Simon Goldstein Papers

Simon Goldstein (1870-1952) was a retail dealer in clothing, bags, and trunks in Salem Massachusetts from 1897 to 1952. Simon was born in Poland in 1871 and immigrated to the United States in 1885. In 1890, he married Anna (Annie) Schultz (1878-1969) also from Poland. Together the couple had seven children, five of which survived infancy. Simon first appears in the Salem Directory in 1897. He is listed as owning a clothing store, S. Goldstein & Co. along with Samuel Bernstein at 37 Lafayette Street. Around 1903, Simon appeared to have separated from Bernstein and expanded his business to 17-19 Front Street. His wife Annie worked alongside him as a bookkeeper at both locations. In 1908 and 1911, Goldstein was petitioned by creditors that claimed he operated his store with “the intention of defrauding creditors.” In 1912, he filed for bankruptcy. Around this time, Goldstein’s store became Outlet Clothing House, with Annie often appearing in directories as the proprietor and Simon listed as a manager. In 1920, the Goldstein family purchased a home at 193 Lafayette Street; Simon lived there until his death in 1952.