By Katie Adamson

If you are a Richmond native, you have likely heard the name “Thalhimer” at some point in your life. Whether discussing the history of downtown Richmond, shopping, or local philanthropic efforts, the Thalhimers have been involved with many aspects of our community.

The Thalhimer family has been in Richmond since the 1840s, establishing a name for themselves through the department store Thalhimers and the real estate company Thalhimer. Thalhimers department store not only flourished in downtown Richmond but expanded to encompass 26 stores across four states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Thalhimers are kind, resilient, savvy, intelligent, and close to my heart. For me, the Thalhimers are more than community-minded business owners; they are my family. 

The history of the Thalhimers stores spans centuries. Thalhimers began as a small dry goods store and grew into one of the South’s most successful retail chains. The success of Thalhimers was a product of the vision, determination, hard work, intelligence, and philosophy of its founder and the generations that followed. 

William Thalhimer.

Wolff Thalheimer (1809-1883), whose name was later anglicized to William Thalhimer, emigrated from Tairnbach, Germany, to the United States in 1840. He entered the country at the port of New Orleans and peddled goods up the Mississippi River, finally settling in Richmond, a community known to have a substantial population of German Jews. By 1842, he had saved enough money to open a store, which eventually became Thalhimers. He and his wife, Mary Millhiser (1817-1876), whom he married in 1845, worked to make his store, located on West Main Street between 17th and 18th Streets, prosper throughout six generations. 

All of William Thalhimer’s sons worked in the store, but two in particular, Issac and Moses Thalhimer, expressed the most interest in continuing the family business. After their father’s death in 1883, the brothers took responsibility for operating the store under the new name, Thalhimer Brothers. However, Issac soon took full control of the store when Moses wanted out, making Issac the president of the company.

Through the years, the company was passed down through generations of “William” Thalhimers, with the exception of Issac, including Wolf “William” Thalhimer, William B. Thalhimer, Sr., William B. Thalhimer, Jr., and William B. Thalhimer III, my grandfather. The business was sold to Carter Hawley Hale in 1978, but they allowed the family to remain in leadership positions. In 1991, William B. Thalhimer III, whom I call “Bebe,” left the business, and, in 1992, Thalhimers was sold to the May Department Store Company and was rebranded as Hecht’s. 

Thalhimers’ mascot Snow Bear.

From 1842 to 1992, Thalhimers became an iconic and beloved Richmond destination. From the Soup Bar to the French Room, people visited Thalhimers for an assortment of reasons, not just for shopping. My mother, Katherine Thalhimer Adamson (‘96), grew up in the store and always talks about how amazing the Thalhimers’ six-layer cake was and the Richmond Room popovers. She describes the popovers as “warm, buttery, and puffy,” They “melted in your mouth with each flakey bite.” In the Fine Foods Department on the first floor, delectable baked goods were displayed and could be eaten there or taken home in the iconic black-and-white checkered box. The Thalhimers chocolate six-layer cake was one of the specialties of the bakery, which many people still rave about today.

My mother and her sisters all have fond memories of growing up in the store. A staple of their childhoods was the store’s mascot, Snow Bear, a familiar white bear with a bow tie and a little red vest who never fails to give you a hug when needed. My mother recalls that “Snow Bear was like a brother to my sisters and me.” To this day, she still claims that the beloved bear is “like a family member.” Snow Bear came in all shapes and sizes, ranging from a miniature Christmas ornament to a six-foot-tall bear who greeted customers from time to time. 

Elizabeth Thalhimer Smartt (‘94).

During holidays is when Snow Bear still shines, especially when Santa comes to town. I have fond memories of Snow Bear visiting my grandparents’ house and giving me and my cousins hugs and high-fives. Currently, Snow Bear resides at the Virginia Repertory Theater and can still be found greeting kids and grown-ups going to see plays and attending holiday events. There are many stuffed animal Snow Bears all around my house from Thalhimers, one of which was the same Snow Bear my mother slept with every night as a child. In fact, my mother loved this bear so much and laughed about the fact that she “slept with Snow Bear until the night I was married.” This special white bear with such sentimental value provides a lens to see how Thalhimers had a profound impact on the lives of so many people, young and old. 

My aunt, Elizabeth Thalhimer Smartt (‘94), wrote Finding Thalhimers as a way to explore the history, memories, and personal stories behind the store. Moreover, her research on the department store provided her with more information about our family’s story about immigrating to the United States and building a successful business from the ground up. Finding Thalhimers also gives readers an alternative perspective to seeing how Richmond grew and developed through the one-hundred-and-fifty years the store was open, ranging from Presidents John Tyler to George H.W. Bush. 

Elizabeth Johnson Rice.

One of the most important stories told through Finding Thalhimers was when on February 22, 1960, 34 protesters, most of them Black students from Virginia Union University, were arrested when they refused to leave the Thalhimers department store in Richmond after they were denied service at a lunch counter and in the tea room.

