The surnames of some Penza merchants were known as brands. Names like Budyulin, Finogeev, and Ashanin were associated with high-quality products. The products of Kuznetsov, who lived at 39 Moscow Street, were also very popular.

Kuznetsov was engaged in manufacturing and sold fabrics, shirts, trousers, scarves, and other wardrobe items. Even high-ranking officials of the province considered it an honor to dress with him. Additionally, Pyotr Kuznetsov was actively involved in charity. For example, during World War I, he donated 100,000 rubles to wounded soldiers and sent six boxes of tobacco and smoking paper to the front.

Interestingly, pharmacist Bartmer began his career here. He rented several rooms on the second floor for his laboratory. Merchant Alexander Kuznetsov recalled: "The shop daily dispensed medications and disinfectants in large quantities. Every day, carts stood in our yard, loading boxes of medicines and large bottles of carbolic acid and other substances. The shop downstairs caused us trouble, as medicines were often broken or spilled, the smell of which rose upstairs. It was especially unpleasant when deer antler and ammonia were spilled. The smell of the former was so disgusting that it was embarrassing in front of outsiders, and the latter could suffocate you. All our belongings and we ourselves reeked of these smells. Because of this, although Bartmer was a good tenant and paid on time, my grandfather asked him to find another place. The decision was also influenced by the large stocks of flammable and explosive substances in the shop."

In the end, the freed premises were taken over by clockmaker Ernest Zabel, a well-known inventor and dreamer. The city laughed for a long time at his water bicycle, which nearly led to his demise during its first test on the Sura River. As for the Kuznetsov merchants, they were evicted after October 1917.