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W. A. Karsch, who conducted a shoe store here for 8 or 10 years, but had spent the past six years as manager of the shoe department in Tucker's store, has opened a shoe store in the room of the Karsch building, which he owns. He resigned his position at Tucker's a couple of months ago and has since been busily engaged in making preparations for the opening of his own place of business.
Mr. Karsch has been directly connected with the shoe industry since his boyhood. His father was a pioneer shoe man of Farmington. He owned a stock in his father's business up to the time of his opening his first store in Flat River.
Mr. Karsch says it is his ambition to establish the best shoe store in Southeast Missouri, and that he will carry a complete stock, and one broad enough to meet all needs of all people.
"It will seem strange not to have Karsch's shoe store on the street," remarked a Lead Belt News reporter the other day to J. W. Hodges and N. G. McElroy of Cape Girardeau, the new owners, and their manager, Howard Hawkins. "Well, don't let that bother you," one of them hastened to explain, "for we expect to continue to use the same firm name, for the name Karsch means much in the shoe business in this community."
Just how true the last part of that statement is, perhaps the speaker didn't know, but in St. Francois County the name Karsch is a synonym for good shoes.
Mr. Karsch's father, John M. Karsch, was a journeyman's shoemaker with a shop at old Valley Forge where he made shoes by hand and then sold them from door to door. He made regular trips over the old wooden plank road from Iron Mountain to Ste. Genevieve during the time the iron mines were booming and iron ore was hauled to Ste. Genevieve and loaded on boats and shipped by water.
On December 24, 1871 the elder Karsch bought a shoe shop from Mike Beiser of Farmington, housed in a building where the Klein Grocery store is now located. This was where W. A. Karsch was born.
When young "Bill" Karsch left school in January 1900, he and his brother, Jake, became associated with their father in business.
On October 19, 1906, Mr. Karsch came to Flat River and opened a shoe store on Main Street and has been in business in five different locations on Main Street. His first store was in the Higgins building, moving from there to where the store is now located. In 1913 Mr. Karsch built the Scott and Woolworth buildings, and accepted employment in the shoe department of Famous-Barr in St. Louis. In 1916, he returned to Flat River and opened his shoe store in the Scott building, where he remained until 1930, moving to the Harrington Building, now occupied by Goodman's Store. In 1938 he moved back to the present location.
Mr. Karsch has six brothers and two sisters: George Karsch, president of the Lead Belt Amusement Co.; Fred Karsch, John Karsch and Charles Karsch of Farmington; Ed Karsch, who has been in business for thirty-five years in Leadwood; Adam Karsch, San Gabriel, Calif.; Misses Lena and Emma Karsch, graduate nurses, who live in Farmington.
Mr and Mrs. W. A. Karsch have a son, J. Albert Karsch, who has his degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and for fifteen years was advertising manager of the Ironwood Daily Globe at Ironwood, Mich. Two years ago he was promoted to business manager.
Mr. Karsch has no definite future plans but says he feels he needs a rest and vacation after the war period of scarce merchandise and shoe rationing. He and Mrs. Karsch have lived at 357 West Main Street for the past 27 years and they intend to relax at home for awhile, then visit their son and daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, Gretchen.