Glaser Furniture
August 18, 2009 @ 12:00 AM
CHRISTIAN ALEXANDERSEN
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON -- With little money in the bank, Samuel and Rachel Glaser bought all the inventory of a small rummage store along 3rd Avenue in Huntington in 1946 following World War II.
Beginning with their guidance, the Glaser Furniture Co. would become the longest-operating family-owned furniture store in the city. Their sons, Norman and Herman, have carried on the tradition since the 1960s but are looking to a time when they can hand the business over to another member of the Glaser family.
Now, 63 years after the store was opened, Norman's son Howard Glaser has decided he wants to try his hand in the furniture business. The Glasers are hoping that under Howard's leadership, the store will be around for at least another 63 years.
Howard Glaser, 26, plans to become involved in the family business after he fulfills his commitment to teach in China for the next year. Running Glaser Furniture Co. was never part of Howard Glaser's plan, he said.
"But after spending time away, I'd like to be in Huntington where my friends and family are," Howard Glaser said.
Before opening the store, Samuel and Rachel Glaser lived in Huntington performing various jobs to support themselves and their kids. In 1946, they gathered up enough money to purchase all of the rummage items in a small 3,000-square-foot business in the 1900 block of 3rd Avenue.
They leased the space -- creating Glaser Furniture Co. in Huntington.
But since new furniture was hard to come by following WWII, the Glasers mostly sold items from the original rummage store. The family got their big break when the couple visited an estate sale where a well-to-do woman was selling her furniture following her husband's death.
Huntington furniture stores were all lobbying the woman to purchase the furniture, Norman Glaser said.
Rachel Glaser, who previously worked in an antiques store, said the woman's price of $600 was accurate, but the Glasers could not afford it. The woman, appreciating Rachel Glaser's honesty, said she'd accept $400. The Glasers borrowed $400 from the 20th Street Bank, then across the street from their store, and bought their first pieces of furniture, Norman Glaser said.
From that point, every penny the couple earned was put back into the business to purchase more inventory. Norman Glaser said his parents worked until the store was closed, then would spend much of the night with the kids making deliveries.
Seventeen years after they opened the store, the Glasers took their first family vacation, Norman Glaser said.
"They worked day and night," Norman Glaser said. "They put everything back into the business, and it continued to grow."
Business was booming, and the Glasers bought the building next to their store and continued expanding the store to 12,000 square feet. With greater space came more inventory and more help from their sons.
Norman and Herman Glaser spent much of their early life working at the store and helping their parents. Herman began working full time at the store in 1960, about 11 years before Norman came on full time in 1971.
The brothers took over the business after their mother died and their father moved away in the late 1970s. Herman, 68, handles the administration side of the business while Norman, 65, is in charge of the store's personnel and operations.
Both have been involved in trying to keep the store at its current location, contending with several different attempts over 30 years by Marshall University to either purchase the property or take it by eminent domain. The latest attempt ended in 2005 after the MU Board of Governors rescinded condemnation proceedings and chose to build a proposed recreation center elsewhere.
Norman and Herman Glaser said they are happiest when they are working with customers.
"I really enjoy talking to the customers and working with people," Herman Glaser said.
"I just love seeing the customers happy," Norman Glaser said. "You get a feeling of accomplishment when you see their satisfaction."
Their interactions with the customers are among the main reasons the store has thrived when other independent furniture stores went under, the Glasers said. The cheapest and best form of advertising is word of mouth, Herman Glaser said.
Treating the customers fairly and providing them with information about the products has kept customers coming to the institution for generations, the Glasers said. When they get a new line of furniture in, the Glaser brothers said they learn everything they can about it.
"We don't ever pressure the customers," Herman Glaser said. "That's what separates us from the larger, chain stores."
Howard Glaser said he will put in the necessary time in hopes of someday matching his father's and uncle's knowledge of furniture. He already has a pretty good sense of what it takes to run the Glaser Furniture Co. after working in the store since he was a kid. He's performed a number of jobs around the store, including moving, setting up, selling and transporting furniture.
But while they're confident in Howard's abilities, Norman and Herman Glaser said they'll probably never completely retire from the business. They will just reduce the hours they're in the store instead of leaving entirely.
"We really enjoy this business, and I don't think we'll ever really leave completely," Norman Glaser said.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1562576386/Longtime-furniture-store-owners-hope-to-keep-tradition-going?i=0
CHRISTIAN ALEXANDERSEN
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON -- With little money in the bank, Samuel and Rachel Glaser bought all the inventory of a small rummage store along 3rd Avenue in Huntington in 1946 following World War II.
