20 — Sunday, June 17, 1990 - The king of shtik MURRAY GOLDMAN ‘FUMBLED’ HIS WAY TO SUCCESS SOME PEOPLE will do anything to make a sale. Even if it means making themselves the butt of a joke. By EVELYN JACOB “I got stuck with 150 of the ugliest suits you ever saw but if you buy one, I'll throw in a really rotten tie,’’ is but one of many humorous wisecracks culled from the Murray Goldman library of vintage quips. Goldman’s style — his shtik has been to insult both himself and his garments — may be peculiar, but it’s stood him in good stead for 43 years. The son of a Polish Jew, Goldman has consistently used self-promotion to flog his men’s clothing stores. “SI guess I’m a bit of a frustrated showman,’’ admits Goldman, who turns 70 this August. And he's used just about every gimmick in the book to land a sale. But more than self-promotion, the West Vancouver resident has always maintained his wry sense of humor, even at the strangest times. When Gen: Douglas MacArthur was dismissed as commanding of- ficer of the American troops in Korea by Harry Truman, for in- stance, Goldman offered hima free civilian wardrobe. ‘Please wire measurements,"’ he petitioned the general. When times were tough — as they were when a fire ravaged his Hastings Street store — Goidman Whee! We did it{{! Starting June 18 North Vancouver City Library will be open Mondays. OPEN HOUSE on our first Monday. (June 18). Special entertainment, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Refreshments, 7-9. Mon.-Fri. 9:30 a.m.- 9 p.m., Sat. 9:30 a.m. -5 p.m. 121 West 14th St., N.Van. 980-4424 North Shore News AFFLUENCE INFLUENCE DEEP IN the bowels of his Richards Street warehouse, Vancouver clothier Murray Goldman shows off his large collection of fine men’s suits. managed to crack a joke with Vancouver Sun columnist Denny Boyd: ‘I could give you a great buy on a charcoal-grey suit that used to be a brown suit.”’ Meeting Goldman in person is like going to a food fair hungry: It’s hard to come away without buying something. “Want to buy a suit?’’ he asks, flashing a pearly grin. With $3,006 down, Goldman opened his first store on Cordova Street in 1946. Price, he explains, was more important than fashion, so he started offering free added gifts with each sale to attract business. “IT knew 1 couldn't make it in fashion so I used every gimmick in the world — giving away a free top coat with a suit, free transistor radios with suits, and so on, anything to promote sales,”* he says. ‘The thing that did it for me was, the name of the store was Murray Goldman, ! was Murray fil Goldman. I got on the radio, and that helped. Then I did the same thing in the newspapers, with ads in the first person. I fumbled pretty good for the first handful of years, but nothing replaces ex- perience.” From his humble beginnings as a Fuller Brush man in Montreal to a sportswear hustler at Hudson’s Bay, Goldman has since ‘‘fumbl- ed’* his way to open a variety of stores. NEW! high, 4 SOLID OAK Arrow Back Dining Chair Reg. $189 each SALE $99... Today he and his 40-year-old son and partner, David, own and operate nine Lower Mainland stores including the upper-scale Boys’ Co and Magnet sportswear stores. Goldman puts annual sales roughly “‘in the millions.’* Relaxing in his newly-renovated Richards Street office decorated with a life-size replica of himself (including cigar) and a paper weight that reads, ‘‘Thank you for holding your breath while ! wide x57” MAPLE RIDGE 2658 Dewy, ‘NEWS photo Neil Lucente FAMILY SIZE DINING TABLE Solid oak veneered family size dining table on trestle pedestal hase, with leaves 8 feet in length. Closed 42x60" with two 18" extension leaves. sate $695 Royal City Antiques and FINE FURNISHINGS LTD smoke,”’ it’s clear that all the suc- cess hasn’t gone to his head. Goldman, after all, was just another kid trying to make a fast buck. He grew up poor, but hap- py. **My father worked as a presser in the true sense of the sweatshop days,”’ he recails, wearing a crisp blue shirt, suspenders and a rather loud tie. ‘‘I tell you, we were starving a lot, but it was fun. It was no big thing to be poor because everybody in the neighborhood was. “‘My mother,”’ he continues, puffing on a pungent stogie, “*knew what my father was going through working in the factories, and she always said, ‘You've got to go into business.’’’ Goldman quit school in Grade 7 and landed his first job at Rubin Brothers Manufacturing in Mon- treal, sweeping the floors and do- ing odd jobs for $19 a week. Eight years ago, in an ironic twist of fate, Rubin Brcthers went belly-up and it was Goldman who salvaged the firm, buying out close to $2 million worth of his former employer’s stock. ’ “*I suppose that was my greatest feat in business,’’ he says, proud- ly. Certainly a fitting feat for a poor boy who made good. Today that same boy is everything he wanted to be: a suc- cessful businessman and (an added bonus) Big Brothers’ honorary chairman. Last month Goldman was honored with the Charles Bentall Community Service Award for dedicating more than 30 years of volunteer work as a Big Brother. But he’s still the same hustler, he’s still determined. And he'll go to outrageous lengths to sell you a suit. WE’VE MADE OUR NAME SELLING QUALITY ANTIQUES! NOW, VISIT OUR FURNISHINGS f. (OWROOM | fom get OVAL BOW GLASS Ate DISPLAY ' CABINET 29" longx2 1" shelves, 4 vertical how “a sass pps anels co enhance che viewing of your favorite china, crystal, ete. Reg. $1 050 SALE 7095