Dear Friends:

The Nebraska Clothing Company was originally a one-room store on the corner of 14th and Douglas Streets in Omaha. In 1897, the store moved into its well-known location on the corner of 15th and Farnam Streets. The building, which was commonly known as "The Nebraska", became the Company's headquarters for 75 years. At its height, the company had four stores in Lincoln & Omaha and at one point, stores in Red Oak, Iowa and Des Moines, Iowa.

My great grandfather, John A. Swanson, became involved in the business in 1912 when he and his partner, William Holzman, bought the business from the original owners. In 1918 my grandfather, Otto Swanson, joined the company and in 1929, upon the death of John A. Swanson, shared the management of the company with Mr. Holzman. My grandfather's name was actually Otto Lillienstolpe, a familiar Swedish name, but not so familiar in America. When he married my grandmother, Christine, in a gesture that was 60 years ahead of its time, he took my grandmother's name, Swanson.

By 1940 Otto Swanson had purchased the Holzman interest and became the sole owner of the company. He was a recognized fundraiser for many institutions, including Boys Town and Creighton University where he headed Creighton's first million-dollar fund drive in the 1950's. Otto was King of Ak-Sar-Ben in the late 1930's. He died in the early 1970's but has been remembered most recently by the Nebraska Chapter of Nebraska Conference of Christians and Jews which named an annual award after him. He and my father, Don Ashford, managed the store for several years. As a 19 year-old Captain in the Army Air Corp., my father achieved notoriety during World War II as a highly decorated bomber pilot flying 60 missions over France and Germany. He named his B-26 bomber AK-SAR-BEN Knight after the well-known Omaha landmark.

My mother, Ellen Ashford Anderson was also active in many volunteer capacities. After The Nebraska closed its doors in 1976, she co-founded and operated the Poppy Shop at Countryside Village until her death in November 1991. In 1974, the City of Omaha condemned the Nebraska Clothing Company downtown store as part of the Central Park Mall development. The downtown library now occupies the site. Omahans may remember the State Theater and the Virginia Cafe that were on the same block. After the flagship store closed in 1975, efforts were made by my father to locate another store in downtown Omaha. However, by that time downtown retail had declined to such an extent that these efforts proved unsuccessful. After The Nebraska closed its doors for what seemed to be the final time my father operated a menswear shop in the Old Market of Omaha until his death in 1977.

In the spring of 1993, I fulfilled a seventeen-year dream to reestablish the Nebraska Clothing Company in downtown Omaha. Our company always tried to strive for the best in service and quality merchandise and also represented a strong commitment to downtown Omaha and its future. In 1994 my son John and I started Bugeater Apparel to commemorate 100 years of business in Nebraska. In 2007, the Meyer family took over the ownership of our store and Debbie Meyer carries on the tradition of excellence and commitment to our community started by my great grandfather 116 years ago. John and I, along with John's wife Laura and Jonathan Bradford, will continue to offer Bugeater Apparel on-line and in many fine stores.

Brad Ashford
Proprietor