Blatteis Realty Co

Under the guidance of founding partners Samuel Blatteis and Lou H. Hymans, the firm prospered and grew to dominate retail leasing activity in the Western United States.

By 1932, under the sole ownership of Samuel Blatteis, Blatteis Realty had become the dominant retail brokerage specialist and leading representative of major national retailers. In response to the economic climate of the Great Depression, Blatteis introduced to the West Coast what is now commonly known as the percentage lease, thus enabling retail rental values to be determined equitably during times when retail merchants were unable to reasonably project their ability to meet fixed rental obligations. Percentage leases continue as an accepted standard in the retail industry today allowing landlords to appropriately share in the financial success of their tenants.

During the financial boom of the 1950s and 1960s, Blatteis Realty continued to dominate retail leasing throughout San Francisco and the Greater Bay Area, leasing to well-known tenants of the time such as Woolworth Department Stores, Gallenkamp Shoes, and National Dollar Stores.