Contributing, Advancing, Succeeding: Jews and Occupations


Paymaster machine, Waterville, ca. 1960

Paymaster machine, Waterville, ca. 1960
Item 53719   info
Colby College Special Collections

Levine's: The Store for Men and Boys, established by peddler William Levine in Waterville in 1891, was a focal point of downtown Waterville for over 100 years.

William chose Maine because the peddler's license was half the price of a similar license in Massachusetts. For whatever reason, William thought he could succeed in the small town communities of Maine.

By all accounts, he did just that, eventually attracting a vast array of family members to Waterville as well.

Levine's Store let its customers pay on credit, balancing their tab regularly instead of at each purchase, which helped develop long-lasting relationships between the store and its customers.

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