Buddy Rippe, left, took over at Rippe’s after returning from military service during World War II. His son Ben is now the owner.
For the past 100 years and throughout three generations, Rippe’s has been an anchor store in downtown Danville. One hundred years ago, a native New Yorker returned from the Spanish-American War and came to Danville to seek his fortune in the retail business. His name was Benjamin A. Rippe, and he had fallen in love with Annie Allen, the daughter of a retail merchant in Hillsborough, N.C., and sister of a successful milliner in Roxboro, N.C.
After their wedding in Roxboro, the couple chose Craghead Street in the heart of Danville’s Warehouse District as the site for their retail business named Rippe’s.
Current Rippe’s owner Ben Rippe, 56, who was named after his grandfather, said that his grandfather was born in New York in 1878.
“They say he carried around a pocket Shakespeare all the time but only had a fifth-grade education,” Ben said. “My father says he was a smart businessman who started, in addition to Rippe’s, the first Big Lots type store in Danville on Union Street.”
In 1907, as downtown Danville prospered from tobacco and Dan River Mills, success spilled over to Rippe’s. It was the Gibson Girl era with ladies seeking neck-high shirtwaists, long skirts with frilly petticoats, corselets, high-top lace-up shoes, parasols and the all-important hat, which Rippe’s sold for up to $200. Business was good.
Lisa Kerr of Rippe’s dresses a mannequin in the window.
Then, as businesses began to move from the Warehouse District to uptown, Rippe’s followed, moving uptown in 1919 and discontinuing the sale of piece goods to specialize in apparel and accessories. The need for larger quarters necessitated further uptown moves.
Ben said he was told that his grandfather never cashed in his life insurance policy, which most people did during the Depression.
“So when he died in 1936, there was enough money to take care of his family and keep the business going,” he said. Benjamin’s widow, Annie, took over the business at his death.
Benjamin’s son, Murray, who is known as “Buddy,” took over the store after returning from military service during World War II.
Buddy, now 90, and his wife, Esther, continued to expand the business after the death of Benjamin and built a new store at its present location in 1947.
“When we built the store, it was the most modern building in Danville,” Buddy said.
“When we opened up, we had a fashion show at 7 at night, and people were standing in the street, blocking the traffic, and we had seats inside. Everyone could see in because the front window was so big.”
The store also expanded in 1965 when Buddy purchased the building next door to Rippe’s and expanded the store to almost 10,000 square feet.
From 1962 to 1968, there also was a branch store in Nor-Dan Shopping Center, which was eventually closed because it was just too much work and business downtown was sufficiently prosperous, Buddy said.
Buddy also had a riding department and ski shop on the second floor at one time.
Rippe’s Furs is another department that has remained successful throughout the years.
“People come from all over to buy these furs,” Buddy said. “The store also offers a cold storage fur vault, fur cleaning, restyling and repairing.”
Jeanne Pearson, left, tries on a fur coat at Rippe’s as Peggy Burch assists. “People come from all over to buy these furs. The store also offers a cold storage fur vault, fur cleaning, restyling and repairing,” Buddy Rippe said.
Although Ben had grown up in the family business and worked in the store until he was 19, he was not always sure he wanted to follow in his father and grandfather’s footsteps.
“I absolutely had a question in my mind as to whether I would follow in the business,” he said. “I managed farms in Northern Virginia after college and went back to Virginia Tech to get a graduate degree in agricultural economy.Then Dad asked me to come back and give it a try, and, after that, I had no question.
“We were on a plane, and Dad said the manager had left and said if I was thinking about coming back, this was the opportune time.”
So, in 1979, Ben returned to the store and has been there ever since. In 1992, he bought the stock from his parents. His wife, Clara, also works at the store.
Buddy worked for five years after that, but now comes in frequently as an ambassador because “people like to see him,” Ben said.
Ben returned to school in 1987 and earned a master’s of business administration after traveling to Duke University’s Fuqua School every other weekend.
Jill Hege, right, of Greensboro N.C., tries on a necklace as Lisa Kerr, left, of Rippe’s looks on.
“I don’t know if Dad would agree, but every year gets harder,” he said. “It’s always more challenging. The world is over-retailed, but we still manage to do very well. We have a nice clientele within a 40-mile radius and wonderful associates.”
Ben said that he is tempted “about every 10 years” to leave the downtown area, but then he does the analysis and decides to stay.
“We used to be the draw to downtown, but the other day I took a walk through the Tobacco District and saw something happening on every block,” he said.
The Rippes also are active in the community, especially in education. They have started educational scholarships at Danville Community College and Averett University over the years.
“It’s just wonderful to have a family business, to have a family connection and to have had your father be your mentor,” Ben said. “When I step back and think, the odds are statistically slim that a third generation would own a business.”
His father and he agree that through the years their business philosophy has been “to always take care of your customers.”
“We offer a wonderful product for a good value with a bundle of services to support the experience,” Ben said.
“We must have done a lot of good things to be open 100 years,” Buddy added.
As for the future, Ben and Clara have an 11-year-old son, Sam.
“Time will tell,” Ben said about Sam taking over the business. “My father worked vigorously until he was in his late 70s, and I probably will too.”
The anniversary sale is in full swing at Rippe’s downtown Danville store.
Rippe’s will be celebrating their centennial the whole month of October.
There will be a fashion show to benefit breast cancer research, and weekly drawings, with no purchase necessary, will be held.
A big anniversary sale is already going on with merchandise having been purchased especially for the event.
The new Rippe’s Shoes also will open in October. The Rippes purchased the building next door and have invested $300,000 in renovations and inventory to move their shoe department from the store mezzanine into the space.They also have added three new employees for the shoe store.
Contact Susan Elzey at selzey@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7991.
From the Register & Bee, October 4, 2006, C1 and C2.