Garrett & Sons Wholesale

Joseph Simpson Garrett, a whiskey, tobacco, and groceries merchant, constructed this building in Columbus, Georgia in 1883 for his business, Garrett and Sons. This wholesale business was regarded as the first of its kind in Columbus. Garrett served as Columbus postmaster from 1897 to 1905. Many businesses occupied this building between 1900 and 1934 when Simon Schwob, a tailor from Alsace-Lorraine, opened Schwob Manufacturing Company. With the "factory to consumer" approach, it became the largest manufacturer and retailer of menswear in the South. In 1978, Schwob Manufacturing became Joy Fashions and operated here until 1988.