Industry remembers Leslie Fishbein
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, March 24, 2008
Denver — Vibrant, intelligent, spirited, the conscience of the industry.
These are the words friends used to describe Leslie Fishbein, president of retailer Kacey Fine Furniture, who died here last week.
Fishbein, 55, had been hospitalized since March 4, when she suffered an adverse reaction and cardiac arrest after receiving an injection to relieve pain from a previous horseback riding injury.
In a statement released by the hospital, the family said, "It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved wife, daughter and sister.... Leslie was a vibrant and loving member of our community as well as our family. Her passing is a profound loss for all of us. We ask, once again, that we be allowed to grieve our loss privately."
The furniture industry is grieving, too.
"It's such a surprise and a shock," said Doug Kays, president of the National Home Furnishings Assn., who for years has worked with Fishbein on the boards of NHFA and the Western Home Furnishings Assn.
"She was absolutely one of the most vibrant, energetic, and enthusiastic thinkers we've ever had," he said. "She was never afraid to voice her opinion and had very good instincts based on her experience."
She and her husband, Sam Fishbein, led the five-store, midpriced to upscale Kacey, which was founded by her parents, Jack and Shirley Barton, in 1948.
She joined the family business in the mid-1970s after graduating from the University of Colorado. In her early days at Kacey, she worked to build the business amid tough competition from giants in the marketplace.
"We made our living from castoffs," she told an industry group in 2002. "In 1992, we came to market and couldn't get anything," because bigger players in Denver had tied up distribution. But over time, the Fishbeins built Kacey's business, working to become a preferred brand to many consumers.
Through it all, Leslie Fishbein was outspoken, warm, funny and brilliant by all accounts.
"I knew Leslie for many years and always looked forward to running into her at furniture trade shows," said Jake Jabs, president and CEO of Englewood, Colo.-based American Furniture Warehouse, a retail competitor of Kacey. "Every time, she was always very nice to me and greeted me with a hug. I will miss her sense of humor and friendship. The furniture industry will miss her personality, energy and intelligence."
"To me, Leslie was the strongest woman in the furniture industry," said Bill Carpenter, a lifelong friend and formerly president of Lifestyle Solutions. "She, along with Sam, competed with some of the strongest people in the industry (in Colorado) and their business thrived."
Bill Hartman, president of the Furniture First buying cooperative, said, "The one thing that set Fishbein apart was her unending pursuit of helping fellow retail store owners and suppliers, while challenging all of us to strive to do our best for our customer. She did this in her own style while truly making our meetings more controversial and so much more fun."
As a spokeswoman for Kacey, and through her business dealings and charity work, Fishbein was as well known in Denver as she was throughout the industry. In a Denver Post story, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar said that with her death, Colorado lost a "generous citizen" and a "business pioneer."
"She was the conscience of the industry," said Jena Hall, longtime friend and vice president of merchandising and design for furniture source Aspenhome. "She was innovative and courageous and she believed in what she was doing."
Martin Ploy, executive vice president of supplier AICO, was one of many who "just loved her.
"When she came into the showroom, she brought energy, she brought knowledge and her personality was magnetic. You were just drawn to her," he said.
"There's a saying in Judaism that people live on by their actions and their deeds," said Gefen, "and Leslie will always live on in this industry in a positive way."
She is survived by her husband, her parents and sisters Terri Gregg and Bobbi Zimmer.
Memorial contributions may be made to Make a Wish Foundation, 7951 E. Maplewood Ave., Suite 126, Greenwood Village, Colo. 80111; Children's Hospital Foundation, 1245 E. Colfax Ave. #400, Denver, Colo. 80218; or Craig Hospital-Donations, 3425 S. Clarkson St., Englewood, Colo. 80113.
