Nauheim is a business that went from a single druggist named Simieon Nauheim in the late 1870’s to a chain of drug stores that lasted into the early 1930’s.
Born in 1859, according to census records (1900) Nauheim arrived in the United States from England in 1865. By 1880/1881 he was listed as a druggist in the New York City Directory at 44 W 3rd Street and in the 1886 Directory at 988 3rd Avenue. In the September 22, 1888 issue of the “Pharmaceutical Record” he was one of 29 businesses that signed the following letter dated September 17, 1888:
To Our Brother Pharmacists: All trades and callings in our time strive to bring about shorter hours of work. Why should not we also? Therefore, we the undersigned, hereby agree to close our stores on and after October 20, 1888 at 10 o’clock pm.
In 1889, the “Western Druggist” printed a story that Nauheum had moved his business to 741 Lexington Avenue:
In Lexington Avenue two new and handsome druggeries have flung their banners to the breeze and will do business on the good old principles of excellent articles at living prices. Simieon Nauheim’s is on the corner of that Avenue and Fifty-Ninth Street in an excellent neighborhood business. G M Uhlig…
He remained at this location until 1902. An article in the April 10, 1902 Issue of the “Pharmaceutical Record” stated:
S Nauheim sold his building on the southeast corner of 59th Street and Lexington Avenue and will move his drug store to No 750 Lexington Avenue between 59th and 60th Streets on the west side. It is said Mr Nauheim realized a handsome profit on the sale of his property.
Around this time, a business card advertisement in the 1902 Issue of “Round About New York” calls Nauhein a Druggist and Dispensing Chemist: “Perscriptions a specialty under my personal attention.” The 1905 ERA Directory indicated that the 750 Lexington Avenue location provided services in the following categories: drugs and medicine, drug sundries, tobacco or cigars, books or stationary and that the business had a soda fountain. The main store and offices of Nauheim Pharmacy remained at 750 Lexington Avenue well into the 1930’s.
According to the “American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record”, Nauheim sold the business in 1906:
Simieon Nauheim, formerly proprietor of the S Nauheim Pharmacy at 750 Lexington Avenue, has sold the business, stock and fixtures of the store at that address to James Lurie and Abraham S Stoller.
Ten years later, Lurie and Stoller began to grow the business. In October 1916, the “Practical Druggist” reported:
Messrs Lurie and Stoller, Proprietors of the S Nauheim Pharmacy at 748 Lexington Avenue near 59th Street, New York, announce the opening of Nauheim Pharmacy No 2 at Broadway and 103rd Street where they will give the same high-grade service that has characterized the Lexington Avenue store for years.”
And in December of 1919 the same publication reported:
The well known store of Carter and Robinson, 73rd Street and Columbus Avenue, New York City, has been sold to Stoller and Lurie, proprietors of Nauheim Pharmacies. This is the fourth store to come under their ownership.
In 1928, the Nauheim Pharmacy chain of stores had grown to 26, at which time the business incorporated as Nauheim Pharmacies, Inc.. Two years later, the business apparently reached its pinnacle when according to a story that appeared in the September 1, 1931 edition of the “Mount Vernon Argus,” the Nauheim chain had reached 30 stores.
Nauheim Pharmacies, Inc., was formed in 1928 to acquire 26 drug stores located in the New York metropolitan district. The original business was established in 1878. In the last two years 8 new units have been added with four disposals. The company now operates 30 drug stores.
The story went on to indicate a rapid decline, likely caused by the Great Depression.
In 1928 net income was $40,805. It dropped to $30,829 in 1929 and in 1930 a deficit of $109,507 was reported.
Ultimately, in 1933, the April 9th edition of the New York “Daily News”” reported that the company had filed for bankruptcy.
NAUHEIM DRUG STORES BROKE
The Nauheim Pharmacy, Inc., which operates an extensive chain of drug stores in Manhattan and Brooklyn yesterday filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy. Liabilities were given as $275,347 and assets as $57,233, plus inventory values of $247,712.
Pharmacy advertisements that include the Nauheim name totally vanish by 1938.
The bottle I found is small (maybe 1-2 oz) with a tooled finish. It has the Nauheim name embossed on it but no address. Embossing on the base indicates it was made by Whitehall Tatum Company (W.T. Co). The fact that there’s no ampersand (between the T and Co) indicates it was made after that business incorporated in 1901. A web site article on Whitehall Tatum puts the specific embossing in the 1901 to 1924 time frame. Mouth blown, the subject bottle likely dates to the early half of that period so its probably associated with the 750 Lexington Avenue location.