Heritage in the Hat: The greatest sale on earth

By Medicine Hat News on August 19, 2017.

The headline to this column was the headline used in Harry Fefferman’s “Hub Clothing Store” ad on Oct. 14, 1931. In fact, according to the ad, there was total “havoc wrought” at the store and Harry was the “chief mourner in this wreckage.” The shopper was advised that “seldom a high-class store takes such tremendous losses as Harry Fefferman takes here and now. HAVE YOUR MONEY READY!” So, who was Harry Fefferman and where on earth could one find these exciting bargains?

The store in question was indeed the Hub Clothing Store, then located at 228 South Railway Street. Both the store and its original high-pressure advertising campaigns began 100 years ago in 1917. At that time, Harry’s cousin Morris Fefferman contracted Morton Fulton, the builder of many local landmarks such as the Corona Hotel, to construct a new store on South Railway Street. The original building on the site, which had operated as “Fefferman Bros. Bargain Store,” under the proprietorship of Morris and Sol Fefferman, was demolished in March 1917.

Before the old building came down, the local shoppers were hit with a print advertising blitz that ran for weeks hyping the sale of the old stock at the “greatest sacrifice yet known!” By the summer of 1917, contractor Fulton had completed the new building and the new store, “Fefferman’s,” now run solely by Morris, opened its doors.

However, the business was short-lived. Morris soon decided to quit the retail business and began another advertising campaign to liquidate the stock. Unusual for the times, the store stayed open every night until 9 p.m. during the stock liquidation sale. In 1918, the business became the “Hub Clothing Store.” By 1920, Morris had sold the building and moved to Great Falls.

The proprietorship was then taken over by Harry Fefferman, who continued the Fefferman style of advertising. Harry ran the “Hub” until 1955. It continued in this location, under the direction of Harry’s business partner William Klasky until around 1960 when the business moved to Third Street.

Today the building is vacant, and its future uncertain. It is hard to imagine that this now abandoned building was once the “Hub” of the historical downtown core.

This is the last of a three-part series featuring the commercial buildings that turned 100 in 2017. All three buildings were presented with a Centennial Certificate prepared by the Historical Resources Committee on behalf of the City of Medicine Hat.

Malcolm Sissons is the Chair of the City’s Heritage Resources Committee. This article was researched and prepared by Committee Member Sally Sehn.