Mano Swartz, a native of Hungary, founded a fur store in downtown Baltimore in 1889. Today, approximately seven miles north of its original location, that store thrives. It is owned and operated by Mano's great grandson Richard. From those days as a youngster when he worked in the store on Saturdays, Richard was groomed to be a furrier. Upon graduation from the University of Vermont, he went to Copenhagen to apprentice in the fur factory of A.C. Bang, one of Europe's most prominent master furriers. Richard took over the business from his father Mano II in 1985.

David represents the fifth-generation of the Mano Swartz family. David apprenticed in a fur factory in New York City specializing in reversible furs. As the generations before him have done, he has worked at Mano Swartz since he was a youngster learning from the bottom up and has also run our service operations over the summer for the past two years. A graduate of City College and the University of Maryland, David holds a degree in American studies and is joining the business full-time starting fall 2011.