Bromberg's

Bromberg's is a jewelry, crystal, silver and gift retailer with four locations in the Birmingham area and one in Montgomery. The firm was founded by Prussian immigrant Frederick Bromberg in Mobile in 1836 and is the oldest company in Alabama.

Bromberg travelled to the New York in 1832 after Napoleon's invasion made his village (Bromberg) a part of Poland. He worked as a silversmith and married Lisette Cunigarde Dorothea Beetz, a native of Hamburg. On the recommendation of acquaintances, the couple set off for the port of Mobile to start a new life together. They arrived on the packet boat Lewis Cass, he wasted no time setting up shop at the corner of Walter & St Michael streets. He started by stocking musical instruments, pianos and sheet music, gradually adding jewelry and gifts. He did well at first, but the panic of 1837, accompanied by a fire that destroyed his store two years later, forced Bromberg to start from scratch.

At his second store, at 22 Dauphin Street, Bromberg added furniture, toys and antiques to his inventory. A yellow fever epidemic threatened the business again as most of the city was affected. Mrs Bromberg, weakened by the disease, was sent to Cambridge, Massachusetts for its more healthful climate while Frederick labored alone. She returned in 1840, and the business finally started to grow and prosper.

Bromberg's sons, Frederick G. and Charles, and his son-in-law Emil O. Zadek all joined the business, which was interrupted by the Civil War. When the elder Bromberg died in 1884, Charles and Zadek took over the business as partners. Over time, Charles became enamored of living in Bayou la Batre, where he had begun operating a resort, and Zadek took over daily operations of the Bromberg store.

Charles' son, Frederick W. Bromberg grew up in the family business and, in 1900, made the decision to open a store in the rapidly growing city of Birmingham. He found a space in Linn's Folly, the first home of the First National Bank of Birmingham.

External link

• Bromberg's website