Heiman Kaminski bought 631 Front Street in 1900. Heiman was a Georgetown merchant born in Prussia in 1839, who immigrated to Georgetown in the early 1850s.

Enlisting in the Confederate Army, Heiman’s service took him away from Georgetown. Upon the end of the Civil War, Heiman returned to Georgetown to start his mercantile business, H. Kaminski and Company. In 1867, he opened shop in the neighboring building of 633 Front Street.

As business grew, he acquired 631 Front Street (pictured). In January 1901, he renamed the store Kaminski Hardware Company. It had been Georgetown’s oldest business establishment until it moved to the West End in 1970. 633 Front Street had been established for 103 years under the Kaminski name.

Betsy Havens purchased the property in 1986 and along with Jim Calk converted it into an art studio and home.

Learn more about the Kaminski family.