The predecessor of American Factors (Amfac) was H. Hackfield, a merchandise house founded by a German sea captain in 1849. Still owned by Germans in 1917, when America entered World War I, Hackfield was taken over by the Alien Property Custodian and sold to a group of Hawaii businessmen in 1918. It was given the patriotic name of American Factors, and its main retail store, which had gone under the name of B.F. Ehlers, was renamed Liberty House.
- "Islands in Transition: The Past, Present and Future of Hawaii's Economy," By Thomas Kemper Hitch. p. 89
I never realized Liberty House, which put hibiscus flowers all over its shopping bags, had such a martial past. It's interesting that Liberty House didn't seem to play up the rah-rah American origins of its name.
(My apologies if you all know this already. I learned this for the first time the other day.)
3 comments:
I had heard something about the "Freedom Fries"-like name change of the now-gone-but-still-exactly-the-same Liberty House Chain of stores, but no details. I certainly didn't know that it had been seized. Do we still do stuff like that? I mean, against entire nationalities?
I can't wait for the made for tv movie about this. SRSLY!
I don't think we seize the property of a select group of people anymore.
But we've been holding a bunch of peope without charge for seven years in Guantanamo Bay.
I think the made-for-TV movie would be a regular on the July 4th cable schedule.
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