About This Item

  • Call NumberBJHP_0363
  • Summary(01:05) Mark, born in Brooklyn. His father Bernie Lefenfeld and uncles Harry and Jerry opened a haberdashery, selling shirts and accessories in 1938. Mark grew up in Ocean Parkway. When he was five, his family moved to Bell Harbor, Queens -- (03:01) Fields Brothers opened on Kings Highway. The brothers decided not to name the store Lefenfeld, "which sound[ed] too Jewish" -- (05:24) Mark loved working in the store while at school. Studied law mid-1960s, decided not to work there professionally -- (09:46) Stores a homey place for Mark and customers -- (13:21) Clothing business dominated by Jewish people in Brooklyn in the 1950s-1960s. Kings Highway was a busy street evening and night, real social experience. Everyone came, including the Mafia -- (16:20) Fields Brothers a style leader. Staff were mostly men, women worked behind the desk -- (18:30) Mark has sweet memories of the store.
  • Date2021-05-21
  • Physical Description1 audio file (22 minutes) : digital, MP3
  • CreatorLefenfeld, Mark
  • CollectionBrooklyn Jewish History Project
  • Cite AsBrooklyn Jewish History Project, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History
  • Formatsound recording-nonmusical
  • Genreinterviews
  • NoteTitle supplied by cataloger. Audio interview conducted online 2021 May 21, by Ariane Loeb. Collected through the Brooklyn Collection Jewish History Project of Brooklyn Public Library. This project is funded by the David Berg Foundation.
  • SubjectJews--Identity ; Department stores
  • PlaceBrooklyn (New York, N.Y.)Long Island (N.Y.)Queens (New York, N.Y.)
  • RightsThis work is covered by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Users are free to share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes as long as appropriate credit is given to the source and new material created with this work is shared under the same conditions.
  • TitleLefenfeld family/Field Brothers store collection. Oral history interview with Mark Lefenfeld on May 19, 2021
  • Biographical NoteField Brothers department stores first opened on Kings Highway in the 1950s, with other locations opening in Brooklyn, Queens (Rego Park) and Long Island through o the late 1970s when the stores were sold to Hartmax Company. Originally founded by the Lefenfeld brothers, Bernie, Harry and Jerry, the stores were not only a Brooklyn family story but a Brooklyn shopping experience. Interviews in this Lefenfeld collection are from the children of two founding brothers Bernard and Howard Lefenfeld.