For sixty-two years, Henry Kooiman owned and operated a shoe business in Grand Haven, Michigan. Starting in 1925, he partnered with George Swart and opened a store located at 207 Washington Avenue. Then in 1942, he bought out his partner and renamed the business Kooiman's Footwear. In this interview, he reminisces about his father's business as a merchant during the early 1900s. Henry also talks about his own school years and hobbies, such as flying, bobsledding, raising birds, rabbits, dogs, and horses. He gives details about his many business associates and various businesses that were operating in downtown Grand Haven during the middle twentieth century.
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