In March 1933 Sam Goldstein, trying to figure out how to support his family after his previous business was closed by the banks, decided to cash in an insurance policy worth $800, purchase an old Nash vehicle and head south from Nebraska to Hutchinson Kansas hoping to start a new busines.  Around 5 miles north of Manhattan Kansas the car broke down near a ranch.  The owner helped Sam and his partner get to Manhattan and sold them a few bags of wool for their new business.  They found a place they could rent for $5 a month and that was where Kansas Hide and Wool began.

Sam and his partner rented rooms at The Baltimore Hotel for $5 per week.  Within 10 years, Sam would own that building.