Sonny Gindi

Samuel "Sonny" Gindi (1924–2012) was the co-founder of the Century 21 department store.

Sonny Gindi
Born
Samuel I. Gindi

1924 (1924)
Died2012 (aged 87–88)
NationalityUnited States
Other namesSonny
Occupationbusinessman
Known forfounder of Century 21 department store
Spouse(s)Irene Tawil
ChildrenIsaac S. Gindi
Eddie Gindi
Jack Gindi
Rachelle Gindi

Biography

Gindi was born to a Syrian,[1][2] Sephardic Jewish family.[3][4] His father died when he was nine.[3] At the age of 14, he opened his first retail store and in the 1950s, he opened a children's clothing store.[3] In 1959, leveraging his retail experience, he partnered with Alfred Sutton and Morris Sutton,[5][6] he opened the Lolly Togs children's wear business which was the first importer to do business with Hong Kong.[3] Lolly Togs changed its name to the LT Apparel Group[7] in 2007.[5] In 1961, he partnered with fellow Sephardic community member and cousin Al Gindi and opened the Century 21 department store[3][8] on Courtland Street in Manhattan.[9] At the time of his death, Century 21 had expanded throughout the New York metropolitan area with locations in Westbury, New York, Rego Park, Queens, the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Morristown, New Jersey, Paramus, New Jersey, and on Fulton Street in Brooklyn.[3] Al Gindi's son, Raymond Gindi, serves as Century 21's Chief Operating Officer[10][11] while Sonny Gindi's son, Isaac Gindi serves as its Chief Executive Officer[12] and his son Eddie Gindi, its Executive Vice President.[13][14]

Personal life and philanthropy

Gindi was married to Irene Tawil with whom he had four children: Isaac Gindi, Eddie Gindi, Jack Gindi, and Rachelle Gindi.[3] Gindi was a supporter of the United Jewish Appeal and the International Sephardic Education Fund (ISEF) dedicated to “narrow(ing) Israel’s socio-economic gap through higher education for gifted students from disadvantaged backgrounds.”[3] Gindi was a member of the Sha'are Zion synagogue and served on the synagogue's founding committee for several decades.[3] He also served as president of the Magen David Yeshivah from 1970–1972.[3] The Al & Sonny Gindi Scholarship Fund is named in his honor[15] as is the Al and Sonny Gindi Barkai Yeshivah in Brooklyn.[16]

References
  1. Pincus, Adam (February 1, 2011). "Clans with plans". The Real Deal.
  2. Lagnado, Lucette (October 3, 2009). "A Community, Shaken – A wealthy, insular Syrian Jewish enclave in Brooklyn reels after rabbis' arrests". The Wall Street Journal.
  3. Sidma, Fern (June 20, 2012). "Sonny Gindi, Founder of Century 21 Department Store, Dies at 88 and had an estimated net worth of six billion". Jewish Voice.
  4. Sutton, Elie. "Alien at Home" (PDF). Elie Sutton Sephardic History.Archived March 24, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  5. PRN Newswire: "Changes In Children's Wear Industry Leads Apparel Company To Reinvent Itself – After 48 years of success, Lollytogs, Ltd. has a new corporate identity reflecting their innovations in business" January 8, 2007
  6. Exceed Network: "Alfred Sutton’s Story of Innovation in Sourcing Over the Last 60 Years" By Sophia Franco Archived 2017-12-03 at the Wayback Machine retrieved December 5, 2017
  7. Bloomberg: "Company Overview of LT Apparel Group" March 20, 2015
  8. Philly.com: "Century 21: Expanding beyond its retail comfort zone" By Chris Hepp April 30, 2014
  9. CNBC: "Every day is Black Friday at Century 21" 29 Nov 2013
  10. Philadelphia Inquirer: "Will buyers flock to Philadelphia's Century 21?" By Elizabeth Wellington April 30, 2014
  11. Family Business Magazine: "Family-owned Century 21 retailer coming to Philadelphia" April 30, 2014
  12. Philadelphia Inquirer: "Store owner pledges to 'alter the retail landscape' in Center City" By Chris Hepp June 12, 2014
  13. Phialdelphia Inquirer: "Mirror, Mirror: Century 21, discount delight" By Elizabeth Wellington October 16, 2014
  14. Philadelphia Business Journal: "Inside the Reporter's Notebook: Eddie Gindi of Century 21 interviewed by Natalie Kostelni" October 2, 2014
  15. The Jewish Image: "The Beginning of the Al & Sonny Gindi Scholarship Fund at Barkai Yeshivah" Archived March 23, 2014, at Archive.today January 31, 2008
  16. Matthews, Karen (March 15, 2015). "NYC's plan for prayer break in pre-K classes raises concerns". New York Daily News.
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