[Hustlin' Heritage 75] Page: 61

                                
HARMAN'S                                        GASTON'S
Department Store
HARMAN'S Department Store, located at
339 North Main, was established in 1940
by the late S. L. Harman, Sr. The store,
still located at the original site, is now owned
and operated by Mr. and Mrs. S. L.
(Pick) Harman, Jr.
The late Mr. Harman was a native of West
Virginia and operated businesses in that  Gaston Maer moved to Hereford in 1921 with
state for many years. He first came to the  his wife, the former Pauline Burg, whom he
Hereford area in 1920 while still in busi-  had married that same yearin Wichita Falls,
ness in the East, operating Harman's Dairy  Texas. He had come to the United States in
on North Avenue K. He moved here per-  1916 from Paris, France. He came during
manently in 1930.                      World War I and said he selected this part
of the country because, "They wanted to get
Mr. Harman had farming and real estate  where no bullets could hit them."
interests here at the time, but in 1940, he  r
opened a small dry goods store on Hereopened
a small dry goods store on Here-  Mr. Baer lived in Tucumcari, New Mexico beford's
Main Street.                    fore moving to Hereford and opening his
store at 331 North Main Street. The Baer
"Pick" Harman, formerly with the J. C.  family made their home in the rear of the
Penney Company, decided in 1947 to leave  store for about three years.
that organization and join his father in  In selecting Hereford for his business, Mr.
business. In 1951, t h e father-son team  Baer said he thought this part of the country
opened a store in Dimmitt. That store is  looked promising. There was some irrigation
still operating and is owned by Bill Har-  when he came, but the engines were "half as
man, a younger son. The senior Mr. Har-  big as some buildings."
man passed away March 1958.
p   a   M   There was one child born to the Gaston Baer
During the past 33 years, the local store  family, Mrs. Teddi Alexander. A grandson,
building, which is owned by Mr. Ezra Nor-  Sheldon Alexander, presently operates "Gaston,
has undergone major remodeling and  ton's" in Sugarland Mall.
expansion programs. The store front was  The store on Main Street, originally called
first remodeled in 1952 and again in Octo-  "The Popular Store" has been remodeled
ber, 1954, and the store was extended to  and enlarged six time since the beginning.
the alley with a split level area constructed
at the rear, which virtually doubled the  Mrs Baer pased away August 13o 1970. Mr.
floor space. In 1967, the HARMAN'S again  Baer married Esther Houser of Los Angeles,
expanded their operation with the open-  California in 1971. He has been a member
ing of the store in Sugarland Mall.    of the Hereford Rotary Club for ten years and
is a member of the Jewish Synagogue in
The stores maintain eight employees nor-  Amarillo.
mally, usually adding a couple of extras  On April 17, 1971, Mr. Baer celebrated his
during the Christmas season.           50th year in business in Hereford.