A. Schwab Dry Goods has digitized nearly 5,000 items from its basement archives and is celebrating with an online scavenger hunt to help Memphians win prizes and learn more about the historic retailer.

The project is a collaboration between Schwab’s, Storyboard Memphis and DIG Memphis. Storyboard is a nonprofit multimedia organization that highlights local arts and culture, and DIG is the digital archive of Memphis Public Libraries.

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When Schwab’s principal owner asked in summer 2021 if he knew anyone who might like to see the collection, Storyboard executive director Mark Fleischer said he knew MPL would be an ideal vessel for such a project.

Storyboard archivist Kimberly Bradshaw sifted through thousands of Schwab’s archives throughout 2022 to select the final 4,445 featured items.

Fleischer said the result is a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at the city’s coming of age.

“This is really something that reminds us of how rich our history is here,” Fleischer said. “It illustrates how Memphis has often been at the center of things with regards to art and culture, history. But now we add another layer on top of it because Schwab was started by Jewish immigrants; plus, it was in the middle of Black Main Street.”

The scavenger hunt is accessible on the A. Schwab Collection digital scavenger hunt website via MPL’s online platform. It’s open now through June 10.

Scavenger hunters are given background on the collection, including correspondence, records, Great Depression-era job applications and invoices, before being given a set of 10 questions related to Schwab’s archives. They then navigate the collection online to answer the questions.

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The collection has historical artifacts that even longtime Memphians are probably unfamiliar with, said Jamie Corson, MPL digital projects manager. 

“There is one letter in the collection written by someone in a Nashville prison who was actually writing Schwab to ask for certain blues records,” Corson said. “What we did on the digital collection is not just make it accessible to the database but try to pull out some more interesting themes to make it like a digital museum exhibition.”

Once all 10 questions are answered successfully, the final assignment sends scavenger hunters to Schwab’s, where they have to locate a specific item in the store and take a selfie next to it. Participants then post the photo to Instagram or upload it on the scavenger hunt website. 

Winners will receive two tickets to the June 17 USFL Memphis Showboats game at Liberty Stadium. Those who cannot make the June 17 game will receive a special prize from Schwab’s.

Fleischer said the story of Schwab’s tells far more than a mere reflection on one of Memphis’ oldest retailers. 

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“I see the Schwab story as a Memphis story,” Fleischer said. “It really hits all the things we’re known for in one location, and it’s the only original building inside and out and original business that still exists on Beale Street.”

Schwab’s is the oldest and only remaining original establishment on Beale Street. It was opened in 1876 by Abraham Schwab and the Hirsch family to open a “Boots and Shoe Company” at 66 Beale, according to the store’s website.

Eventually moving to 163 Beale in 1911, where it still stands, the eclectic store sells everything from Memphis memorabilia to old-fashioned candies, cast iron skillets and ukeleles. It also has a museum dedicated to Beale Street history.