Sugarman’s Corner is the name of a new pocket park established on Main Street in Klamath Falls earlier this year. It honors a Jewish clothing merchant, Kiva Sugarman, who came to Klamath Falls in 1906 when horses and wagons outnumbered automobiles in the downtown district.
Born in Romania in 1878, Sugarman was in his 20’s when he arrived in Eastern Oregon. He became one of the leading businessmen in Klamath Falls, with a store on the corner of Sixth and Main streets.
Sugarman was an ardent community booster and a patriotic American who proudly celebrated his heritage, offering an annual “No Profit Sale” in celebration of the Yom Kippur Jewish holiday. He was known for always ending his marketing promotions with the slogan, “I ain’t mad at nobody.”
Sugarman retired in the early 1940’s and moved to California, where he died in 1952.
The Sugarman building later became the home of the well-known Blue Ox Restaurant until a fire destroyed it in 2000.
The vacant lot has now taken on new life as a pocket park, and project organizers hope the name will help future residents embrace Sugarman’s slogan.
Sources: "No Profit Sale." The Evening Herald 12 Oct. 1921: 8. Print; Herald and News 12 Dec. 1952 [Klamath Falls, Ore.] : 1. Print.