Beginning with their guidance, the Glaser Furniture Co. would become the longest-operating family-owned furniture store in the city. Their sons, Norman and Herman, have carried on the tradition since the 1960s but are looking to a time when they can hand the business over to another member of the Glaser family.
Now, 63 years after the store was opened, Norman's son Howard Glaser has decided he wants to try his hand in the furniture business. The Glasers are hoping that under Howard's leadership, the store will be around for at least another 63 years.
Howard Glaser, 26, plans to become involved in the family business after he fulfills his commitment to teach in China for the next year. Running Glaser Furniture Co. was never part of Howard Glaser's plan, he said.
"But after spending time away, I'd like to be in Huntington where my friends and family are," Howard Glaser said.
Before opening the store, Samuel and Rachel Glaser lived in Huntington performing various jobs to support themselves and their kids. In 1946, they gathered up enough money to purchase all of the rummage items in a small 3,000-square-foot business in the 1900 block of 3rd Avenue.
They leased the space -- creating Glaser Furniture Co. in Huntington.
But since new furniture was hard to come by following WWII, the Glasers mostly sold items from the original rummage store. The family got their big break when the couple visited an estate sale where a well-to-do woman was selling her furniture following her husband's death.
Huntington furniture stores were all lobbying the woman to purchase the furniture, Norman Glaser said.
Rachel Glaser, who previously worked in an antiques store, said the woman's price of $600 was accurate, but the Glasers could not afford it. The woman, appreciating Rachel Glaser's honesty, said she'd accept $400. The Glasers borrowed $400 from the 20th Street Bank, then across the street from their store, and bought their first pieces of furniture, Norman Glaser said.
From that point, every penny the couple earned was put back into the business to purchase more inventory. Norman Glaser said his parents worked until the store was closed, then would spend much of the night with the kids making deliveries.
Seventeen years after they opened the store, the Glasers took their first family vacation, Norman Glaser said.
"They worked day and night," Norman Glaser said. "They put everything back into the business, and it continued to grow."
Business was booming, and the Glasers bought the building next to their store and continued expanding the store to 12,000 square feet. With greater space came more inventory and more help from their sons.
Norman and Herman Glaser spent much of their early life working at the store and helping their parents. Herman began working full time at the store in 1960, about 11 years before Norman came on full time in 1971.
The brothers took over the business after their mother died and their father moved away in the late 1970s. Herman, 68, handles the administration side of the business while Norman, 65, is in charge of the store's personnel and operations.
Both have been involved in trying to keep the store at its current location, contending with several different attempts over 30 years by Marshall University to either purchase the property or take it by eminent domain. The latest attempt ended in 2005 after the MU Board of Governors rescinded condemnation proceedings and chose to build a proposed recreation center elsewhere.
Norman and Herman Glaser said they are happiest when they are working with customers.
"I really enjoy talking to the customers and working with people," Herman Glaser said.
"I just love seeing the customers happy," Norman Glaser said. "You get a feeling of accomplishment when you see their satisfaction."
Their interactions with the customers are among the main reasons the store has thrived when other independent furniture stores went under, the Glasers said. The cheapest and best form of advertising is word of mouth, Herman Glaser said.
Treating the customers fairly and providing them with information about the products has kept customers coming to the institution for generations, the Glasers said. When they get a new line of furniture in, the Glaser brothers said they learn everything they can about it.
"We don't ever pressure the customers," Herman Glaser said. "That's what separates us from the larger, chain stores."
Howard Glaser said he will put in the necessary time in hopes of someday matching his father's and uncle's knowledge of furniture. He already has a pretty good sense of what it takes to run the Glaser Furniture Co. after working in the store since he was a kid. He's performed a number of jobs around the store, including moving, setting up, selling and transporting furniture.
But while they're confident in Howard's abilities, Norman and Herman Glaser said they'll probably never completely retire from the business. They will just reduce the hours they're in the store instead of leaving entirely.
"We really enjoy this business, and I don't think we'll ever really leave completely," Norman Glaser said.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1562576386/Longtime-furniture-store-owners-hope-to-keep-tradition-going?i=0
Arthur Weisberg Family Engineering Laboratories
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. –
In 2008 the Aruther Weisberg Family Engineering Laboratories opened offering students more specialized education and training. The $4.2 million, 16,000-square-foot facility containing the engineering laboratories, which sits across 3rd Avenue from Smith Hall, is named in honor of philanthropists Arthur and Joan Weisberg of Huntington.
