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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1918 |
| Headquarters | Taunton, Massachusetts |
| Key people | Eliot Tatelman |
| Industry | Furniture retailers |
| Products | Furniture, Bedding, Mattresses |
| Owner(s) | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Website | www.jordans.com |
Jordan's Furniture is a prominent furniture retailer in eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, with locations in Reading, Avon, and Natick, Massachusetts and Nashua, New Hampshire.
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The company was started by Samuel Tatelman in 1918 in Waltham, Massachusetts. Samuel sold furniture out of the back of a truck until 1926. In the late 1930s, his son Edward joined the business. In 1973, Barry and Eliot Tatelman took over the business from their father, Edward. They stopped advertising on the back page of the Waltham paper and started on radio. In 1983, Barry and Eliot built the Nashua, New Hampshire location, and it was extremely successful.
In 1987, they opened the Avon, Massachusetts location, creating the largest traffic jam ever recorded on Route 24. Barry and Eliot had to go on the radio to beg people not to come. Customers stood in line for hours waiting for their turn to go into the showroom.
On Mother's Day 1992, the Motion Odyssey Movie (MOM) opened in the Avon store, after five years of planning and a $2.5 million investment. Over 1 million people experienced MOM, raising more than $300,000 for non-profit organizations.
On April 17, 1998, Barry and Eliot opened the biggest Jordan's Furniture to date with 120,000 sq ft (11,000 m2). of showroom space and a Mardi Gras/Bourbon Street theme, the Natick, Massachusetts location introduced Jordan's to the MetroWest area.
In October 1999, the Tatelman brothers sold the company to investment firm Berkshire Hathaway. The sale was intended to increase the financial backing of Jordan's Furniture for future growth. To celebrate, each employee received a financial gift of 50 cents for every hour ever worked at Jordan's. Operationally, nothing changed. Barry and Eliot remained at the helm, still starring in all radio/tv commercials and as integral parts of the company.
On Thursday, August 22, 2002, the IMAX 3D Theater at Jordan's Furniture in Natick opened its doors to the public. This new venue offered a new level of "shoppertainment" in Jordan's Furniture history. The Waltham store closed in 2004, the day the new Reading, Massachusetts store opened, which was the largest of Jordan's locations. It includes a complete showroom, warehouse, and 3D IMAX movie theater. In addition, Jordan's opened a 750,000 sq ft (70,000 m2) Warehouse/Office complex in Taunton, Massachusetts. In 2005, the warehouse underneath the Avon store was converted into the Colossal Clearance Center, containing over 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of clearance merchandise.
Eliot Tatelman still represents the public face of the company. He and his brother Barry have become pop culture icons throughout New England due to their commercials spoofing major national or international advertising campaigns. The origins of the name of the company are uncertain; the brothers have speculated that their grandfather chose the name out of a hat.
Barry Tatelman left Jordan's Furniture in December 2006, according to The Boston Globe,
| “ | ...to pursue other interests such as helping to produce a Broadway show Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, starring actor John Lithgow. . . . Besides Broadway, Barry Tatelman will dabble in Hollywood. He is a principal of a new film company called "Filmshop" and is working on a TV series, according to a Jordan's press release. | ” |
As a promotion in 2007, Jordan's offered full rebates on certain pieces of furniture bought between March 7 and April 16 - provided the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. The store took out an insurance policy for approximately twenty million US dollars. Since the Red Sox did win the World Series, Jordan's Furniture gave an estimated 30,000 qualified orders away for free [1].
As a promotion in 2008, like in 2007 Jordan's offered full rebates on certain pieces of furniture but instead of just winning the world series the Boston Red Sox would have to sweep the World Series winning in the first four games.
"Barry Tatelman leaves Jordan's Furniture". Boston Globe. 2006-12-21. http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2006/12/barry_tatelman_1.html. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
"Buffett-Owned Store Giving Away Furniture With Red Sox Win". Bloomberg. 2007-10-26. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=aD2tVHoQ1Kmc&refer=home. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
   | Berkshire Hathaway website - BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC. |
| | Jordan's Furniture website - Jordans Furniture Not Just A Store an Experience |
| | Barry Tatelman leaves Jordan's Furniture - Barry Tatelman leaves Jordan's Furniture - Daily Business Update - The Boston Globe |
| | Buffett-Owned Store Giving Away Furniture With Red Sox Win - Buffett-Owned Store Giving Away Furniture With Red Sox Win - Bloomberg.com |
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