By the time Frederick L. Block stepped down from the helm of the apparel business his grandfather had founded in Wilmington, N.C., six decades earlier, the Block Shirts firm was grossing $100 million a year, and Block shirts were carried in some 10,000 retail outlets nationwide, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Gimbels, and Hudson’s. The company was a major manufacturer in Wilmington, and many residents still remember the factory on Greenfield Street.

Fred Block’s story provides a wealth of detail about the firm and its history. But it also provides an intimate glimpse into everyday Jewish life in a Southern town, as Block recalls the customs and characters of his early days.

The book contains nearly 100 photographs, most never before published.

“Tales of a Shirtmaker is a fascinating history of one of North Carolina's most prominent Jewish families and their business. The story is told by Fred Block, the hard-working visionary, who was the last family member to head Block Industries, an equal opportunity employer of thousands, and a producer of untold millions of shirts.” —Herbert Zimmer, Wilmington

Following the injunction to "record and remember," Frederick L. and Susan
Taylor Block have produced a moving narrative of a Jewish boy growing up in
Wilmington, North Carolina, and assuming the reins of his family's textile
business. In Tales of a Shirtmaker the ordinary rings true and eloquent.
Fred Block's engaging, humorous, and candid account, conscientiously edited
by his wife Susan Block and richly illustrated with historic photographs, is
oral history at its evocative best.
-Dale Rosengarten, curator, Jewish Heritage Collection, College of
Charleston