Jordan's Furniture
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Furniture retailers |
| Founded | Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1918 |
| Founder | Samuel Tatelman |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Number of locations | 9 (2023) |
Area served | Connecticut (2), Maine (1), Massachusetts (4), New Hampshire (1) and Rhode Island (1) |
Key people | Eliot Tatelman Barry Tatelman (until 2006) |
| Products | Furniture, bedding, mattresses |
| Parent | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Website | jordans |
Jordan's Furniture operates as a furniture retailer based in the New England region of the United States. The company currently manages eight stores—three situated in Massachusetts (Avon, Natick, and Reading) and five located across other New England states (Nashua, New Hampshire; New Haven, Connecticut; Farmington, Connecticut; South Portland, Maine, and Warwick, Rhode Island)—alongside a central office and warehouse facility in East Taunton, Massachusetts.[2] Since 1999, Jordan's Furniture has operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway.
History
The enterprise was founded by Samuel Tatelman, who initially sold furniture directly from a truck for ten years before establishing a physical store in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1928.[3] Edward Tatelman, Samuel's son, became involved with the business in 1940.[4] In 1973, leadership transitioned to Edward’s sons, Barry and Eliot.[3] They shifted marketing efforts away from the back page of the local Waltham newspaper to radio advertising. The exact origin of the company’s name remains unclear; Barry once mentioned that their grandfather selected it randomly from a hat.[3] Samuel Tatelman passed away in 1979,[5] followed by Edward’s death in 1980.[4]
In 1983, Barry and Eliot inaugurated the store located in Nashua, New Hampshire. Four years later, they launched the Avon location in Massachusetts, which caused an unprecedented traffic jam on Route 24. Due to overwhelming customer turnout with long queues outside the showroom lasting hours, Barry and Eliot resorted to radio announcements urging people to avoid coming.[3]
On April 17, 1998, they unveiled what was then their largest showroom in Natick, Massachusetts. This 120,000 sq ft (11,000 m2) retail space featured a distinctive Mardi Gras/Bourbon Street theme and marked Jordan’s entry into the MetroWest area.[3]
The Tatelman brothers sold Jordan's Furniture along with its four retail outlets to Berkshire Hathaway in October 1999.[6][7] At that time, Barry and Eliot expressed that the sale would allow their children to pursue careers of their own choosing,[8] while facilitating expansion opportunities for Jordan’s.[7] As part of the transition, employees received a financial bonus amounting to fifty cents per hour worked throughout their tenure.[7]
Despite the ownership change, Barry and Eliot continued managing operations and remained prominent figures in the company’s advertising campaigns on radio and television.
In October 2004, Jordan’s closed its original Waltham store concurrently with opening a new location in Reading, Massachusetts. This Reading outlet became the largest among all Jordan's stores,[3] offering a full showroom experience combined with warehousing, dining options, and entertainment amenities. Additionally, Jordan’s established a 750,000 sq ft (70,000 m2) warehouse and administrative complex in East Taunton.[3] The following year saw conversion of the Avon store’s basement into the Colossal Clearance Center spanning over 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2), dedicated to clearance merchandise.
Barry Tatelman departed from Jordan’s Furniture in December 2006 to explore other ventures including involvement with producing the Broadway musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.[9]
In December 2015, Jordan's expanded into Connecticut with a new store opening in New Haven within the former premises of the New Haven Register building,[10] an event attended by Warren Buffett.[11] The company further broadened its footprint by opening a store at The Maine Mall in South Portland in 2020,[12] followed by another location at Westfarms Mall in Farmington, Connecticut in 2023.
Entertainment
The IMAX theater at Jordan's Furniture in Natick welcomed visitors for the first time on August 22, 2002. Subsequently, another IMAX theater was introduced at the Reading location in 2004.
Three Jordan's Furniture stores—Reading, New Haven, and South Portland—feature a ropes course known as "It". Each site also offers a smaller ropes course designed for children, called "LittleIt". The New Haven store is promoted as hosting "the largest indoor ropes course in the world".
At the Reading location, visitors can find "Beantown," a detailed replica of Downtown Boston and its iconic landmarks, all crafted from jelly beans.
Seasonally, the Avon store presents "The Enchanted Village," an exhibit initially showcased by Jordan Marsh at their Downtown Crossing Boston store. After the City of Boston ceased its display, Jordan's acquired the attraction.
As of July 2022, dining establishments are available within the Avon (Montilio's) and Reading (Fuddruckers) stores. Additionally, Sally's Apizza from New Haven is set to be introduced at the Westfarms Mall location in Farmington, Connecticut.
Discontinued entertainments
On Mother's Day in 1992, the Avon store launched the Motion Odyssey Movie (MOM) following five years of development and a $2.5 million investment. This theme ride, originally created by George Lucas, donated its proceeds to charitable causes. By 2015, it was still operational but only during specific school vacation periods and holidays. The attraction was later updated and renamed "The Polar Express 4-D Experience," with its last online presence recorded in late 2018.
The Reading store previously housed a trapeze school featuring a 30-foot-high netted swing accessible to all who wished to participate, along with spectator seating.
From its grand opening in 2011 until approximately mid-2017, the Warwick, Rhode Island location offered a complimentary visual show called "Splash," which combined LED lights synchronized with water fountains and classic music.
References
- ↑ Chesto, Jon (April 3, 2025). "Eliot Tatelman steps away from top job at Jordan's Furniture". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedlocations - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmyerov - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Edward Tatelman, 67". The Boston Globe. September 13, 1980. p. 26. Retrieved July 4, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Samuel F. Tatelman". The Boston Globe. August 12, 1979. p. B10. Retrieved July 4, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "JORDAN'S FURNITURE SELLS TO BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC" (Press release). Berkshirehathaway.com. 1999-10-11. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedblanton - ↑ Blanton, Kimberly (October 12, 1999). "Brothers will sell Jordan's Furniture". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Retrieved July 4, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ Reidy, Chris (December 21, 2006). "Barry Tatelman leaves Jordan's Furniture". Boston.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ↑ "Jordan's Furniture Opening Store". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. May 8, 2015. p. A6. Retrieved July 4, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Buffett to Zanes: Celebs are out and about". The Boston Globe. December 13, 2015. p. B12. Retrieved July 4, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Bliss thru Shopping (column)". Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. September 11, 2020. p. C3. Retrieved July 4, 2022 – via newspapers.com.