Jordan's Furniture is an American furniture retailer in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

. There are currently seven retail locations—three in Massachusetts ( Avon,

Natick Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...

, and

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

) and four in other New England states ( Nashua, New Hampshire;

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

;

South Portland, Maine South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state, incorporated in 1898. At the 2020 census, the city population was 26,498. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is sit ...

, and

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, southwest of Boston, Massachu ...

)—plus a warehouse in

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. At the 2020 cen ...

. Since 1999, the company has been owned by

Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Inc. () is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Its main business and source of capital is insurance, from which it invests the float (the retained premiu ...

History

The company was started by Samuel Tatelman, who sold furniture from a truck for a decade until opening a store in

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, ...

in 1928. In 1940, his son Edward joined the business. In 1973, Edward's sons Barry and Eliot took over the business. They stopped advertising on the back page of the Waltham paper and started advertising on radio. The origin of the company's name is uncertain; Barry once said that their grandfather chose the name out of a hat. Samuel Tatelman died in 1979, and Edward Tatelman died in 1980. In 1983, Barry and Eliot built and opened the Nashua, New Hampshire, location. In 1987, they opened the

Avon, Massachusetts Avon is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. History The first settler in the land that would become Avon was Moses Curtis (), a blacksmith from Braintree, Massachusetts.Route 24. Barry and Eliot had to go on the radio to beg people not to come, while customers stood in line for hours waiting for their turn to go into the showroom. On April 17, 1998, Barry and Eliot opened the then-largest Jordan's Furniture, in Natick, Massachusetts. With of showroom space and a Mardi Gras/

Bourbon Street Bourbon Street (french: Rue Bourbon, es, Calle de Borbón) is a historic street in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans. Extending thirteen blocks from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue, Bourbon Street is famous for its many bars an ...

theme, the location introduced Jordan's to the MetroWest area. In October 1999, the Tatelman brothers sold the company and its four retail locations to conglomerate

. At the time of the sale, Barry and Eliot said it would enable them to give their children the freedom to choose any career, and would help the Tatelmans to open more stores. Each employee received a financial gift of 50 cents for every hour ever worked at Jordan's. Operationally, Barry and Eliot remained at the helm as integral parts of the company, while still starring in the brand's radio and television commercials. The Waltham store closed in October 2004, the same month that the

Reading, Massachusetts Reading ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, north of central Boston. The population was 25,518 at the 2020 census. History Settlement and American independence Many of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's original settle ...

, store opened, becoming the largest of Jordan's locations. It includes a complete showroom,

warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...

, dining, and entertainment. In addition, Jordan's opened a warehouse and office complex in

. In 2005, the warehouse underneath the Avon store was converted into the Colossal Clearance Center, containing over of clearance merchandise. Barry Tatelman left the company in December 2006, "to pursue other interests" including helping to produce the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

show '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels''. In December 2015, Jordan's Furniture opened its doors in

, in the building that formerly housed the ''

New Haven Register The ''New Haven Register'' is a daily newspaper published in New Haven, Connecticut. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The Register's main office is located at 100 Gando Drive in New Haven. The ''Register'' was established about 1812 and ...

'', with

Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is one of the most successful investors in the world and has a net ...

attending the grand opening. In 2020, the company opened a location at

The Maine Mall The Maine Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in South Portland, Maine, United States. Owned and managed by Brookfield Properties, it is the largest shopping mall in the state of Maine, and the second-largest in northern New England, behind New Hamp ...

in South Portland.

Entertainment

On August 22, 2002, the IMAX theater at Jordan's Furniture in Natick opened its doors to the public. An IMAX theater was also opened at the Jordan's location in Reading in 2004. A

ropes course A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high and/or low elements. Low elements take place on the ground or above the ground. High elements are usually constructed in tr ...

, branded as "It", is featured at three locations: Reading, New Haven, and South Portland. Each also features a course for children, branded "LittleIt". The company promotes their New Haven location as "the largest indoor ropes course in the world". The Reading location features "Beantown", which is a "replica of

Downtown Boston Downtown Boston is the central business district of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The city of Boston was founded in 1630. The largest of the city's commercial districts, Downtown is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters; ...

and its most famous landmarks" made from

jelly bean Jelly beans are small bean shaped sugar candies with soft candy shells and thick gel interiors (see gelatin and jelly). The confection is primarily made of sugar and sold in a wide variety of colors and flavors. History It has been clai ...

s. The Avon store seasonally features "The Enchanted Village", which was originally displayed by

Jordan Marsh Jordan Marsh (officially Jordan Marsh & Company) was an American department store chain that was headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and operated throughout New England. It was founded by Eben Dyer Jordan and Benjamin L. Marsh in 1841. The ...

at their

Downtown Crossing Downtown Crossing is a shopping district within downtown Boston, Massachusetts, located east of Boston Common, west of the Financial District, south of Government Center, and north of Chinatown and the old Combat Zone. It features la ...

store in Boston; Jordan's purchased it from the City of Boston after the city discontinued displaying it. , there are dining options within the Jordan's in Avon (Montilio's) and Reading (

Fuddruckers Fuddruckers (sometimes abbreviated Fudds) is an American fast casual, franchised restaurant chain that specializes in hamburgers. The Fuddruckers concept is to offer large hamburgers in which the meat is ground on-site and buns are baked on the ...

