The largest men's fabric store in the United States: as a descendant of an immigrant from Russia, succeeded in New York

The Beckenstein store offers a huge selection of fabrics. Politicians, famous boxers, mafiosi and presidents shop here. Also, one of the best tailors in New York comes from Kiev. About how the descendant of an immigrant from Russia was able to continue and bring to the new level of business ancestors, the video says "Present tense".

American Jonathan Boyarsky is a descendant of immigrants and Russia, from whom he inherited a unique business. Today, Beckenstein at the Garment District in Manhattan is the largest men's fabric store in all of America. But it was not always so.

How it all began

Four generations ago, an immigrant from Russia, Samuel Beckenstein, traded on the streets of New York. He walked with a cart full of fabrics, and tried to sell as much as possible in order to feed his family.

Then things went uphill and in 1919 he took out a loan for a small fabric store. “He called the store by his name - Beckenstin, and as an experienced captain led him through the storm of the Great Depression, and not just without loss, but marked the beginning of a great voyage,” the video says.

At that time, many people did not have enough money for new outfits, so they went to the Beckinstin store to sew new trousers under still suitable old jackets.

Then his store was so popular that there was even a song about him that Barbara Streisand later turned into a hit. “Sam, you sewed too long pants,” sang in that song.

The largest men's fabric store in the USA

Today, Beckenstein is the largest men's fabric store in America.

Two words were even added to its name: the king of fabrics (Fabric Czar), which reflects reality. There is such a huge selection of fabrics that they no longer try to count their names. It sells thousands of shades of white cotton alone, 500 types of shirts, hundreds of thousands of fabrics for suits and coats. Therefore, it is not surprising that getting lost in the ranks of this store is easier than ever.

When control passed into John’s hands, the old-fashioned store became synonymous with not only the most sophisticated, but also the most expensive. Here you can order the rarest fabrics at the price of precious jewelry, and the softest cashmere in the world from the wool of Peruvian vicuna.

Celebrities at Beckenstein

Many celebrities love to order fabrics at the Beckinstin store. For example, the Sultan of Brunei buys dark matter here with platinum thread or 22 carat gold.

Many customers are attracted by the opportunity to order fabric with an individual stripe. The text for this strip is chosen by the client at his own discretion, it can be: name, initials, interesting statements, etc. “You will be the only one in the world who will have a suit with such a strip,” the store noted. Among the customers who ordered such fabrics is a famous boxer, whose name is not announced in the store. He chose foul language for the fabric, Beckenstein said.

On the subject: How to move to New York: five stories of our immigrants

Over the 100 years of this store, he has accumulated many novels with famous heroes - from Frank Sinatra to Bill Gates. So, Mike Tyson ordered here burgundy-colored fabric for 9 identical suits of his bodyguards.

Here they buy fabrics for sewing costumes and various scenery for films. And all because there is a huge card index of fabrics from any time - 1920s, 1950s or 1970s. The fabrics bought here can be found in various films - not only in costumes, but also in upholstery for furniture, curtains, books, the plot says. “For just one scene with Keanu Reeves, 45 identical black shirts were once made - for him and the stuntmen. There was a lot going on on the fabric, so they needed a large supply, ”Boyarsky said.

Another celebrity who ordered fabrics from this store is mobster John Gotti. The fabric bought here was used to make a costume for his last appearance in a court that handed him a life sentence. Some other celebrities ordered costumes for similar situations - for each day of the trial, since one of them could be the last day at large.

One of New York's finest tailors

Stephen Tabak, tailor for Beckenstein Fabric Czar, said that many clients ordered a suit, but then disappeared for several years. Then they returned as if nothing had happened. “We thought maybe the person flew somewhere to the moon, since it was impossible to get through to him. It turns out - just tactlessness, ”he said.

By the way, today Stephen Tabak is called a genius, one of the best tailors in New York. Once he was a jazz pianist from Kiev, and after emigration he became "a real maestro with a needle." He was repeatedly offered to become a couturier and open his own factory, but he rejected all offers. One of the reasons - the opportunity is among the huge number of fabrics that are presented in the Beckenstein store, he explained.

The costumes Stephen sews cost from $ 2,5 to infinity, depending on the fabric. “We have several presidents from different countries, unfortunately I cannot name names, sometimes I had to fly to them, sometimes we meet in New York,” the tailor said.

Cooperation with the White House

When talking about tailoring for presidents and collaborating with the White House, Beckenstein chooses its words carefully. According to the owner of Beckenstein, "everyone should be careful" in their political statements. "But I say openly that I am a Trump supporter," he said. And he added that when Ralph Lauren sewed clothes for the inauguration of US President Donald Trump and his family, it was the Beckenstein store that provided the fabrics for this.

Plans for the future

Jonathan was born with exactly this business, which he never regretted. According to his wife Jennifer Boyarsky, his style of doing business is different from that of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather. “But you can say for sure, he was born to do only this and he can’t do anything better than this,” she said.

The couple have two sons, but they do not yet know whether their children will continue the dynasty. John believes that you need to live for today, not forgetting to save capital for the family for tomorrow.