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M. Caplan Furs Ltd. fonds
https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn101317
- Collection
- M. Caplan Furs Ltd. fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Material Type
- textual record
- object
- Physical Description
- 2 files textual records; 1 object
- Fonds No.
- B0009
- Date
- 1924 - 1990
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of 1 coat hanger, one newspaper clipping, a greeting card, and two advertisments for Chateau Furs Limited.
- Collection
- M. Caplan Furs Ltd. fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Material Type
- textual record
- object
- Physical Description
- 2 files textual records; 1 object
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of 1 coat hanger, one newspaper clipping, a greeting card, and two advertisments for Chateau Furs Limited.
- Date
- 1924 - 1990
- Fonds No.
- B0009
- Storage Location
- A.1.1 - Individuals Boxes
- History / Biographical
- M. Caplan Furs Ltd. was Canada’s oldest furrier, established in 1919 by Meyer Caplan (b. September 1889, Russia - d. August 5, 1968, Ottawa). Meyer Caplan immigrated to Canada from Russia in 1906, and initially lived as a boarder in the house of Michael and Leah Fine at 123 Daly Street while working as a tailor. He married Mary (nee Levine) Caplan (b. 1891, Russia - d. July 12, 1951, Ottawa) on December 3, 1911, and the couple moved to a house on Second Avenue. Mary had also immigrated from Russia in 1903. They had three children; John Caplan (b. approx. 1912, Ottawa - d. March 25, 2000, Ottawa), Dorothy Levinson (b. approx. 1913, Ottawa - d. August 4, 1997, Ottawa), and Donald Caplan (b. approx. 1927, Ottawa - d. November 26, 2007, Ottawa). The Caplans were members of the Adath Jeshurun congregation, and Mary Caplan was a member of the Ottawa chapter of Hadassah-WIZO. Mary was described as an unassuming woman who was often called upon to help with various charity functions, but never asked for recognition for her work. Meyer Caplan co-founded M.Caplan Furs with Benjamin Gould in 1919, and the business initially specialized in high-quality cloth garments trimmed with fur. Meyer Caplan had experience working with cloth garments, and Benjamin Gould had experience with the fur industry. They used high-quality cloth imported from France as well as locally-made materials. A number of prominent Ottawa historical figures visited the shop in its early days, including members of the Billings family. By 1947 when Meyer’s son John Caplan began working there full-time, the store had moved to selling primarily furs, due to wartime restrictions on imported fabrics. The store sold mainly women’s fur coats, including mink, rabbit, muskrat, lamb, beaver, raccoon, and fox furs. In later years they began expanding into menswear, and manufactured coats made of leather or fabric with fur trim to adjust to changing styles. The furs were sold on the first floor, while the second floor mezzanine was used for display. There was a factory located at the back of the shop on both floors, where furs could be custom-made, altered or repaired as needed. The business also offered financing plans to their clients, as well as 12 months insurance, free delivery, and refrigerated storage vaults where furs could be stored in the summer months. M. Caplan Furs Ltd. moved locations several times as the business expanded. After spending 36 years at 195 Sparks Street, the shop moved across the street to 178 Sparks Street in 1958 when they received notice that the building they were renting was being torn down. The shop stayed at this location until 1976, when they moved to 203 Queen street. The shop only stayed at this location for 7 years, before moving to 219 Bank Street in 1983. Meyer Caplan’s son John had a degree in commerce from Queen’s University, and initially had no desire to work for the fur company, however his father persuaded him to join the business in 1946. John took over the business officially in 1968, after his father’s death. John married Rochelle (nee Shapiro) Caplan (b. abt. 1917, Ottawa, died January 4, 1977, Ottawa), and the couple had two daughters, Barbara Kalnitsky and Kathryn Chelin. Rachelle was one of six children born to Barnet and Sadie Shapiro, along with her siblings Charles Shapiro, Marianne Genslove, Gabriel Cohen, Lillian Shapiro, and Louis Shapiro. Barnet and Sadie immigrated to Canada from Russia in 1891, and their three oldest children were born in Quebec before the family settled in Ottawa. Rochelle was born and raised in Ottawa and attended Lisgar Collegiate. The Shapiro family owned a men’s clothing store, which Louis Shapiro took over after his father’s death. Rochelle was an active member of the Ottawa section of the National Council of Jewish Women from the 1940s to the 1960s, and she served as a board chairman during the 1950s. In 1987, John Caplan was fined $1000 for violating the Ontario Retail Business Holidays Act on two occasions. This act forbade businesses to be open on Sundays or statutory holidays, and was later amended by the NDP to only apply to statutory holidays. M. Caplan Furs was one of three Ottawa furriers vandalized by the Animal Liberation Front in 1983, and animal rights activists picketed outside of M. Caplan Furs throughout the 1980s and 1990s, calling for an end to the fur trade in Canada. The business was sold to M. Shuchat Furs of Montreal in 1990, after 71 years in business. John Caplan, who was 76 years old at the time, attributed the store’s declining sales to the increasing activities of Animal Rights activists who were vocally opposed to the fur industry.
- Related Material
- John Caplan file in Individual Collections.
- Archival / Genealogical
- Archival Descriptions
- Repository
- Ottawa Jewish Archives
Wooden coat hanger from M. Caplan Furs Ltd.
https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn107517
- Collection
- M. Caplan Furs Ltd. fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Material Type
- object
- Physical Description
- object : coat hanger
- Fonds No.
- B0009; OJA 2-330
- Date
- [193-?]
- Collection
- M. Caplan Furs Ltd. fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Material Type
- object
- Physical Description
- object : coat hanger
- Date
- [193-?]
- Fonds No.
- B0009
- Item No.
- OJA 2-330
- Storage Location
- vault
- Notes
- Current location unknown TG Dec. 2020
- Archival / Genealogical
- Archival Descriptions
- Repository
- Ottawa Jewish Archives
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