Vladimir Ivanovich Kartashev, a representative of the ancient Kartashev family, which was included in the sixth part of the genealogical book of the Tula province, was born in 1840 in a merchant family in the Penza province. Another branch of this family descends from the court trumpeter Korney Kartashev, who received nobility in the Russian Empire by the decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna for participating in the palace coup of 1741. In modern spelling, the surname is often written as Kartashovy or Kortashovy. The basis of the surname may be the Turkic word "qardas," meaning "brother," which may have been used as a nickname for Kartash, later becoming a surname. Interestingly, there are not many surnames formed from nicknames ending in -ashov or -ashev. The translation of the surname from Tatar can mean "friend" or "companion," which supports the version of its origin from a nickname.

Vladimir Kartashev was engaged in the trade of caps and hats, as well as fittings. In 1881, he acquired a manor on Moskovskaya Street, 27, where he opened a central store, and behind it, he placed workshops and a stable. He passed away in 1912 and was buried in Penza.