Murray Klein
Murray Klein (March 25, 1923 – December 6, 2007) was a
Early life
Klein, whose birthname was Mordecai Klein, was born in 1923 in a
Klein was later sent to a Soviet
Klein was captured and held as a
Zabar's
Murray Klein was first hired by Zabar's as a stock clerk and floor sweeper in 1953.[2] The business had been founded by Louis Zabar, whose family was also Ukrainian Jewish, during the 1930s.
Klein had an unpredictable relationship with the Zabar family during the 1950s.
Klein, who was in charge of pricing and speciality products, oversaw much of the recovery and expansion of Zabar's over the next couple of decades. He continued to sell Zabar's famous lines of
Klein often initially sold these new
Klein also began selling
Perhaps most importantly, however, Zabar's, under Klein's guidance and introduction, became one of the first stores in the industry to begin selling high quality, luxury foods, such as
By the mid-1970s Zabar's had gained not only fame within New York City, but had also developed a national following, with much of the credit for Zabar's popularity and success going to Klein.[1]
"Caviar Wars": Zabar's vs. Macy's
Klein was notoriously
Klein clearly enjoyed the dispute with Macy's, especially its free publicity for Zabar's. He told the New York Times at the time of 1983 price battle, "Blood will run in the streets."[1]
Retirement
Murray Klein officially retired from Zabar's in 1994, reportedly as a millionaire.[2] At the time of his retirement, Zabar's was making over $40 million in sales per year.[2] Still, there was a dispute between Klein and Saul and Stanley Zabar over the financial terms of Klein's retirement, which even led to one lawsuit, before the conflict was ended.[1] Klein and the Zabar brothers, Saul and Stanley, had worked closely at Zabar's for decades, though the relationship between the partners (Klein and the Zabars) could be complicated and confrontational at times.[1]
Death
Klein died in Manhattan of lung cancer on December 6, 2007, at the age of 84.[1] He was survived by his wife, Edith and his son Dr. Roger Klein, and daughter Deborah Himmelfarb and six grandchildren.[2]
Despite their sometimes turbulent relationship, Stanley Zabar praised Klein saying, "What Murray brought was the conviction that the whole world must know about Zabar’s."[1]
References
External links
- Zabar's
- Murray Klein, Who Helped Build Zabar’s Into Food Destination, Dies at 84 , obituary in the New York Times
- Murray Klein, Manhattan deli owner who gave Americans a taste for quality foods, obituary in The Times (London)