The Weisbergs also joined Marshall’s Pathway of Prominence today. Donors who present gifts of $1 million or more to Marshall are honored with a plaque on the Pathway, which is located at the center of the Huntington campus between Old Main and the Memorial Student Center. The plaque was unveiled during the ceremony. “This new
facility is a tremendous milestone in the history of the University, and without Art and Joan, we would not be where we are today,” Marshall President Stephen J. Kopp said. “Their most recent gift has been one of the most important factors in our ability to move forward on the construction and development of the new engineering laboratories.”
In January 2006, Marshall University’s Board of Governors approved a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering (BSE), to be offered in the College of Information Technology and Engineering’s Division of Engineering and Computer Science. One of the most important steps in establishing a four-year, Accreditation Board fo Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited engineering degree is construction of new facilities.
In May 2006, the Weisbergs, owners of State Electric Supply Company in Huntington, contributed $2.5 million in support of Marshall’s Division of Engineering and Computer Science. The division was renamed the Arthur and Joan Weisberg Division of Engineering and Computer Science to honor their many years of supporting Marshall.
In December 2007, the Weisbergs increased their commitment to engineering at Marshall by expanding their 2006 pledge to $5 million. According to the revised commitment, as much of the funds as needed went toward construction of the engineering laboratories, with any remaining funds going to the Weisberg division to provide support for future needs of the program. Additional funds for the project were raised through Marshall’s Bridge Campaign.
Currently, the Marshall BSE offers an area of emphasis in civil engineering, and the new facility will house laboratories to support courses in material testing, soil mechanics, hydraulics, and environmental engineering. There also is room for expansion as the program adds other emphasis areas such as mechanical engineering.
The building also will have an electronic classroom, offices, a technician room, a balance room and a visualization lab, where simulated environments will be created for
specialized training and research. The new facility provides essential resources for accreditation of the engineering program.
Art and Joan Weisberg have demonstrated on many occasions their commitment to continuing education and to helping Marshall and the community grow together. They have been major contributors to Marshall for many years, supporting the Arthur and Joan Weisberg Chairs in Software Engineering and the Arthur and Joan Weisberg Division of Engineering and Computer Science. In recognition of their dedication, both Art and Joan Weisberg received Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Marshall last spring.
“Marshall is a major asset to the community,” Art Weisberg said. “Marshall is the vehicle we are going to use to keep up in the future. Huntington is a great place to start a business and raise a family. Why shouldn’t Huntington succeed? Marshall helps by training people who give back to Huntington.”
Art Weisberg said he believes that his success with State Electric, which began in Huntington in 1952 and has grown to 41 branches in five states, proves that the future is unlimited for Marshall and the community.“I’m a hardware salesman,” he said. “Huntington people and Marshall people have been very kind to me. Why have I come this far? Hard work, dedication and believing in ideas. I started this business with no money, no future and no inventory. But I got immersed in it. In six months, I loved it.”
Joan Weisberg described the new engineering ab building as “wonderful” and important to the future of Marshall and Huntington.“Good schools are a hallmark of a fine community,” she said. “The best thing you can do is help people help themselves at a higher economic and intellectual level. (Through the engineering program) people will be getting training for intellectually challenging and beneficial jobs.”
Dr. Betsy Dulin, dean of CITE, acknowledged the impact of the Weisbergs’ support of the engineering program at Marshall.“With their unerring vision for the future of technology and their unsurpassed community spirit, Art and Joan Weisberg have been with the College of Information Technology and Engineering (CITE) from the beginning,” Dulin said. “Their early support for our faculty and students and the naming gift for the Weisberg Division of Engineering and Computer Science were major catalysts for the development and growth of the college. Their most recent gift enables us to pursue the next important steps of our growth, including further development of the engineering and computer laboratory components of our program in preparation for an accreditation visit next year. We’re honored and privileged to name the new facility in recognition of their generosity.”
Sen. Robert Plymale, chair of the Senate Education Committee, was the lead sponsor of legislation in 2004 that led to the restart of Marshall’s engineering program.“The opening of this building is a defining moment in the engineering program at Marshall University,” Plymale said. “I equate this to when I was a student here and the medical school was established, and the impact it has had on the university and community. I believe the engineering school can have that same impact.”
http://www.marshall.edu/pressrelease.asp?ID=1383
Joan and Art are active members of the Jewish community working with Marshall, B'nai Sholom Synagogue, the B'nai Sholom Yiddish Choir and helping Jewish children build strong Jewish identities and a love for Israel.
In 2008 the Aruther Weisberg Family Engineering Laboratories opened offering students more specialized education and training. The $4.2 million, 16,000-square-foot facility containing the engineering laboratories, which sits across 3rd Avenue from Smith Hall, is named in honor of philanthropists Arthur and Joan Weisberg of Huntington.
