website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Edwin H. Faber
Faber’s Men’s Store
311 East Main Street
Betty Faber
1960s
Noted in WHS_PC_353
c.1957
311 E Main, 1950s-70s city assessor form, WHS_006_042a
311 E Main, 1950s-70s city assessor image,
WHS_006_042b
1972
07 08 EDWIN H. FABER, SR. TO RETIRE . . . at age 95
Was Businessman Here Over 65 Years
The long career of Edwin Faber, Sr., Watertown businessman for
over 63 years, will come to an end this month when Faber’s Men’s Store, 311
East Main Street, closes its doors.
Mr. Faber, who will celebrate his 95th birthday on Dec. 7, is still
active in the business and comes to the store each afternoon to assist his son
and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin C. Faber, who now operate the store.
Faber’s is presently in the midst of a going-out-of- business sale
and plans call for the final closing of the store later this month.
Mr. Faber said he will continue to be active in a variety of areas
at home and will also get around to other places after his retirement because
“I am a firm believer that the mind controls the body.” He added if one can keep his mind active, his
body will be taken care of by the mind. He said by keeping the mind active, everything
will be OK.
Mr. Faber was born in Olewein, Iowa on
Dec. 7, 1877. The first job he held was
that of a cutter in Milwaukee in 1900. At
that time he helped make clothing for the wealthy persons in Milwaukee.
His first employment in Watertown was with the firm of Schliffler and Wegemann which was located at Third and Main streets,
the location of Salick’s today [1972].
The name was changed to Wegemann and Weber
several years later and then in 1906 he organized his own store at its present
location. That store was known as Wegemann, Faber and Kaercher.
In his earlier business life, Mr. Faber was active in many
community affairs. One of his interests
was the Elk’s Lodge
where he participated in many phases of the club’s work. He was treasurer of the club.
He is a former member of the board of directors of the Wisconsin National Bank.
Mr. Faber was one of the organizers of the old Watertown
Businessmen’s Association.
On the occasion of his 90th birthday Mr. Faber was presented with
a plaque by the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce in appreciation for the many
activities in which he participated. The
plaque noted he was Watertown’s oldest
downtown merchant.
Over the years he was treasurer of the Watertown Canning Company and the Watertown
Wholesale Grocery Company.
After the Faber store is closed, the old fixtures will be sent to
Denver, Colo., where the store will be re-created to appear like one from the
turn of the century, Mr. Faber said.
Mr. Faber takes pride in the cash register used by the store. The register, made by National Cash Register
of Dayton, Ohio, was delivered to the store on Feb. 5, 1906 and “operates as
good today as it did then.” He said it
is one of only approximately 40 all-brass hand tooled cash registers made. The rest were made by mass production. Already several persons have made requests to
purchase the register as an antique but Mr. Faber has not decided where it will
go.
Mr. Faber has a daughter, Miss Betty Faber, librarian at the
Watertown Free Public Library, and two sons, Edwin at the store and Dr. John Faber
of the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, Minn. Another son, the late Dr. William Faber,
was with the Mayo and Hills School at Pottstown, Pa. WDT
Cross Reference:
Is buried in Oak
Hill cemetery
History of Watertown, Wisconsin