[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 167 (Thursday, October 12, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING ERALDI'S MEN'S WEAR & SHOES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 12, 2023

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I rise today to 
honor Eraldi's Men's Wear & Shoes as they celebrate 100 years of 
business. The longevity of this great establishment is a remarkable 
accomplishment and a testament to the Eraldi family's creativity, 
tenacity, and dedication to great customer service.
  In October of 1923, David Eraldi opened Eraldi's Men's Wear & Shoes 
on East Napa Street. Originally called `The Toggery' and located in the 
Castex Building, David meant for it to be a temporary spot. A few years 
and a name change later, it moved to 492 First Street East in the 
Duhring Building. After David's death in 1936, his wife Annie took over 
the store and ran the business with their two sons Dave and Don.
  Annie Eraldi built the current store at 475 First Street West on a 
vacant lot that once housed a blacksmith shop, opening it on January 2, 
1960. The store passed on to her sons after her death in 1969.
  In the late 1960's, Dan Eraldi, Don's son, started working at his 
family's store when he was in middle school. At the time, self-
proclaimed ``old-timers'' would head into the back stock room with cups 
of coffee and tell him stories about old Sonoma. Dan cherished these 
opportunities to learn about the history of his beloved community.
  Dan Eraldi officially took over the store in the mid-1980s after 
graduating from Sacramento State University. Dan continued to work with 
his father, Don, who ran the store alongside Dave for decades, until he 
retired in 2013 at the age of 86. Don recently died at the age of 96--
just 10 years after he stepped back from the store. The pair worked 
together for decades and helped the store change to meet the shifting 
demands of its clientele. Dan remembers Don fighting him on some of the 
ideas or brands he wanted to introduce, but overall, they worked well 
together. Since then, Dan has been chief haberdasher, continuing the 
family legacy of keeping generations of Sonomans in Levis and Red Wing 
Boots.
  Dan has seen countless trends come and go--Hawaiian shirts have had 
their moment--but the store has always kept its local touch. Eraldi's 
have third and fourth-generation families shopping at the store. People 
like the service; it is a personal touch you do not get unless you are 
in a small store like this one.
  Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, Eraldi's Men's Wear & Shoes is an 
independent, family run business that is a staple of our community. It 
is therefore fitting and proper that we honor its 100th year of service 
here today.

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