The Weisbergs also joined Marshall’s Pathway of Prominence today. Donors who present gifts of $1 million or more to Marshall are honored with a plaque on the Pathway, which is located at the center of the Huntington campus between Old Main and the Memorial Student Center. The plaque was unveiled during the ceremony. “This new
facility is a tremendous milestone in the history of the University, and without Art and Joan, we would not be where we are today,” Marshall President Stephen J. Kopp said. “Their most recent gift has been one of the most important factors in our ability to move forward on the construction and development of the new engineering laboratories.”
In January 2006, Marshall University’s Board of Governors approved a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering (BSE), to be offered in the College of Information Technology and Engineering’s Division of Engineering and Computer Science. One of the most important steps in establishing a four-year, Accreditation Board fo Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited engineering degree is construction of new facilities.
In May 2006, the Weisbergs, owners of State Electric Supply Company in Huntington, contributed $2.5 million in support of Marshall’s Division of Engineering and Computer Science. The division was renamed the Arthur and Joan Weisberg Division of Engineering and Computer Science to honor their many years of supporting Marshall.
In December 2007, the Weisbergs increased their commitment to engineering at Marshall by expanding their 2006 pledge to $5 million. According to the revised commitment, as much of the funds as needed went toward construction of the engineering laboratories, with any remaining funds going to the Weisberg division to provide support for future needs of the program. Additional funds for the project were raised through Marshall’s Bridge Campaign.
Currently, the Marshall BSE offers an area of emphasis in civil engineering, and the new facility will house laboratories to support courses in material testing, soil mechanics, hydraulics, and environmental engineering. There also is room for expansion as the program adds other emphasis areas such as mechanical engineering.
The building also will have an electronic classroom, offices, a technician room, a balance room and a visualization lab, where simulated environments will be created for
specialized training and research. The new facility provides essential resources for accreditation of the engineering program.
Art and Joan Weisberg have demonstrated on many occasions their commitment to continuing education and to helping Marshall and the community grow together. They have been major contributors to Marshall for many years, supporting the Arthur and Joan Weisberg Chairs in Software Engineering and the Arthur and Joan Weisberg Division of Engineering and Computer Science. In recognition of their dedication, both Art and Joan Weisberg received Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Marshall last spring.
“Marshall is a major asset to the community,” Art Weisberg said. “Marshall is the vehicle we are going to use to keep up in the future. Huntington is a great place to start a business and raise a family. Why shouldn’t Huntington succeed? Marshall helps by training people who give back to Huntington.”
Art Weisberg said he believes that his success with State Electric, which began in Huntington in 1952 and has grown to 41 branches in five states, proves that the future is unlimited for Marshall and the community.“I’m a hardware salesman,” he said. “Huntington people and Marshall people have been very kind to me. Why have I come this far? Hard work, dedication and believing in ideas. I started this business with no money, no future and no inventory. But I got immersed in it. In six months, I loved it.”
Joan Weisberg described the new engineering ab building as “wonderful” and important to the future of Marshall and Huntington.“Good schools are a hallmark of a fine community,” she said. “The best thing you can do is help people help themselves at a higher economic and intellectual level. (Through the engineering program) people will be getting training for intellectually challenging and beneficial jobs.”
Dr. Betsy Dulin, dean of CITE, acknowledged the impact of the Weisbergs’ support of the engineering program at Marshall.“With their unerring vision for the future of technology and their unsurpassed community spirit, Art and Joan Weisberg have been with the College of Information Technology and Engineering (CITE) from the beginning,” Dulin said. “Their early support for our faculty and students and the naming gift for the Weisberg Division of Engineering and Computer Science were major catalysts for the development and growth of the college. Their most recent gift enables us to pursue the next important steps of our growth, including further development of the engineering and computer laboratory components of our program in preparation for an accreditation visit next year. We’re honored and privileged to name the new facility in recognition of their generosity.”
Sen. Robert Plymale, chair of the Senate Education Committee, was the lead sponsor of legislation in 2004 that led to the restart of Marshall’s engineering program.“The opening of this building is a defining moment in the engineering program at Marshall University,” Plymale said. “I equate this to when I was a student here and the medical school was established, and the impact it has had on the university and community. I believe the engineering school can have that same impact.”
http://www.marshall.edu/pressrelease.asp?ID=1383
Joan and Art are active members of the Jewish community working with Marshall, B'nai Sholom Synagogue, the B'nai Sholom Yiddish Choir and helping Jewish children build strong Jewish identities and a love for Israel.