A.S. BECK, West 34th Street

by Kevin Walsh

Hungarian immigrant Alexander Samuel Beck opened a shoe store with his brother Samuel on Fulton Street in Brooklyn in 1909. After the partnership with his brother dissolved he opened a more successful store on Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint in 1914, and Beck was able to expand. After a sale to Saul Schiff in 1945 there were 147 stores in the East, Midwest and South, with as many as 18 stores in Manhattan. Business declined after that, and the store this sign illustrates was the last one remaining in Manhattan at #128 West 34th, across the street from Macy’s, when it closed in 1982.

Subsequent owners have found it too expensive or a pain in the neck to remove, and thus the Deco-y sign’s a reminder of an age when people wore shoes other than sneakers.

9/3/13

14 comments

queensbee September 4, 2013 - 10:30 am

i shopped there all the time. they had a store in jamaica, one of my haunts. i think they were in a couple malls too. miss them!

Reply
Old Skool September 4, 2013 - 3:38 pm

Nice light Kevin. Picks up the detail.

Reply
Bob Sklar September 24, 2013 - 11:33 am

Seeing is believing!

Reply
Frank John Del Monte March 23, 2014 - 5:42 pm

My grandfather, Giovanni (John) Arrone Del Monte carved a large statue that was placed “. . . on the A.S.Shoe Store on 5th Avenue . . . in NYC” according to the caption. I’d be happy to email you a copy of the photo if you’d like. Perhaps the statue might still exist somewhere?

Reply
David M beck March 20, 2017 - 12:07 pm

Hi my name is David Beck and I was told by my cousin Bernice that AS Beck is our Great Grandfathers brother . I am currently gathering genealogical information and would like to know if you have any contact with AS Becks family I would appreciate it if you could let me know my telephone no is 215-327-3827 and my email dmbeck57@yahoo.com thanx very much look forward to hearing from you David

Reply
Lynn N September 6, 2017 - 6:33 am

I am cleaning out my parents house and have an AS Beck shoe horn if anyone is interested in it. Happy to send it along to someone that it would have meaning to. Email me at lneacy24@hotmail.com

Thanks

Reply
Lisa Nilsson September 28, 2017 - 3:53 pm

My mother said that she worked at this store back in the 40’s and 50’s. Wonderful website!

Reply
Carole Eddington February 6, 2018 - 5:00 pm

Apparently, my great uncle Harry Cohen worked there in 1928. I don’t know when he started or finished there, but he was apparently quite successful.

Reply
Dianne Nelson June 19, 2018 - 12:31 pm

My grandfather, August Henry Lehmann, was the Treasurer for this company. Very successful.

Reply
Martin K December 9, 2018 - 7:35 pm

My grandfather – Louis B. Keane – worked in the main office of AS Beck for many decades, before retiring in the late 1960’s.

Reply
Phyllis Godshall May 30, 2019 - 10:27 pm

Very interesting to hear the above comments! It sounds like it was a great company. I have one of their shoe hooks in very good condition.

Reply
Floyd September 30, 2019 - 9:22 am

My grandmother worked for A.S. Beck 35 years, starting as his personal secretary. When she got older & lost her looks, A.S. was kind enough to keep her on & she was relegated to scraping gum off their sidewalk & floors. She was so grateful that she always had his portrait hanging above her headboard (much to my grandfather’s chagrin.) It wasn’t until after grandfather’s death that she divulged my auntie was in fact my half-auntie.

Reply
Joan Ryter January 17, 2021 - 1:40 pm

My grandfather, Edward Bastable, worked for A. S. Beck both in NY and Boston. Years were maybe during the forties and fifties??

Reply
Beth Greenwald March 23, 2021 - 1:40 pm

I grew up on the Uooer east side of Manhattan. That store was great, I was too young to shop there but remember the shoes on display.
Love “Saks 34th Street” which is now “The Manhattan Mall. City kids love bargains. Lower East Side to A. Altman on Orchard Street

Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.