"Sylva merchant Sol Schulman, who turned 90 March 15, was honored with a birthday party hosted by the board of directors of Catch the Spirit of Appalachia. "Don't think it is bad being 90," Schulman told the well-wishers at LuLu's Restaurant. "I like being 90; but tell me, do I have to wait another 90 years to get this kind of reception?" - Herald photo by Rose Hooper
Sol Schulman remembers the day well. It was a cold, blustery Monday - Jan. 4, 1933. A wet-behind-the-ears 19-year-old, Schulman was opening his very first retail store. Glancing out on Main Street, Sylva, things looked pretty prosperous already. Fifteen people were lined up outside his door and it wasn't even 9 a.m. opening time yet. "I thought they were customers, or fellow businessmen ready to congratulate me. I found out differently when I opened the doors," Schulman said. "Instead, they were there to tell me times were bad and that I would never make it." "Not so," thought Schulman, who didn't have anything to lose. "I'll just show them." Still in business at the same spot 69 years later, Schulman holds the record. None of the merchants on Sylva's Main Street when he started remain. Schulman came to Jackson County from Cherryville when his father sent him up here to check on some real estate property he owned. "Dad told me to go out west and I thought he meant the West Coast; but he meant Western North Carolina," said Schulman, whose father had purchased a downtown Sylva lot for $2,500 at a bank foreclosure. His father built a building on the lot for $4,000 and had it on the market for two years but found no buyers. "I liked the town and I liked the college. People here were kind so I called up dad and told him I had a renter," Schulman said. "He told me, ŒGood. Is he honest? Do you know him well? Will he pay the bills?' I assured him the renter was a fine, dependable person and told him I would tell him more about it when I got home." But when Schulman went back to Cherryville and told his dad that he, indeed, was the renter, his family got a bit upset, telling him he was too young to go into business for himself. Schulman's gutsy, no-fear attitude finally won out so he headed to the New York City Merchandise Mart and, using his father's excellent business name and reputation, ordered $5,000 worth of merchandise for his Sylva venture. "When they started calling me to pay back my bill, luck was with me. Roosevelt had just gone in and closed the banks so I told my creditors all my money was tied up in the banks. They understood that; it was the truth. All $28 of it," said this man whose business prospered. Bit by bit, he paid back his creditors. Banks have been kind to Schulman in more ways than one. He invested in one a while back that netted him a hefty profit. He has also invested wisely in other endeavors over the years. "I earned what money I have," said Schulman, who loves to make money. "I also love to give it away. That makes me happy." He also loves to have fun with his money and enjoys casino gambling. Successful now, Schulman admits those early years were tough. "Everybody has trouble when they first go into business, but it's better to not have the money and work for it," he said. "Then when you do well, you feel like you've really done something." "People have no idea what a benefactor Mr. Schulman is," his longtime sales manager, Gen Moses, said. "He gives to so many people in need and nobody ever knows about it, sometimes even the people in need. "Once he gave a man down on his luck $10,000 and every time that man came to town he would come by the store and say, "Thank God you are here, Mr. Schulman." "Being nice to people doesn't hurt," said Schulman, who prides himself on always being honest with his customers. "He has people who have been his faithful customers for more than 60 years," said Moses. "Now he is seeing the children and grandchildren of former customers, and he never forgets the family. He always asks about family members by name." And he loves a good challenge. "When a customer comes in and says they've looked everywhere and can't find what they want, I'll go out of my way to find it for them," said Schulman, who likes to give personalized service. "I don't like big businesses like Wal-Mart; that's not my style." "Mr. Schulman is an inspiration to me. Here he is 90 years old and still comes to work six days a week. He always tell me, ŒAll days are good, some are just better than others.' I admire him for that," said businessman Livingston Kelly, who owns the photograhy shop next door to Schulman's. "Sylva's been good to me; I really like this town," said Schulman, who has a street named for him. Recently the Sylva First United Methodist Church offered to buy his house and property on Jackson Street so they could expand. Schulman told them he wasn't interested, then countered, "I might be interested in buying the church though." |