Sohrab Tebyanian has guided fur and clothing retailer Andriana Furs since founding the company in 1987. As a leader in the Chicago fur industry, Sohrab Tebyanian takes part in a tradition that has roots in the city’s origins.
Though many people associate the industrial history of Chicago with meatpacking, manufacturing, and railroads, the City of Big Shoulders actually got its start as a center for the fur trade. Back in the early 18th century, French fur trappers used the waterways in what is now northeastern Illinois to transport their goods for trade throughout the region. These traders soon mixed with the local Native American population and established a steady fur industry in the area, with notable traders including the Afro-French merchant Jean DuSable.
In 1803, the US government built a fort on the Chicago River to protect the burgeoning fur trade and those who lived in the area. Fort Dearborn became an economic center, drawing more fur traders and other settlers. Over the next three decades, French, British, American, and Native American traders engaged in a robust economic and social exchange centered around fur, with businessmen such as John Jacob Astor emerging as early industry leaders.
As the city grew, many of the animals that trappers relied on for their trade were displaced by humans. The new settlers also pushed out the Native American tribes that had long been a vital part of the fur-based economy, and soon the fur trade was surpassed by other industries.
Sohrab Tebyanian 