Flood of '29

Disaster struck in 1929 when Worcester's Blackstone River flooded its banks, swamping the C&S warehouse, destroying its entire inventory. Israel's son Lester vividly recalls the episode. Five years old at the time, he and his mother were vacationing at the beach when his father called to announce that there had been a flood. The family rushed back to Worcester to help with the cleanup. Despite the flood, C&S survived, and in 1930, Israel moved the company to a larger, drier facility on Hygeia Street, a warehouse twice the size of the Winter Street facility.

The traditional structure still challenged management of the wholesale business. Yet, C&S continued to grow through innovation and attention to customer service. The company responded faster to customer needs by more efficient warehouse practices. While concentrating on speed, C&S still maintained a tremendous amount of respect for its customers, always willing to help in any way.

Israel Cohen had learned very early that without the customer, there would be no C&S. While some wholesalers were more aggressive with their customers, bullying their way into stores and stocking the shelves as they wished, C&S representatives took the time to talk with the clients, listening to their ideas and concerns about stocking, and were polite and professional. Slowly, C&S 's customer service reputation spread, increasing not only the number of customers but also company profits.