Merländer, Ostrich & Co

In 1904, the silk and velvet wholesale business "Merländer, Strauß & Co" was founded by Richard Merländer, Hermann Heymann and Siegfried Strauß. At that time, the Heymanns family had lived in Krefeld for almost 300 years. 

Since the 1920s, the company had its business premises on the third floor in the so-called "Sinn-Haus" on Neusser Straße. The Sinn-Haus was the first department store in Krefeld and was designed by Otto Engler in 1906. 

"Merländer, Strauß & Co" flourished and employed between 40 and 50 people. In mid-1935, annual sales were still at RM 3 million and profits at RM 150,000. The driving force behind the Aryanization of the company was Heinrich Baumeister, who had previously worked as an authorized signatory in the company. The company passed into his ownership on 15.10.1938. The company was the last silk goods business in Krefeld to be Aryanized. The only survivor of the company founders was Hermann Heymann, who had fled to the Netherlands immediately after the November pogroms. He had managed to keep important company documents in order to win a compensation case against Heinrich Baumeister.