In 1936, Frances and August Kahn opened the first Frances Kahn in Danville, VA. Since this was the height of the Depression and money was scarce, they were only able to take half of the downstairs of a two-story building located in the center of downtown. Their hard work, determination and fine taste brought them successfully through those lean and tough years. During the war, they were able to take over the second floor of the building, expanding their departments considerably.

It is said that Frances Kahn (always in a black dress and pearls) could be found holding court with her customers on a fainting couch on the second floor. She gave advice, approved selections and received orders for special customers to be selected on her next trip to New York.

In the late 1940's, her daughter Lorraine and her husband Nathan Lester, became the new proprietors, maintaining the same elegant ambiance and impeccable customer service. By the 1950's, their success demanded another expansion, doubling the size of the original space.

The Lester's presented the first sportswear to their customers in the 1960's. They were extremely avant-garde retailers and recognized the fast approaching change in modern fashion. Lorraine introduced the famous Frances Kahn "lying of clothes on the floor" that allowed the customer to see how her new sportswear worked together, and this has became a trademark of the store.

In 1974 the Lester's son, Rusty, returned to the family business after "learning the ropes" at Rich's Department store in Atlanta. He brought to the store the newest trends of the 1970's; causing the basement to be converted into the "contemporary sportswear department" which was the largest growth area at the time. He also introduced Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis, another rising American superstar, and Donna Karan and other great designers of the time.

In 1977, Rusty ventured out on his own with his parents' blessing and well-respected name. The Lynchburg store was opened in August of 1977 with all the flair of the original store. The amount of customers traveling from Roanoke to Lynchburg prompted the opening of the Roanoke store in August 1983, the same year the Danville store was sold.

An inner yearning for the experience of a larger city with a bigger audience lured Rusty to Richmond and the store was opened in September of 1988. In 2003, the shores of the Atlantic Ocean beckoned with an even bigger opportunity and audience wooing Rusty once again. The Frances Kahn store opened with quite a flair in August of that year.

Now Frances Kahn stretches from the mountains to the sea to give Virginia one of the leading specialty stores in the country, with a distinct personality and unique customer base, but maintains a special camaraderie and sisterhood.

Passed down through three generations, the legacy of Frances Kahn is a testament to quality, good taste and an un-compromising standard of customer service. The significance of these standards was recognized nationally when Harper's Bazaar selected Frances Kahn as one of the America's 100 Top Tier women's fashion specialty retailers in October 2004, and has remained on their prestigious list.

Since 1936, only the clothes on the shelves and the technological equipment have changed. Frances Kahn remains the same fine old store always ahead of the times.