Ellis Mintz, New Orleans retailer
By Susan M. Andrews -- Furniture Today, January 22, 2006
New Orleans — Retired retailer Ellis Mintz, former owner and CEO of Hurwitz Mintz Furniture here, has died. He was 82.
Mintz led the family business, which was founded in 1923, from the mid-1940s until his retirement six years ago. He died in Dallas, where he evacuated last summer when Hurricane Katrina was approaching.
When the oil slump in the 1980s made business conditions difficult in New Orleans, Mintz shifted part of his company's focus to selling furniture to tourists. This grew to 20% of the company's business in five years.
Mintz was well known in his hometown.
"Ellis was a true merchant. He had vision, passion and love for his work," said Ashton Phelps Jr., publisher of the city's daily newspaper, The Times-Picayune. "Moreover, he was a contributor to New Orleans of both his time and his resources. Our community is poorer without him."
The Hurwitz Mintz flagship store on Royal Street has been closed since Hurricane Katrina hit last August, but is expected to reopen soon when repairs are complete. The company's suburban store in Metairie, La., also was damaged but reopened for business in late October.
Harry Blumenthal, president of textile source Blumenthal Printworks in New Orleans, was a longtime friend of Mintz.
"He was a warm and charming man who was a friend to everyone he met, whether in the store, on the street or at a social occasion," said Blumenthal. "To meet him was to quickly realize that he was extremely intelligent and very proud of his family and his business. He took pleasure in talking to everyone and learning about them."
Harvey Dondero, president of Broyhill Furniture Inds., said it was early in his furniture career that he met Mintz.
"One of the very first experiences I had when I came to the furniture business in 1994 was with Ellis. He guaranteed me he would do more business than we had planned to do in New Orleans for the coming year. I did not really know Ellis at the time, but he seemed so confident and tenacious about Hurwitz Mintz that we decided to let him have a try," Dondero said.
"He exceeded both our number and his. From that day, I knew that whatever Ellis and his son, Mitchell, said they would do, they would," he said.
Survivors include his wife; son Mitchell Mintz, owner and CEO of Hurwitz Mintz; a sister, two brothers and a grandchild.
Memorial contributions may be sent to: Temple Emanuel Pre-School, 8500 Hillcrest Dr., Dallas, Texas 75225; or A.C.E. Program, Jewish Community Center, 5342 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, La. 70115.
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