FORMER MAY COMPANY EXEC BOB MICHELMAN DIES AT 77
MR magazine is saddened to report the death of retail icon Bob Michelman on Friday, March 3 in California. He was 77 and suffered from interstitial lung disease.
Michelman started his retail career at Allied Stores/Sterns in New York as a “follow-up clerk” and became the youngest person to be promoted to buyer. He later moved to Gimbels Philadelphia before arriving at May LA in 1967, starting as a buyer in the Basement Store, rising to DMM Men’s and Boys in 1975, ultimately becoming SVP/GMM in 1978 before retiring in 2001. He was also the unofficial “big brother” to all May Company GMM’s across the county. Among his many other notable accomplishments, he is credited with changing the dress shirt industry by creating a new way to size sleeve lengths, thereby reducing inventory requirements.
Howard Siskind of Bernette was friends with Michelman for more than 50 years. “We met when my dad was ill and I was left in charge of this multi-million-dollar sweater company. I was 18 and all I knew about the business was how to load sweaters onto the trucks. Bob and two colleagues from Allied Stores came to our warehouse and bought everything we had. “We love your dad,” Bob told me, expressing get-well wishes. (And that’s how an 18-year-old kid got a $3 million order!) Bob was like a brother to me: as a merchant, he was tough but fair. As a friend, he’d give you his right arm.”
Frank Coconato, who was DMM under Michelman’s direction for 15 years at May Company, most remembers his integrity. “When I first joined May LA, Bob gave me the following advice: ‘When dealing with people, always tell the truth. Lies will come back to bite you.’ Bob was truly the most honest person I’ve ever known.”
Paul Weiss, who knew Michelman as both business associate and close friend, gives an example. “When I first met him, I had just left Macy’s and was working for George Goldman in the tie business. George told me an important buyer was coming to the showroom and I was to shut up and take notes. So Michelman comes in, shops the line, and proposes a ‘partnership’ in which Goldman would give him x,y,z and Michelman would guarantee a certain amount of business. I glared at him, knowing we’d surely be giving back any potential profits. Six months later, I’m leaving the office, the phone rings and it’s Michelman. ‘Tell George I looked at the sales figures and he owes me x dollars. But I’m not charging him back: I didn’t buy quite as much as I’d promised so all bets are off.’
“There was no one in menswear as ethical as Bob Michelman,” Weiss continues. “He set the standard of excellence; he was a cut above. His intelligence, intuition and pure dedication to doing things the right way will remain unparalleled. Those who worked with him and for him all agree that he worked harder than anyone: seven days a week, smoking cigarettes, papers piled high on the desk. He raised the bar among retailers: when Michelman spoke, people listened. (And he was the only merchant who could look May Company chairman Dave Farrell in the eye and disagree without getting fired.)”
Bob Michelman is survived by his wife Terry Herkner Michelman (also a well-respected retail executive), his sister Donna, daughters Mindy Aiello and Barrie Winter and three grandchildren. There will be a celebration of life barbecue at the Michelman home in Toluca Lake on Thursday, March 16 at 4:00 pm. All those who knew him are welcome; for more information call: 818-623-9556.
Instead of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to the Arthritis National Research Foundation or The Cat House on the Kings.