Although he was the owner of the store, my great-grandfather, William B. Thalhimer, Jr., was a supporter of the Civil Rights Movement because, as a Jewish man, he knew discrimination first-hand and appreciated the self-advocacy of the 34 protestors. He said, “No one decides to be Black or White. I didn’t decide to be Jewish.” He had already integrated parts of the store, including the employee lunch room and beauty salon, before the sit-ins. After the sit-ins, he not only integrated the store fully within a year but convinced the competition across the street –  the Miller & Rhoads department store – to do the same. Other Richmond retailers followed suit, part of the process of  Richmond’s transition from Jim Crow-era segregation to integration. Smartt and Elizabeth Johnson Rice, one of the “Richmond 34,” continue to have a close friendship, and they commemorate the sit-ins annually, teaching local schoolchildren and others about the importance of racial equity.

The Kennedy brothers and Lyndon Johnson.

One evening in 1963, my great-grandfather went to work on a Saturday, a day when he typically gave his secretary the day off. He received a call and picked up the phone and heard a woman say “Hello, is this Mr. Thalhimer?” to which my great-grandfather responded “Yes… Who is calling?” The woman on the other end of the call responded, “The President.” Confused, my great-grandfather responded, “The President of what?” To his surprise, a familiar voice joined the call: John F. Kennedy.

My great-grandfather realized that he was speaking to the President of the United States of America. On that call, Kennedy invited Thalhimer to the White House to attend meetings with other retailers and business owners across the South. These meetings were a part of the planning and discussions surrounding the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed by President Lyndon Johnson.

Thalhimers played an important role in the evolution of Richmond’s history and culture. However, the impact went far beyond simply being a store. The Thalhimer family has been involved with many organizations in Richmond for years, including Maymont, the Science Museum of Virginia, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, the Children’s Hospital, Jewish Family Services, Congregation Beth Ahabah, The United Way, the Community Foundation, and Collegiate School, which many members of the family have attended.

The Thalhimer family and Collegiate School have been intertwined through four generations. I am a third-generation “lifer” at Collegiate, along with a long list of other Thalhimer relatives and graduates of the school. My grandfather, William Blum Thalhimer III (‘64), was not only among the second boys’ graduating class but also the first Jewish boy to attend Collegiate School. His younger brother, Bobby Thalhimer (‘71), followed in his older brother’s footsteps. The two Thalhimer brothers and their sister, Barbara Thalhimer, who did not attend Collegiate herself, later sent their children to Collegiate, creating a new generation of Thalhimer lineage at the school. 

My mother, Katherine Thalhimer Adamson (‘96), and her sisters, Elizabeth Thalhimer Smartt (‘94) and Christie Thalhimer Silverstein (‘02) attended Collegiate and, to this day, speak highly of their teachers and memories at school. The Thalhimer sisters especially enjoyed sharing their school experiences with their cousins, who attended Collegiate around the same time. Bobby Thalhimer’s kids, Adam Thalhimer (‘97) and Jill Thalhimer Campbell (‘00) were much closer in age to my mom and her sisters. However, Barbara Thalhimer’s kids, Stanton Thalhimer (‘82) and Barbara Thalhimer (‘83) were older. 

The most recent generation of Thalhimers at Collegiate is the largest one yet, including myself and my sisters, Shepard Adamson (‘25) and Caroline Adamson (‘29). My first cousins, Bailey Silverstein (‘31) and Jacob Silverstein (‘34) are the youngest Cougars in the Thalhimer line. All of my second cousins attend, or have attended, Collegiate as well, including Annie Thalhimer (‘30), Benjamin Thalhimer (‘28), Eli Campbell (‘28), Lisa Campbell (‘31), Claire Thalhimer (‘18), and Will Thalhimer (‘20).

The Thalhimer legacy at Collegiate extends beyond my direct family line. Ruth Wallerstein Thalhimer, the spouse of my first cousin four times removed and a member of the Class of 1919, was the oldest living graduate of Collegiate until she passed in 1997. She went to John Marshall High School before transferring to Collegiate. Given that Ruth Thalhimer graduated from Collegiate in 1919, I am, by technicality, a fourth-generation Collegiate graduate. In her familial line is where you will find the rest of the Thalhimer Cougars. 

Another pair of Thalhimer brothers, Mort Thalhimer III (‘73) and Richard Thalhimer (‘79), are the oldest graduates of the other branch of the Thalhimer family who attended Collegiate. The next generation of graduates includes Sarah Thalhimer Smith (‘09) and Evan Thalhimer (‘17). My cousin and dear friend Alex Thalhimer (‘23) is the youngest member of this familial line and will graduate with me this spring. 

Many generations of Thalhimers together for Thanksgiving in 2022.

Throughout my time at Collegiate, I have always been proud of my family’s legacy and contributions to the school and to the greater Richmond community. Through philanthropic gifts, as well as the gifts of time and service, my family has always strived to make our community a better place for everyone. I feel such pride knowing that I am a Collegiate student and have been able to follow in the footsteps of the three generations before me who had done the same. My Thalhimer family and the history of how they immigrated to the United States and created one of the most iconic businesses in Richmond will always amaze me. The strength of my great-grandfather as he stood up to discriminatory hate against both the Jewish and Black populations of Richmond is admirable. Through good and bad times, my family has stayed strong, resilient, committed to the greater community, and most importantly, loyal and kind to each other, and I am proud to continue this legacy. 

All photos are credited to the Thalhimer Family with the exception of the photo of Elizabeth Johnson Rice (Richmond Times-Dispatch) and the Kennedy photo (TIME Magazine, 1964).