The Haver family was the sixth generation to own a haberdashery store in Schwerte, which had been opened by Gottfried Casper Haver in 1727. Over five generations, the stores were able to provide the Haver families with food, clothing, education and a home.
In the mid-1880s, Carl Haver, as the sixth-generation merchant, unfortunately had to realize that, despite his commercial skills, the figures no longer fit. The reason was the radical change in the economic structure of the country - an agricultural country had now become an industrial country. Coal was mined in the vicinity of neighboring Dortmund, but was only sold close to the mines as transport was too expensive.
Little by little, Dortmund became a large industrial city. Attracted by the good earnings, the rural population flocked to the city. The money was spent in the large department stores. Schwerte was unable to keep up with this development because it was too far away from the coal - 15 to 20 kilometers were still a great distance in those days. Carl Haver realized that the decline in his business required a new direction.