Ohrbach's was a moderate-priced department store with a merchandising focus primarily on clothing and accessories. From its modest start in 1923 until the chain's demise in 1987, Ohrbach's expanded dramatically after World War II, and opened numerous branch locations in the New York and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. Its original flagship store was located on Union Square in New York City. It maintained administrative offices in Newark and in Los Angeles. The retailer closed the Newark offices in the 1970s. Paul László designed the Union Square store as well as many of their other stores. History Ohrbach's first store opened on October 4, 1923, in the fire-damaged building where Adolph Zukor operated the world's first nickelodeon. Founder Nathan M. Ohrbach launched his store with partner Max Wiesen, a dress manufacturer. After a time there was a dispute between the partners. Wiesen refused to sell so Ohrbach leased quarters nearby to open a second store thus forcing Wiesen to sell. Sale policies When Ohrbach opened his store, he believed in cutting service to the bare essentials and sharing the savings with his customers. He also priced his goods in even numbers, while most of his competitors priced their goods in odd prices. Wiesen brought women's ready-to-wear in the form of job lots, seconds, manufacturer's overstock and irregulars. Ohrbach sold these in large volume at low prices. After buying Wiesen's interest in 1928, he added men's and children's furnishings and accessories. He started to “trade up” his women's wear and offer higher style garments. Other policies formalized at this time were: no price advertising, minimal sales force, no alterations, no deliveries, cash and carry and no special sales periods. Expansion to California The growth of the fashion industry in California encouraged the company's expansion to the state. The firm utilized the services of a buying office in Los Angeles as early as 1939, and by 1945 opened its own. In 1948, it leased three floors and the mezzanine in a wing of the Welton Becket– William Wurdeman designed Prudential Insurance Company building on Wilshire Boulevard’s Miracle Mile. The success of the Miracle Mile store led the firm in 1953 to open another branch in Downtown Los Angeles when it acquired the twelve-story Milliron's building at 5th and Broadway. The success at this branch was short-lived. It first closed five floors as an economic move, and in 1959 closed the branch because of