Solomons Stores- Origins and Early Growth

Solomon’s Stores, formally known as S. Solomon & Company, was founded in 1884 by Charles Sonnenberg and Samson Solomon. According to Max Sonnenberg, the partners “soon built up the firm until it was the biggest country store in the whole Cape.”

​

Beyond its flagship operation in Vryburg, the business initially operated stores in Laingsburg in the Karoo, as well as smaller trading posts in Taung, Mareetsane, and Kraaipan. By 1891, Samson Solomon had moved to the Cape, leaving the daily management of the business to his son Charles.

​

In later years, the Solomon family sold their equity to Julius Rosenblatt, and Charles Sonnenberg transferred responsibility for the firm to his nephew, Max Sonnenberg. An article published in The Stellelander in 1973—shared with me by Avi Hechter—confirms that the Vryburg branch remained a major commercial enterprise through the 1930s and beyond.

​

 The Vryburg Store

Located on Market Street, in the centre of town, Solomon’s Stores combined the functions of a general dealer (grocery) and a trading post where farmers sold agricultural produce. As Max Sonnenberg recalled, the business operated both wholesale and retail departments.

​

At its peak, the store employed 25 clerks, many of whom were Jewish. Its trading area was vast: customers travelled from as far away as German South West Africa, sometimes trekking for weeks to reach Vryburg.

​

The store’s physical infrastructure reflected its scale. The yard was large enough to accommodate ox-wagons, which regularly arrived to offload hides, horns, bales of wool, and occasionally even ivory from the cattle districts of the Kalahari and the Western Transvaal. Rooms on the premises housed farm workers while they conducted business.

​

Architecturally, Solomon & Co. was the most imposing building in Vryburg at the time—150 feet long, solidly built of stone, and occupying the site opposite the present Town Hall. Like other buildings in the district, it was single-storied, with ploughs, sugar bags, and tobacco displayed on the veranda.

 

Changes in Ownership

In 1920, the Sonnenberg and Rosenblatt families sold the business to Schneier and London Ltd, a Johannesburg-based firm. Under the new owners, the business suffered from poor management and sustained significant losses.

​

In 1933, Solomon’s Stores was taken over by Ephraim Hechter, with Harry Joffe brought in to manage operations. In his memoirs, Joffe records that the company lost £50,000 between 1929 and 1933, partly due to the Great Depression and partly because of mismanagement.

​

Hechter had met Harry Joffe and his brothers at Grasfontein, on the Lichtenburg alluvial diamond diggings. By this stage, Hechter had already been involved in several small retail ventures in the Transvaal, including a partnership in Vryburg established in 1931.​ 

​

Headermans:

Alongside Solomon’s, Ephraim Hechter partnered with Zalman Davidovitz to establish Headermans. As Joe Davidovitz explained, the name combined Hechter and Davidovitz, with the suffix “mans” inspired by well-known chains such as Greatermans and Ackermans.

​

Headermans was a modern retail building, far more contemporary than Solomon’s. It was organised into multiple departments, including:

• a ladies’ section (run by Pessha Davidovitz),

• a men’s department,

• hardware (managed by Ben Kruger),

• haberdashery,

• grocery,

• and a section catering specifically to African consumers.

 

The store backed onto an old church that served as a storeroom. Joe Davidovitz recalls a chronic shortage of bridal dresses during one period, prompting his mother to make wedding gowns from netting.

​

Headermans’ main competitor was the local Co-operative. During the Second World War, supporters of the Ossewa Brandwag urged Afrikaners to patronise the Co-op and boycott Jewish-owned stores such as Headermans.

​

After nearly two years, Davidovitz and Hechter parted ways, and Ephraim Hechter bought out his partner’s interest.

​

Solomon’s Stores under Ephraim Hechter

Under Hechter’s ownership, Solomon’s Stores entered a period of relative stability and success. Hechter was supported by Harry Joffe, Joe Joffe, and Max Cohen, all of whom later became successful entrepreneurs.

A letter to Harry Joffe by his colleagues ahead of his departure in 1938 attests to the high regard in which he was held. Following his departure, Solomon’s was managed by Hymie Arenson, Jatz Katz, and Percy (“Oom Piet”) Leibowitz.

Jack Katz and his wife Zara eventually left Vryburg for the Rand after three decades, following the sale of the business. Meish Arenson, son of Hymie, famously quipped that his father had arrived for a short stint and stayed more than twenty years. Meish also recalls driving the Solomon’s delivery truck at the age of twelve.

​​

Selwyn Leibowitz reminisces:

 

"My dad ran the wholesale section and used to travel to country towns and to the mines in Kuruman to sell to them. Also to shops on farms. I often went with him during school holidays. Allot of the roads were like farm roads and my job was to open the gates that divided the land. My dad was with Solomon's for 40 years plus. The wholesale section was the first to close, all the asbestos mines started closing and that was a great loss to them."

 

Employment and the ‘Griners’

A notable feature of Solomon’s Stores, Vryburg Wholesalers, and related enterprises was their role in employing new Jewish immigrants, commonly referred to as “Griners.” Joe Davidovitz recalls that local businessmen actively recruited newcomers and even housed them temporarily.

The Davidovitz family home included a small rondawel, used as bachelor accommodation. One such Griner was a Ben Kruger, whose artwork Joe Davidovitz still owns. These businesses collectively employed a significant portion of Vryburg’s Jewish population.

 

The Indian Trading Community

One of Solomon’s principal competitors was MC Ghoors, established in Vryburg in 1903. The Ghoor family were likely Gujarati Indians, either descendants of indentured labourers brought to Natal in 1860 or voluntary “passenger Indians.” After completing their indenture, many became Free Indians with British citizenship and migrated inland, drawn by the Kimberley diamond rush.

​

Like Jewish traders, Indian merchants relied on strong kinship networks and achieved notable commercial success. Max Sonnenberg recounts that as Vryburg grew, Indian traders became formidable competitors, prompting attempts to restrict or expel them. Sonnenberg strongly opposed these efforts, warning that similar discrimination could one day be applied to Jews or other groups.

​

A voluntary agreement was eventually reached, limiting the number of Indian shops to approximately 30–40. However, under the Separate Areas Act of 1950, Indian-owned businesses were forced to relocate from Market Street to the designated Indian area of town. Despite this, businesses such as Ghoors continue to thrive. Both Avi Hechter and Joe Davidovitz recall close interactions between their families and the Ghoors.

 

What is striking from the Stellanader article on Solomon’s Stores is that the management of Solomon’s Stores made a Rand1,000 donation both in 1967 and in 1973 to the town. No less remarkable, was the insistence that a third of the gift be availed to non-Europeans. As seen earlier, Solomon's also donated towards the Shul. 

​

Civic Contributions

Notably, The Stellanader records that Solomon’s Stores donated R1,000 to the town in both 1967 and 1973, with the explicit stipulation that one-third of the funds be allocated to non-Europeans. The firm also contributed financially to the local synagogue, underscoring its civic engagement and social conscience. 

  ​