Obituaries
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, January 1, 2006
Arizona retail pioneer Sam A. Levitz
Tuscon, Ariz. — Sam A. Levitz, the founder of Top 100 retailer Sam Levitz Furniture, who pioneered the direct-to-you warehouse style of home furnishings merchandising, has died. He was 91.
Levitz started his store, which is still owned and operated by the family, in Tucson after moving from Lebanon, Pa., where his father, R.B. Levitz, ran a general store that Sam Levitz eventually managed.
For health reasons and a warmer climate, Sam Levitz came to Tucson in 1941 and worked as a photojournalist for the Arizona Daily Star and other publications, placing photos on the covers of Life and Look magazines. In 1953, with his brothers as investors, Levitz opened a furniture and appliance store in downtown Tucson in time to tap into the new market for televisions.
His brothers went on to found the nationwide Levitz chain, but Sam decided to concentrate on the Tucson market. He set up a warehouse operation, and a sale there was so popular that he began the warehouse-to-you approach to retailing.
In 2004, Sam Levitz Furniture had estimated revenues of $72 million, according to the Furniture/Today list of Top 100 U.S. furniture stores.
Beyond retailing and photography, Sam Levitz was a renaissance man. He was an avid hunter, fisherman and pilot, and flew for the Pima County Sheriff's Aero Squadron. He also played flamenco guitar with the renowned Carlos Montoya as a teacher, and served as a board member for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson.
Levitz and his wife, Lee, a former model and actress, were well known in Tucson for their furniture advertisements, produced by the couple's daughter, Kathi Levitz Peters. Kandi Levitz Vactor, Sam Levitz's daughter, managed the business from 1977 to 1986. A son, Sam R. Levitz, is now president of the company, and other family members are active in the business. Lee Levitz remains the company's chairman.
Surviving Sam A. Levitz are his wife, three daughters, two sons, a brother, 14 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, Saylor Levitz, three sisters and two brothers.
The family is requesting that memorial donations be made to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson (Sam Levitz Memorial Fund).
Frank Borreggine, bedding industry veteran
Voorhees, N.J. — Frank Borreggine, a longtime bedding executive and founder of 40 Winks Sleep Shops, also known in the industry as Frank Barr, died at his home last week. He was 79.
Borreggine, the father of Therapedic President Gerry Borreggine, began his career at Snellenberg's Department Stores in Philadelphia and entered the bedding industry in 1965, when he became the bedding buyer for the Lit Bros. department store chain. He remained there until he opened 40 Winks in the Philadelphia market in 1977.
40 Winks, conceived by Frank Borreggine as a mom-and-pop sleep shop, eventually grew to a 23-store chain. He remained interested and involved in the company until the Borreggine family sold the business in April 2005.
"Most of his business associates knew him as Frank Barr," said Gerry Borreggine. "That was the name one of his mentors gave him when he began his career, and it stuck. But the wonderful thing about his legacy is that everybody knew him to be a truly good guy."
Frank Borreggine is survived by his wife, Marie, three children and six grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society and earmarked for prostate cancer research.
California Waterbeds founder Kim Kays
Lawrenceburg, Ky. — Industry veteran Kim Kays has died after a battle with cancer at the age of 55.
He and his wife, Mary Carol Horton, started with a single California Waterbeds store and over the years grew the business to 35 stores under the names California Waterbeds and California Bedrooms. After his stores closed in the early 1990s, Kays stayed in the industry as a consultant and sales representative. Most recently, he joined a venture with a longtime friend to open a Handy-Man business in Middletown, Ky.
Kays is survived by his wife, two daughters, three brothers and two sisters.
Donations to his family and to a college fund for his teenage daughters may be sent to the Kim Kays Cancer Fund, in care of Middletown United Methodist Church, 11902 Old Shelbyville Road, Middletown, Ky., 40342.
Ted Parker, retired Arkansas furniture retailer
Forrest City, Ark. — Ted Parker, a retired retailer and one of the founding members of the buying group that has grown to become Best Brands Plus, has died. He was 83.
Parker, who had been in declining health for several months, was the owner and operator of Parker Furniture here. He retired about 15 years ago.
He was a World War II veteran, having fought in the Battle of the Bulge and the Remagen Bridge battle. He was a past president of the Arkansas Furniture Assn. and past board chairman and president of Forrest City Bank, and served on the Forrest City council for 22 years.
Survivors include his wife, three sons, a daughter, six grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
The family requests that memorial donations be made to Gideons International.
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