James J. Jacobi Sr., 94, headed chain of men's clothing stores
- Jan 12, 2021 Updated Jan 12, 2021
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James J. Jacobi Sr.
Dale Anderson
June 5, 1926 – Dec. 5, 2020
James J. Jacobi Sr., who headed a locally based chain of men’s clothing stores for 25 years, died unexpectedly Dec. 5 at the home of his daughter in Centennial, Colo. He was 94.
Born in Buffalo, he contracted polio when he was 2 years old and required several surgeries through his early 20s. Nevertheless, he was a varsity wrestler at Amherst High School and a starter during his senior year on the 1944-45 championship basketball team.
He attended the University of Notre Dame for three years, then left to join the family business, Jacobi Bros. Men’s Clothiers, which was founded by his father and uncles in 1919. Its flagship store was on Main Street in downtown Buffalo next door to the Century Theater.
Known to all as Jim, Mr. Jacobi was a buyer and salesman until 1962, when his father retired. He then became president and his brother Don became co-owner.
He guided Jacobi Bros. through several transitions. In 1966, it was one of the first retail merchants to accept the Interbank card, predecessor to MasterCard, after it was introduced as a national credit card by Marine Midland Bank and other banks.
As business declined downtown, he closed the flagship store in 1973 and concentrated on the company’s half dozen suburban branches. Changes in the clothing industry, which speeded up traditional cycles of buying and selling, obliged him to make day trips to suppliers in New York City every week until he retired in 1987. Two of his sons then operated the business until it closed in 1991.
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