The Jay Day Dress Company was founded in 1932 by Julius “Jack” Davis. Davis was a teenager when he immigrated to New York from London in 1917, and worked odd jobs to survive before finding a way into the garment industry as a fashion buyer. He used his connections to found his own company, which specialized in affordably priced dresses. The company occupied two floors at 462 7th Avenue in New York City. By the late 1940s, Jay Day Dress had grown to the point where it was shipping 200,000 dresses a month to small retail stores, and to J.C. Penney. Davis invested some of his wealth into “wildcatting” in the oil industry, founding the Davis Oil Company in 1939. The company enjoyed enormous success, and even sponsored a weekly children’s television program called “Birthday Party” from 1947 to 1949. Eventually, the family’s interests turned more toward managing its oil business, and the company ceased to exist as a family business. The latest press mention of the company’s founder online is from a 1951 New York Times article where he discusses the spring market trends of the time.
Written by Vintorious
