The A L Schweim Co
The 1910 census revealed a business enterprise: Anna Schweim is listed as having her own income; daughter Julia's occupation is listed as "Fancy Store" and industry as "Own Store;" daughter Anna L has an occupation of "Fancy Store" and industry as "Clerk."
The fancy store is the A L Schweim Company, Ladies Furnishings, at 116 Gratiot in about 1900 and later around 1910 at 89 Gratiot, Detroit.
Gratiot Avenue
The 1900 Polk's Detroit Business Directory lists "Schwiem A L, 116 Gratiot av," in the Notions, Retail section. This is the first instance found of the "A L Schweim Co" that becomes "Schweim's Bazaar."
In 1900, 116 Gratiot was between Brush and Beaubien. Street numbers have changed and addresses there today would be from about 400 to 548.
City directories in 1901, 1903, 1905, and 1906 list AL Schweim in Notions, Retail and the Ladies' Furnishings Goods categories at 116 Gratiot.
The 1910 Polk's Detroit City Directory lists "Anna L. (A L Schweim Co, bds 420 Pennsylvania av." The next listing is "A L Co (Anna L Herman and Julia E Schweim), ladies' furngs, 89 Gratiot av."
An 18 November 1900 Detroit Free Press has an ad for Blumenthal's Furniture at 89 Gratiot. The 1900 Polk's Detroit Business Directory lists Harry S. Blumenthal as secretary and treasurer of Globe Paper and Furniture at 89 Gratiot. In 1905, the Globe House Furnishing Co is at 89 Gratiot. An interesting history of Gratiot Avenue can be found here.
89 Gratiot is situated between Randolph and Brush, a few blocks to the northeast of the district occupied by the rapidly expanding Kern and JL Hudson department stores at Woodward and Gratiot. Nearby at Farmer and Gratiot is the large Pardridge & Blackwell store. It occupied the western half of the block bounded by Farmer Street, Gratiot Avenue, Library and Monroe Streets and becomes Crowley Milner in 1909.
This view from the Shorpy collection looks north on Gratiot from Woodward in about 1908. Hudson's is to the left; Kern's is to the right; Pardridge & Blackwell's is the white, six-story building in the center background.
An insightful article in Curbed Detroit has a lovely image from the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library with a Woodward Avenue streetscape of the Hudson's block that Anna certainly traveled.
Below: a 1911 Detroit City Directory listing the A L Schweim Co. Now it looks like it is a real family business with siblings Anna, Herman and Julia, plus Herman's son Egmont (Bookkeeper) and daughter Mildred (Clerk) working at 89 Gratiot. The families lived at 306 and 420 Pennsylvania Avenue, between Jefferson and St. Paul. Three digit Pennsylvania Avenue street numbers do not exist today - and neither do all but one of the homes on Pennsylvania - at 1291.
Below: A 1913 Polk's Detroit City Directory, now lists the business as Schweim's Bazaar. The business appears in the 1914 edition also. A search of the 1914 directory revealed no other business operating at 89 Gratiot.
The shop closed six months before mother Anna's death (Anna Stark Schweim died 6 September 1916).
Below: A March 7, 1916 Detroit Times newspaper ad announcing the close out of inventory from Schweim's Bazaar by Blackwell's operating at the same address. Today, addresses near Randolph on Gratiot are shown as being in the mid-200s, not 89. No historical images have been found of Schweim's Bazaar or Blackwell's at this location.
Today, the block on Gratiot between Randolph and Brush where Schweim's Bazaar was located contains the Hilton Garden Inn Detroit Downtown hotel, a 10-story building built in 2003.
It is quite likely that Anna, Julia, Herman, Egmont and Mildred would be hard pressed to find recognizable landmarks there - with the exception of the Breitmeyer building - which was a brand-new marvel when it was completed in 1906
This image of the Breitmeyer Building construction in 1905 and a view from 100 years later in 2007 with the Hilton Garden Hotel visible to the north are in the Burton Collection of the Detroit Public Library.