Hershel Alpert Dies

November 27, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Obituaries on November 28, 2010 Hershel Alpert, long-time president of Alperts Furniture, passed away over the weekend. Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon in New Bedford, Mass.

Alpert, the son of George and Rose (Sederholm) Alpert was a graduate of New Bedford High School and Colby College. It was at Colby College that he met his future wife Barbara (Weiss) Alpert. They had four children, Beth, Bruce, Peter and Scott Alpert.

After serving time in the U.S. Army, Alpert returned to New Bedford to work at Alperts Furniture Store, a family business. From 1964-1972, Alpert was President of Arlan's Furniture (a subsidiary of Alperts Furniture) with stores in Massachusetts, New York and Florida. From 1972-1985, he was president of Alperts Furniture Warehouse and Showroom, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Cinema Corporation (formerly Harcourt General Corp.) with 15 stores in New York, Ohio, Florida and Massachusetts.

In 1985 Alperts Furniture once again became a family business. Alpert was president and CEO of Alperts Furniture, a 150,000-square-foot furniture warehouse and showroom facility in Seekonk, Mass. The store was considered amongst the most productive in the industry. Alpert was an icon in the furniture industry and the business was honored with several awards including the recipient of the Brand Names Foundation Retailer of the Year award, the Retailers Association of Massachusetts Retailer of the Year, and the National Home Furnishings Association Retailer of the Year in 2005.

In 2007, at 75 years old, Alpert sold the Alpert Furniture Co. to Raymour & Flanigan and started Alpert Consulting. Alpert became a consultant to the president of Serta. He also lectured at the Charlton College of Business at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth where he was a member of the faculty and the senior executive in residence. He served on the Dean's advisory council at the Charlton College of Business, the advisory board at the Center for Marketing Research, and was a member of the UMASS-Dartmouth Foundation Board.

Alpert was a past president and chairman of the National Home Furnishing Association and a past chairman of the National Home Furnishings Foundation, where he served as a trustee. He also served on the board of the Home Furnishings Association, New England. Alpert was also a member of the industry Board of Directors of the City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles.

Alpert is survived by his four children Beth, Bruce (and his wife Heidi), Peter (and his wife Rebecca Drill) and Scott Alpert, his grandchildren, Leah, Marcus, Hannah, David, Daniel, Amanda and Laura Alpert and his sister Beverly Goldstein.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the charity of your choice, or to the Hershel and Barbara Alpert Charitable Fund/Fidelity Gift Fund, c/o Alpert Law LLC, 105 Chestnut Street #17, Needham, Mass., 02492.