Salina Post, in partnership with the Smoky Hill Museum, is proud to present Flashback Friday. Enjoy a weekly tidbit of local history from the staff at Salina Post and the Smoky Hill Museum as we present "Salina-Flashback Fridays"
The German-native Stiefel brothers, Moses and Sigmund, made Salina their home in the late 1880s. During their first years in the United States, the brothers learned the business way of trade. They worked the counters at the Salina Mercantile Co., owned by Jewish immigrant Benjamin A. Litowich before opening their own store.
Litowich tried several business ventures in his first 20 years in Salina. Then in 1896, he opened The Salina Mercantile at 112 N. Santa Fe.
Unlike his first few businesses, this store became a fixture in downtown through 1969. Part of “The Merc’s” success came from the backing and guidance Litowich received from the Rothschild Brothers mercantile which was owned by his in-laws.
Litowich was not just a business owner. He also cared about the development of the city. He served on the streets and alleys committee as well as the corporations and franchise committees and the building committee. The ground where Salina Mercantile once stood is now home to Penny Layne home decor boutique.
In 1904, Stiefel Brothers and Co. opened a two-story building full of merchandise at 117 N. Santa Fe Avenue. It became a successful local business for over 70 years. During that time, the family expanded the store footprint to 119-121 N. Santa Fe Avenue. Moses’ son,Milton, and Sigmund’s son, Frank, carried on the family business and remained active in the community.
The Stiefels retired in 1974, and they sold the business to the small retail chain, Kline’s Department Stores. Kline’s kept the Stiefel name with the tag line, “a Kline store.” In 1980, the Stiefel’s sign was removed, and it was known as Kline’s from 1980 to 1994.
Many shoppers remember Stiefel’s pneumatic tube for making change.
The Stiefel name returned to Santa Fe Avenue when the Fox-Watson Theatre was restored and renamed the Stiefel Theatre. The Stiefels’ legacy is rooted in years of consistent support of downtown progress and improvement.
The two story location that once was Stiefels is still in use today. Big Nose Kate's and Spicolis Toasted Subs.
