Seaman's Furniture
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Furnishings |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Fate | Liquidation; sold to Levitz |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Products | Home Furniture |
Seaman's Furniture was an American chain of furniture stores based in Woodbury, New York. The chain was known for its slogan, "See Seaman's First".
History
[edit]Julius Seaman opened his first store in 1933 [1] in Brooklyn, New York. His enterprise gradually increased to an annual $150,000 in sales and allowed him to send his two sons to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "His big[gest] goal in life was that his boys would follow him and build up his business," Morton Seaman told Forbes. Julius Seaman died at the age of 48 of a heart attack. He left Morton, the elder son and college graduate, to help his mother save for the business, while Carl, still in school, worked at weekends and during vacations.[2]
In 1955, they spent $1,000 on the store's first ad. It was a full-page spread in a local paper. When sales tripled, the same week the ad was published, Morton decided to open a second store to reduce the cost of advertisement per unit. By 1971 there were seven Seaman stores.[2]
In 1988, Seaman's Furniture was taken over in a buyout by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. Jeffrey Seaman, son of Morton Seaman, was 28 at the time, but he shouldered a large portion of the buying duties for the company. He and his father developed an overseas program during Seaman's restructuring phase.[3]
On February 8, 1990, Seaman's Furniture announced that Morton and Jeffrey Seaman would leave the company; it was later succeeded by Matthew D. Serra, former president and chief executive of G. Fox.[4]
In 2005, after being in business for more than 70 years, Seaman's merged with Levitz in 2005.[5]
In popular culture
[edit]Seaman's Furniture is mentioned in a song by hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. In the song "Electric Relaxation" on their third album, "Midnight Marauders," Phife Dawg utters the ribald lyric: "Let me hit it from the back, girl/I won't catch a hernia/Bust off on your couch/Now you got Seaman's furniture."
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Sharon L. & Matt Crenson. "The Ties that Bind". Wharton Magazine. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
- ^ a b "Seaman Furniture Company, Inc. - Company History". Funding Universe. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
- ^ "Rooms To Go, Inc. - Company History". Funding Universe. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ Daniel F. Cuff (February 9, 1990). "BUSINESS PEOPLE; Family Members Leave At Seaman Furniture". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
- ^ "Levitz Home Furnishings Declares Bankruptcy; Company Says Retail Operations to Continue As Usual". RTO Online.com. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
External links
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