The story
Background and early years
H.B. Claflin & Company began operations in 1843, many years before its official incorporation. In 1868, the company retained the same principal leaders from its start, namely Horace Brigham Claflin, E.E. Eames, and E.W. Bancroft. The main building of the business fronted Church Street (Manhattan) for one hundred feet and extended along Worth Street for another four hundred feet. It continued along West Broadway (Manhattan) for one hundred feet. All of its buildings occupied an area encompassing 48,000 square feet (4,500 m2) in 1868. It employed 700
people full-time and up to 1,000 persons during the busiest seasons. The various departments of H.B. Claflin & Company dealt in lace goods, white goods, flannels, blankets, hosiery, shirts, underwear, shawls, hoods, scarves, and gloves. The company also sold books, and for several years published books under its own imprint The International Book and Publishing Company.
Later years
In 1914, the Claflin stores in New York were C.G. Gunther's Sons; Lord & Taylor; James McCreery & Company; O'Neill Adams Company; H. Batterman Company, Brooklyn; and the Bedford Company, Brooklyn. Claflin interests controlled an additional thirty stores located in various parts of the United States.
From Wikipedia’s article on H.B. Claflin & Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3