JAKE's

FOR

ILAN RAMON

The name "Ilan"
means tree.

Before he died, astronaut Ilan
Ramon of Israel sent the fol-
lowing message back to
earth...

"I call upon every Jew in the
world to plant a tree in the land
of Israel during the coming
year. I would like to see 73 or
14 million new trees planted in I
Israel exactly one year from I
now, on the anniversary of the I
launching."

—Ilan Ramon

To plant a tree in Israel

in honor of Ilan Ramon and

his fellow astronauts, go to

www.jewish.com .

Click on Donations to Israel.

5/16

2003

118 I.__

from p.age 117

Nathan made the
deal and Zola joined
him within the year.
By 1949, the brothers
were planning a cen-
tral distribution ware-
house. It was the first
centralized distribu-
tion of fashion mer-
chandise outside of
New York City.
The Jacobson's store in downtown Jackson
All Jacobson's fash-
ion merchandise was
priced, ticketed and
"I worked in the New York buying
distributed by truck from Jackson to
office of Jacobson's for three years
each individual store.
before Mr. Rosenfeld offered me a
Service was key to the Rosenfelds,
job as a buyer in Jackson. He
who made certain that the predomi-
(Rosenfeld) was an innovator in
nantly female store personnel were
some respects. He did away with
carefully trained. "We aren't just sell-
comparative price advertising. And
ing merchandise. We're selling pleas-
he was very fair with consumers. In
ure and satisfaction," said Zola.
fact, that was the number one prior-
A new downtown Jackson store
ity on his list.
was opened in 1961, the same year
"He was also very aware of his
Zola died. Nathan Rosenfeld died in
sales staff. Overall, he was very
1982 at the age of 79.
much a hands-on person working
"He (Nathan Rosenfeld) ate,
eight days a week. Retailing was his
drank and slept Jacobson's: He lived
first love, besides his family. He
the company," said Jim Zuleski, a
always had new ideas to expand the
former Jacobson's store manager and
business, always making sure that
now curator of Jackson's Ella Sharp
the stores sold the quality merchan-
Museum. "Mr. Nathan — that's
dise he himself would love, and that
what we always called him — was
the people he wanted as customers
always involved in expansion,"
would appreciate," said Forman.
recalled Zuleski. Rosenfeld's wife,
He remembered Rosenfeld as
Marjorie, also worked at the
being active in Jackson's Reform
Jacobson's headquarters.
temple.
Mark Rosenfeld succeeded his
Asked if he could explain what
father as president, but only after a
went wrong at Jacobson's, Forman
non-family member first held the
paused, then replied, "Like anything
position. Rosenfeld, the last family
else, some things just give out."
member involved in the operation of
There is no doubt that Nathan
the stores, was forced out in 1995.
Rosenfeld guided the Jacobson's
Nat Forman, now living in
chain to its greatest success, expand-
Sarasota, Florida, was senior vice
ing product lines and increasing its
president of merchandising in
retail presence to seven high-profile
Jacobson's heyday. "I started as gen-
locations in Michigan. He added
eral merchandise manager in 1956
East Lansing, Grosse Pointe,
and retired in 1997," said Forman,
Dearborn and two Birmingham
who was originally from New York.

stores to the lineup.
The company also
expanded to loca-
tions in Toledo and
even Florida. By
the time the com-
pany went bank-
rupt, there were 27
stores in six states.

Troubled Times

But by the mid-
1990s, it was evi-
dent that something had gone awry,
as the publicly held company
appeared to lose touch with its afflu-
ent customer base. The first sign of
trouble came in 1995, when
Jacobson's posted its first corporate
loss in 25 years — $4.5 million. The
following year, the loss was more
than double at $11.5 million, and
the board asked Mark Rosenfeld to
resign.
Jacobson's financial hemorrhaging
appeared to go into remission as the
company posted three years of prof-
its. But it was only a temporary
respite.
The company posted a $2.79 mil-
lion loss in fiscal 2000, and by the
first three-quarters of fiscal 2001, it
had posted a collective loss of
$26.95 million.
By November 2001, the company
was in default and unable to make
payments on its loans, especially the
$150 million secured revolving cred-
it facility, the source for the retailer's
working capital, a lifeline that the
company could not exist without.
Jacobson's filed for reorganization
bankruptcy protection in January
2002. But it was too late. A buyer
for the chain couldn't be found, and
the company began terminating
employees and liquidating six
months later.

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