rose gorelick Blumkin
Rose Gorelick Blumkin (b.1893 d.1998) matriarch of the legendary Blumkin family and founder of Nebraska Furniture Mart, was known for her strength, solid values and ideals, business ethics and community involvement.
"Mrs. B" fled Russia in 1917 and joined her husband Isadore. She started a used clothing and furniture business in a basement with a borrowed $500 investment.
The first Nebraska Furniture Mart opened in downtown Omaha in 1937, but business did not come easy. Manufacturers, at first, would not sell to Mrs. B and banks would not lend her money. By 1948, Mrs. B had raised and saved enough money to move to a better building. Today son, Louie, and grandsons, Ron and Irv, carry on the tradition of "over-deliver and under-promise." Success is attributed to part work ethic, part unwavering commitment to a low-price policy and service, part history and reputation, part vision, and part execution.
In the late 1 930's, Mrs. B worked with a friend on the dream of establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine by opening her home and inviting prospective supporters. A decade later, Israel was founded and this friend, Golda Meir, served as the first prime minister.
Rose Blumkin is lauded by a U.S. president, members of congress, and business dignitaries as one of America's greatest entrepreneurs ... one whose undaunted spirit built a multi-million dollar business literally from the basement up.