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~_"4+T.@TMMA ° A~ 11| & ‘;'f* j YEZR *X _ cards, phone calls and perâ€" according to her proud hus. Sophy the Silvers have &' Wl .0 Ab i€ j sonal vpisits keep coming. band. She is the chairman of lowed during the p: * ,,-*:'D' * * iL# & +. m ‘"We never realized what the the holding company RHBH quarter century in busine ® , s 1| 1 i 1 *;% @ C community thought of us," Investments, the owner of They are both very tire i. . § h‘ 114 ‘ S s Fritzie said. It‘s a nice the burned premises. The inâ€" The shock hasn‘t worn c t & *L d F1 %E" ) féeling to know that you‘re itials stand for each of their yet. â€" C Y i| } uie liked." four daughters; their son _ What happens nex C : | y"~/ ~~~ T k ‘ [A Over the past 25 years in wasn‘t born at the time. "First we‘re going to rel % 10 M ° the King Street clothing _ The Silvers moved to and see what‘s going to ha * _ Jj f . _ store, Sam and Fritzie Kitchener in 1949 where Pen. Fritzie and I haver §# & » h j b an imâ€" Sam set up the original been together with nothi NL: 3 h Silver have become an 4 fo L. & â€" ) ind i * portant part _ of the Honest Sam‘s where Eaâ€" to think about for 25 yea J + character of the downtown â€" ton‘s Market Square store is _ Will they pick up t BA i# es fls +. core. The store is gone, but now located. They opened Pieces and start the busine k fi_ A c l in ‘ l at 63 Sam says he‘s too the second store in Waterloo ag‘a"‘?‘ Smnlmg,”Sam hi Fikins M y 6 \ w& young to retire. He says getâ€" on May 31, 1954 with Fritzie phedv I hope so. h s ..A” .i P & h /: * TK \ i ‘a d Pm a . E. % : § 7 | , | + C tz ‘ A* i "% t & P * R f M w; f i ‘ f ‘: * * No h â€" e | 4 \ & * im Ars "J 03 \ i """7 Z{; ~ w ® N: land R m j ‘ / * '\ hnd ® h a C * la l m e h J w * #A 3 iss ‘ s ° " â€"* _ a8 M R a P 4 re # _ , h " P | nutl 6 rawt ¢*~* PA f ‘ V - w = c | e f s C Fritzie and Sam Silver (centre) stare in grief at the charred shell of L ol | ¢ Honest Sam‘s clothing store, the business they have operated for the > | . # past 25 years in Waterloo‘s downtown core. ,‘ ts w i 'v’â€"- ho " i 5 z* s & mt se «j : ‘ ‘},w.;t’:; ‘ limmal !“M ";;‘:E) 4 By Geoff Hoile Chronicle staft writer For 25 years people have come from all over the reâ€" jon to buy work clothes lm Sam and Fritzie Silver t Honest Sam‘s store in Waterloo. One lady told a Kitchener Transit bus Sam & Fritzie Silver : Waterloo firetighters battle the stubborn blaze that gutted Honest Sam‘s on Monday. The fire department determined early Monday mornâ€" ing that they weren‘t going to be able to stop the fire, so they had to be content with keeping it from spreading to neighboring buildings. As it was, damage was done to Alan Rigby‘s Furniture on one side, and the Captain‘s Chair restaurant was gutted. m Silver ({cen clothing store in Waterloo‘s « Monday morning people came, from all over the reâ€" gion to Honest Sam‘s, but not to buy clothes. driver to ‘"let me off in Waâ€" terloo at Honest Sam‘s"" â€" anji_he q:d At 3:30 a.m. Monday, fire broke out at the rear of the 45 King Street North store and by noon the premises were almost totally desâ€" troyed. ‘*We had a special kind of clientele,"" said Mrs. Silver. **Everybody was a friend. There were three generaâ€"‘ tions from one family." Sam Silver said, "One 80â€" yearâ€"old man who worked for us for 10 years came up from Kitchener on Monday to see the place. He couldn‘t believe it had happened. It was as though something had died in the community." The flowers, letters, cards, phone calls and perâ€" sonal visits keep coming. **We never realized what the community thought of us," Fritzie said. "It‘s a nice féeling to know that you‘re liked." Over the past 25 years in the King Street clothing store, Sam and Fritzie Silver have become an imâ€" portant _ part _ of â€" the character of the downtown core. The store is gone, but at 63 Sam says he‘s too young to retire. He says getâ€" A Waterioo firefighter, viewed through a broken glass porthole at the Captain‘s Chair Seafood and Steak House, inspects the smoldering inâ€" terior shortly after the Monday fire that gutted the entire premises. Rows of scorched work clothes line the shelves of Honest Sam‘s clothâ€" ing store after the fire that destroyed the building. The fire believed to have started in the rear of the premises, generated enough heat in one section to burn the toe out of a heavy leather work boot, while shirts elâ€" sewhere in the store were only partially singed. 25 years on King Street... gone ‘"‘as though something died in the community." ting set up again might take a while; they are ‘"not going to jump into a vacant store or a rental ... and a new building won‘t be the same as Honest Sam‘s clothing store. You can‘t. replace that." § ‘"Fritzie, does the books. She‘s the boss â€" Mrs. Sam" according to her proud husâ€" band. She is the chairman of the holding company RHBH Investments, the owner of the burned premises. The inâ€" itials stand for each of their four daughters; their son wasn‘t born at the time. The Silvers moved to Kitchener in 1949 where Sam set up the original Honest Sam‘s where Eaâ€" ton‘s Market Square store is now located. They opened the second store in Waterloo on May 31, 1954 with Fritzie Waterloo Chronicle, Wednesday, August 15, 1979 â€" Page 5 n in charge. When Market Square was built Sam joined Fritzie in Waterloo. ‘"In those early years we lived in a oneâ€"room attic. The first thing we did was pay our bills. Then if there was money left, we could spend it," said Sam, explaining a basic philoâ€" sophy the Silvers have folâ€" lowed during the past quarter century in business. They are both very tired. The shock hasn‘t worn off yet. C Will they pick up the pieces and start the business again? Smiling, Sam reâ€" plied, "I hope so." What happens next? ‘‘*First we‘re going to relax and see what‘s going to hapâ€" pen. Fritzie and I haven‘t been together with nothing to think about for 25 years."‘