History of the Shaker Family Store

Mango Block Building, 1895	History of the Shaker Store. The Mango Block Building was built in 1894 by Vincent Mango where Park Avenue ended at Furnace St. (State) and no bridge across the Mosquito Creek existed. At that time, the streets were not paved. The wooden building to the left of the Mango Building, H.Hicks Shoe Making & Repairing, was torn down in 1906 and the East Park Avenue Bridge was built to span the Mosquito Creek waterway. The Niles Cash grocery was one of the first occupants of the first floor of the Mango Building. In 1906, Vincent Mango rented two upstairs rooms to the Italian immigrant workers of Niles as a location to hold Catholic Mass. Isaac Shaker and Joe Abrahim, two Lebanese immigrants, bought the Mango Building (The store always traced its founding to 1907) and remodeled it for a general merchandise store featuring “Ladies and Gent’s Furnishings”. In 1923 the Abrahim & Shaker partnership was dissolved, but from 1907 to 1966 Nilesites continued to purchase clothing in the store from the Shaker Family.	The building and its contents values are listed in this 1914 statement. View of 1913 Flood, the back of the Mango Building is adjacent to the bridge. P01.1017

Paul Shaker-“I went there after nearly every school day to wash windows, do homework and sweep the floors. I remember Mary Williams and Alice Maloney, who were the main employees during the last years, along with Mrs. Marino...I also remember it after my father Simon converted it into his office from about 1966-72. It was a crossroads for the city. I watched from the balcony office among the spindles of wrapping twine as the parade of customers and characters filed through speaking their many languages.”

	Interior photograph, 1935 ca, of the Shaker store with Isaac in the center. The store was first named Shaker and Abraham, then Shaker Brothers, I. Shaker and finally Shaker’s. The two Shaker brothers, Isaac and Akel, ran the store until Isaac bought Akel’s share of the partnership out. Akel then moved to Warren where he opened a grocery store.

Niles Daily Times, 9-17-1930, article of the new Abrahams’ Store opening.	1906 postcard of Furnace Street, now State Street, with the old Central School in the distant background. The location of the Mango Building is marked.	Aerial map showing Park Avenue, the Mango Building, and Niles Firebrick Company. P02.474

	Image(L) shows the Mango Building in the center, the Commercial Hotel across Park Avenue, and the Landmark restaurant on the right. The Landmark was part of the Unger Block. The image(below) is an aerial view of Park Avenue which shows the corner of Park Avenue and State Street with the Mango Building in the center. PO1.869 Image(R) shows the guarantee for all goods that appeared on the back of the sales slip book.

View shows the beginning stage of the demolition of the buildings on State Street as urban renewal began in 1975-6. The Mango building, front left, has already been demolished.	Starting front left: Isaac Shaker’s brother Joseph holding toddler Mitchell Shaker, Isaac Shaker with young son Simon Shaker in front, Isaac Shaker's brother Samuel with unknown toddler in front. Back row left Fred Joseph and Isaac’s brother and partner in the store Akel Shaker. Shaker Aouad, Isaac’s father, never visited America and is not in the photo above. There are a few dozen remaining family members in Batroun and they still occupy the houses and hillside where Isaac was born.	Isaac Shaker’s daughter Josephine Shaker (Stets), my grandmother Sophia Shaker, Grandfather Isaac Shaker and back row left to right, Joseph, Simon and Mitchell Shaker. Sophia Joseph Hickel was Isaac’s wife. Her hometown in Lebanon was Bijji; Batroun is the correct province. Josephine was their daughter. Sophie’s grandmother, a very early immigrant peddler, Kafa Hickel, 1833-1923, is buried at St. Stephens cemetery. Sophie’s family otherwise were victims of the great starvation in Mount Lebanon during WW I.

Wedding certificate of Isaac and Sophia Shaker, married on June 25, 1914.	Sophia Joseph Hickel was born in Bijji, Batroun, Lebanon, on Jan 6, 1897 and died on Oct 13, 1978. Isaac Shaker was born in Toula Batroun, Lebanon on Feb 10, 1887 and died on Oct 3, 1960. Records show that Grandpa listed 1901 as the year domicile was established in the USA.	Three sons of my grandfather Isaac Shaker: Joseph, Mitchell and Simon (youngest to oldest).

Three blue stars are proudly displayed in the window at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Shaker for their sons in the Army, Air Force and Navy, Private First Class Simon Shaker, Midshipman Mitchell Shaker and Aviation Cadet Joseph Shaker.	Mitchell Shaker Interview with Steve Papalas March 14, 1984 Two excerpts from the Stephen Papalas interview as Mitchell Shaker recalls memories of downtown Niles, his political beginnings and Niles politics. “As you went up Park Avenue, you had Paul’s Cut Rate, Abraham’s Store. That is where the Recreation room is now. If you look on top of the Recreation room building, you will see Abraham’s. That was Abraham’s Store. He started out with a clothing store like the rest of them. It changed into a furniture store. The Home Federal Savings and Loan was down on the other corner where the Spot Restaurant is. Dollar Bank is where it is now. In between you had Pritchard & Kaye; Hoffman’s was the biggest department store in town.” Steve Papalas: Yes. What possessed you to go into politics? “In college and law school both, I was active extracurricular. I was head of my fraternity in law school. I was president of student council in college and things of that nature. I was always active. It just came natural that what would I do when I got home, and I started practicing law. I found out that it was something that paid $1700 a year, solicitor. They were telling me that my father had been here all of these years, the Shaker family was well known, and I could win. I had a lot of support on both sides of the political sphere.” To download and read the entire Mitchell Shaker interview, click here.

Back view of the Mango Block. PO1.117	Samples of sale receipts from Shaker’s Store	Samples of receipts from Shaker’s Store

State Street in the early 1970s after the Shaker Store had closed its doors.	View of Shaker Store, ca 1970.	Entrance to Shaker & Abraham store