraham Abraham's modest store of 1865, A&S developed into one of America's largest department stores, eventually becoming a charter member of the powerful Federated Department Stores Corporation in 1929. Known for unparalleled customer and employee loyalty, the stores rode a wave of demographic and economic changes. Today, the former Fulton Street Abraham & Straus operates as a Macy's and remains one of America's last downtown department stores. Author, historian and lecturer Michael J. Lisicky chronicles the rise and fall of Brooklyn's iconic store.