Defunct

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in th ...

of 1992, the Motion Odyssey Movie (MOM) opened in the Avon store, after five years of planning and a $2.5 million investment. A theme ride originally produced by George Lucas, its profits were donated to charity. As of 2015, the ride was still operating, although "only during select school vacation weeks and holidays." The ride was later revised and rebranded as "''

The Polar Express ''The Polar Express'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detai ...

'' 4-D Experience", last appearing on the company's website in late 2018. The Reading store once featured a trapeze school, which included a , net-enclosed swing that anyone could sign up to use, along with seating for observers. It closed in 2014 and was replaced by the ropes course. The Warwick location once featured a liquid fireworks show called "Splash", which lasted 15 minutes and featured "over 9,000 water nozzles" along with digital surround sound and "state of the art lasers". It opened in December 2011 and closed on June 18, 2017, due to mechanical problems.

Promotions

After Barry Tatelman left the company, his brother Eliot remained the public face of the company. He subsequently aligned himself as a sponsor of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

and

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

radio and television broadcasts, including various sports-themed promotions.

Monster Deal

As a promotion in 2007, Jordan's offered full rebates on certain pieces of furniture bought between March 7 and April 16—provided the Red Sox won the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

. To cover the potential liability, the store took out an insurance policy for approximately $20 million. On October 28, 2007, the Red Sox beat the Colorado Rockies to win the

2007 World Series The 2007 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 season. The 103rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Colorado Rockies and the American L ...

, and Jordan's Furniture subsequently wrote checks to an estimated 24,000 qualified customers. A customer from Medford, Massachusetts, sued Jordan's Furniture claiming that the promotion was an illegal lottery. The case was dismissed by the Middlesex Superior Court, and then by an appeals court in July 2009.

Monster Sweep

In 2008, in another promotion linked to the Red Sox, Jordan's offered full rebates on certain pieces of furniture. Instead of just winning the World Series, the Red Sox would have to sweep the

2008 World Series The 2008 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2008 season. The 104th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Philadelphia Phillies and the Ame ...

, winning four games in a row. The 2008 Red Sox advanced to the postseason, but lost in the American League Championship Series.

Monster Hit

In 2010, in a promotion launched on March 31, anyone buying furniture between April 1 and May 2 would get that furniture for free if a Red Sox player hit a dinner plate-sized baseball on the Jordan's Furniture sign on the outfield wall at Fenway Park between July 15 and the end of the regular season. Jordan's offered 20% off coupons to customers if the image was not hit during the promotional period. No player hit the target, and no free furniture was awarded. The Monster Hit promotion was also run in 2011 and 2012, also without any winners.

The Big Check

On September 30, 2011, two days after the Monster Hit promotion ended, Tatelman began a promotion in conjunction with the Boston Bruins'

2011–12 NHL season The 2011–12 NHL season was the 95th season of operation (94th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final four games to two to win the team's first Stan ...

. The company promised to refund Jordan's customers the purchase price of their furniture if the Bruins successfully defended the Stanley Cup, which they had won the prior season. The Bruins were eliminated from championship contention in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

in seven games.

The Perfect Game

On April 3, 2013, Tatelman announced a new promotion accompanied by

Pedro Martínez Pedro Jaime Martínez (born October 25, 1971) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to , for five teams—most notably the Boston Red Sox from to . At the time o ...

, a former star pitcher with the team. If a member of the Red Sox pitching staff threw a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

during the final 72 games of the season, the purchase price of qualified purchases would be refunded. The promotion covered purchases made between April 3 and May 5. The 2013 Red Sox season ended without a perfect game being pitched (to date,

Cy Young's perfect game Cy Young, pitcher for the Boston Americans, pitched a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics by retiring all 27 batters he faced on Thursday, May 5, 1904. This event took place in the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston, Massachusetts, ...

in 1904 remains the only one in franchise history). In 2018, the company offered a similar promotion for a

no hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

. Should the Red Sox pitch a no hitter in any of the 64 games scheduled for July 17 through October 1, Jordan's Furniture would refund purchases made between March 28 and May 20. At the time the promotion was run, the most recent no hitter for the Red Sox was pitched by

Jon Lester Jonathan Tyler Lester (born January 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals. L ...

in 2008. The team did not have a no hitter during the 2018 season.

References

External links

Jordan's Furniture websiteBerkshire Hathaway website
{{Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Retail companies established in 1918 Furniture retailers of the United States IMAX venues 1918 establishments in Massachusetts Retail companies based in Massachusetts