The Kale Story
| by Sylvia Kale In 1921, the world was in transition and few could for see what the future held. No one could have predicted that within nine years the Great Depression would grip the country or yet another World War. When Sol Kaluzna was born to his immigrant parents. Little did anyone in the family realize that this child would grow up to be very successful in and around Chicago. It was a growing era in Chicago. The neighborhoods were settling in and still recovering from the great Chicago Fire. Sol's father, grandfather, and uncle all put down their roots on Maxwell St. and Jefferson St. both bordered by a then sleepy Roosevelt Rd. Despite tough economic times then, Sol's father and brother decided to open a little store. It wasn't much; a long and narrow storefront, one light bulb, no plumbing, and a cooking stove for heating during winter months. |
Sol sold used clothing in their store, a very difficult way to make a living for his family. Yet, being a very honorable man, father never complained. As the years went by, Sol began to hustle and find ways to get into the uniform business, which was dominated mostly by the Irish merchants at the time. Most of the police and fire men were Irish immigrants themselves, so it only seemed to make sense that they weren't interested in doing business with a Jewish merchant. In order to be competitive, Sol made the decision to change his then last name of Kaluzna to Kale. As he began to reap the rewards of his hard work, Sol saved his money and began to purchase real estate. In 1975, the first shopping center was built on Roosevelt Rd on a parcel of land which he has held onto until this very day and where Kale Realty is still based today. |
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