| After nearly 135 years of business, Owego's oldest retail store, Bandler, Stiles & Keyes, is going out of business. Abraham Lincoln was still president and the Civil War was in its last days when Robert Bandler started selling men's clothing in Owego in March of 1865. His brother Bernard became a partner, and the business was known as Bandler Brothers until Bernard moved to New York City in 1866. |
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| In 1903, Ted Stiles started working at Bandler's as a clerk. He became
a partner 21 years later in 1922 and the store changed its name to Bandler
and Stiles. That same year, H. Lynn Keyes started working in the store
and when he became a partner 23 years later in 1945 the business changed
its name to Bandler, Stiles & Keyes. That same year, William Lawrence,
the current owner, started working in the store as a salesman.
Bandler died in 1932 and Stiles retired in 1961. In the late 1960's William Lawrence and Mahlon Wilbur joined Keyes as partners in the store. Keyes died in the 1908s. Wilbur died last year. For the last 20 years, Ms. Debbie Howard has worked at the store, the first (and only) woman to do so in the business' history. The Bandler, Stiles & Keyes building at 19 Lake Street was built in the late 1800s by Mr. Bandler and has some interesting architectural features including the original tin ceiling and beautiful marble beneath the outside display windows which Mr. Bandler had imported from Italy. William Lawrence intends to remain active - he is the treasurer of the Owego-Apalachin School District and enjoys sports. The store will probably close sometime this month, though no specific
day has been set.
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