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Article:
Commemorative marker celebrates retail giant’s roots
Stein
family honered in Greenville
By Natalie W. Criss
Greenville
city officials, area residents and several former and current
Stein Mart employees braved the rain to take part in a ceremony
honoring the Stein family with the presentation of an official
Mississippi historical marker on Wednesday, July 30. This
marker, located at the corner of Poplar Street and Washington
Avenue, designates the original location at which Jake Stein
opened the first Stein Mart retail store in 1964.
An immigrant from Russia, Sam Stein started his business
with a horse and buggy 99 years ago. His son, Jake Stein,
later established Stein Mart as a retail store. Under grandson
Jay Stein’s leadership, the enterprise, headquartered
in Jacksonville, Fla., has developed into a national chain
and boasts 280 stores.
At the reception following the unveiling, Jay Stein explained
that his grandfather and father chose Greenville to start
a business because the city offered economic opportunity
as well as its support and hospitality. Stein said it’s
fitting that the marker went up in front of his father’s
first store.
“My father spent his whole life trying to build this
community into something great, and he did,” Stein
recalls. “And sometimes he put it ahead of his own
business. He enjoyed it because he loved this town so much,
as does my mother.”
Stein also thanked the people who continue to make Stein
Mart a success after nearly a century as well as the residents
of Greenville for everything they have done for his family
through the generations.
Jake Stein’s widow, Freda Stein, thanked the town
and expressed her love and emotion for the community and
the people in attendance. Mrs. Stein said she knows her
husband would have shared her feelings.
“He would be like I am: he would be weeping and overjoyed,”
she said. “It makes me feel wonderful to receive this
recognition.”
Since the store was relocated to 1656 Hwy 1 South in August
of 1996, the original structure on Washington Avenue has
stood as a reminder of the Stein family’s legacy of
progress and service within the community. In the near future,
the city of Greenville plans to tear the building down and
erect a state-of-the-art multifunctional meeting facility
in its place as a part of the city’s downtown revitalization
efforts.
Greenville Mayor Paul Artman Jr. said the marker, funded
by the Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau,
was established to remind the community of the impact that
Stein Mart has had in the area, as well as the entire nation,
and to honor the Stein family for their commitment to Greenville.
“We often don’t realize the impact that Stein
Mart as a chain has had in other communities across the
country. We [are here to] celebrate that,” says Artman.
“But more importantly, we celebrate the Stein family
for what they mean and what they will continue to mean to
this community.” DBJ
