Nahas
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Founder | A. S. Nahas, Donald R. Nuss |
| Defunct | 1982 |
| Fate | Closed all stores |
| Headquarters | Greater Los Angeles area , United States |
| Products | Apparel, home goods, electronics |
Nahas (pronounced Nay-haz) was a department store chain owned by A. S. Nahas, operating throughout the Greater Los Angeles area and offering apparel, home goods, and electronics. The company expanded by acquiring Rathbun's department store located at 5311 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, rebranding it as "Nahas Rathbuns" until this location ceased operations in 1980. The remaining Nahas outlets were subsequently closed between 1981 and 1982.
The enterprise began in 1951 as a partnership between A. S. Nahas and Donald R. Nuss. The business was incorporated in 1970, the same year Nahas passed away on December 13. By 1974, Donald R. Nuss had assumed the role of CEO.
Branches
The chronological sequence of the initial eight store openings is recorded as follows:
- 1-2. Burbank, at 1611 Verdugo Avenue, was among the first two stores launched in 1953 and underwent remodeling in 1958.
- 1-2. Hollywood also opened its first store in 1953.
- 3. Gardena's branch at 1250 West Redondo Beach Boulevard opened in 1954 as the third location.
- 4. Located at 9035 Woodman Avenue within Woodman Square shopping center, the fourth store opened in 1955 in what Nahas referred to as "Pacoima," corresponding to today's Panorama City neighborhood.
- 5. The fifth store opened between 1958 and 1959 at 4520 Van Nuys Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, featuring approximately 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) of retail space.
- 6. In Long Beach, the sixth store commenced operations in 1960 at 3008 Bellflower Boulevard with E. H. Reid serving as store manager; this location measured about 14,000 square feet (1,300 m2).
- 7. Around March 1961, the seventh outlet opened at La Habra Square shopping center, 2131 West Central Avenue (now La Habra Boulevard), spanning 24,000 square feet (2,200 m2); this site is currently occupied by Costco.
- 8. The eighth store started business in 1962 within the North Valley Plaza Shopping Center at Chatsworth Street and Balboa Boulevard in Granada Hills.
Additional branches include:
- La Crescenta at 2651 Foothill Boulevard, which opened prior to the Tustin location.
- Tustin, with its tenth store opening on December 2, 1965, at Tustin Heights Shopping Center, 1134 Irvine Boulevard, covering approximately 22,000 square feet (2,000 m2); this branch closed in 1981.
Subsequent promotional materials list further stores such as:
- Hanford located in Kings Mall Shopping Center
- Irvine at 14280 Culver Drive
- North Hollywood, originally Rathbun's established in 1921 and acquired around 1971, situated at 5311 Lankershim Boulevard
- Rancho Bernardo, San Diego at 11965 Bernardo Plaza Drive, reported under construction by 1974
- Santa Barbara, operating under the name Trenwiths following acquisition of that store
- Santa Susana/Simi Valley branch located at 2242 Tapo Street
- Thousand Oaks, initially at 316 North Moorpark Road before relocating to a 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) facility within Conejo Valley Plaza in 1979
- Van Nuys, housed at 6609 Van Nuys Boulevard; originally the Butler Bros. Department Store founded in 1951 and acquired by Nahas in 1974
A. S. Nahas
Abraham Salem Nahas, also recorded as "Abe" or "Abraham" in the 1910 census, was born on August 16, 1895, in Tripoli, then part of Ottoman Syria and now within modern-day Lebanon. His parents were Selami and Mary Nahas. At the age of five, Abraham emigrated to the United States with his family, which included siblings George, Elsie, and Edna. Initially settling in San Francisco, the family relocated to Los Angeles shortly after the 1906 earthquake. By 1910, they were residing on Holmes Avenue in San Antonio Township, Florence Precinct—an area currently known as Florence, California—adjacent to South Los Angeles. When he was 22 years old, Nahas worked as an escrow clerk at an insurance and trust company located at 5th and Spring Streets and lived at 784 East Washington Boulevard in what is now southeastern Downtown Los Angeles. Physically, he was described as short with a medium build, blue eyes, and dark brown hair.
In 1918, Nahas married Edith Rector, and together they had two daughters named Virginia and Lorraine. He was also a member of the Freemasons.
Beginning his career in retail in 1918, Nahas managed Woolworth five-and-dime stores in various locations including Prescott, Arizona—where he lived during the 1920 census—as well as Santa Rosa, California, and Hollywood. By 1937, he had become a partner in a department store chain. In 1939, while managing a Woolworth store at 6410 Hollywood Boulevard, the establishment was burglarized; thieves stole a small safe containing $1,200 in cash. During World War II, Abe and Edith Nahas resided at 753 1/2 N. Croft Avenue in Hollywood, with his employer listed as Woolworth's.
In 1951, Nahas co-founded the Nahas department stores partnership alongside Donald Nuss. The couple owned a residence in Newport Beach that garnered attention in a 1958 Los Angeles Times article; the house extended 110 feet along the breakwater and was designed by architect Herbert Brownell. It featured an expansive glass wall offering panoramic ocean views. Later, in 1966, Nahas developed Toluca Villa—a three-story apartment complex with 42 units—located at 10240 Camarillo Street in North Hollywood.
Abraham Salem Nahas passed away on December 13, 1970.