By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and Hasidic Archives
Fur and skin traders Solomon and Bernard Perrin thought the location of their offices did not make a difference. Their London office in the East End suited them, and they were satisfied with the business there. Then they got a notice from the London City Council that they would have to vacate the premises because a roundabout was going to be built on the corner.
The father and son had several new locations in mind. Most were on London’s east side, where the rent was cheaper. As founding members of the London Chabad institutions, they sought the Rebbe’s guidance with the move.
The Rebbe was clear: “Get a location in the best part of London.”
It was a daring idea. The Rebbe wanted them to find an office in the West End, the city’s upper-class neighborhood.
The Perrins began searching for the right place. But when they presented the Rebbe with possibilities, he would respond, “Look for a better area.”
Eventually, they found a place on Bond Street, the prestigious shopping area. The rent was eight times what it would have been in the East End, but the Perrins were now becoming desperate, and they wanted the Rebbe’s approval.
When they reported to the Rebbe about the Bond Street location, the Rebbe wrote back: “This is the place.”
Since then, the Perrin salesmen discovered that when they traveled to fur companies across England and said they were located on Bond Street, many agreed to look at their merchandise for the first time.
“They were anxious to purchase goods which came from Bond Street,” Mr. Bernard Perrin recalled. “There were no losses. The city council had done us a favor.”
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As far as a recall, the Perrin family were from Manchester, and pillars of its community, not from London.
I would go to their home every year before sukos to help bind the 5 srtst lulovim for father and 4 sons.
The father Shlomo Perrin ah was in London, Bernard moved to Manchester later. Bernard was/is a great asset to the Manchester Kehila. He was involved in the translation of the Soncino Tanya. An accomplishment the Rebbe was proud of.
They became more successful, by following the Rebbe’s advice.