Edward Schachter, the longtime proprietor of Richards menswear retailer in Greenwich, Conn., died Jan. 10 on the age of 101.
Schachter was born in Germany and arrived within the U.S. on Dec. 31, 1938, after fleeing the Nazi persecution of Jews in the course of the Holocaust. Together with his dad and mom and older sister Hilda, he settled in Washington Heights, N.Y., becoming a member of a neighborhood of fellow refugees.
After highschool, he turned a army police officer and interpreter within the U.S. Military, a time by which he additionally turned a U.S. citizen. In 1949, he married Lucy Nadal they usually settled in Stamford, Conn., the place they lived for 70 years.
His transfer into retail started by promoting Military and Navy surplus items in White Plains, N.Y., and in 1956, he bought a small males’s haberdashery, Richards in Greenwich, from then-owner Richard Schlesinger. Through the years, Schachter remodeled the shop into an emporium of luxurious menswear that quickly turned a fixture throughout the upscale neighborhood. The shop specialised in males’s tailor-made clothes, and Schachter would proudly present guests the massive assortment of fits he had organized within the again reaches of the shop. Along with being a talented service provider, he was additionally recognized for treating each buyer — and worker — like household.
When his daughter, Susan Fleisher, joined the enterprise, Richards branched out into high-end European manufacturers equivalent to Hermès, Hugo Boss, Ermenegildo Zegna, Brioni and others. The shop is credited with being the primary unbiased retailer within the nation to promote Hermès within the Nineties.
It was this fame that caught the attention of the Mitchell household in close by Westport, Conn., which acquired Richards in 1995. On the time, it was a males’s-only retailer positioned in an 8,000-square-foot house on Greenwich Avenue however in 2000 it was relocated and considerably expanded to 27,000 sq. toes in its present location at 359 Greenwich Avenue, when womenswear was added.
Bob Mitchell, co-chief govt officer of Mitchells, mentioned: ”Eddie was the final word associate: honest, supportive and a real mentor. He was a flooring service provider whose instincts have been at all times proper. His legacy will at all times be an enormous a part of Richards and our total household enterprise.”
Schachter’s best pleasure was his household and buddies, however he additionally discovered enjoyment of his work, enjoying tennis, golf and playing cards, and indulging his ardour for automobiles, in keeping with his household.
He was additionally philanthropic and concerned with organizations that helped him grow to be successful in his adopted dwelling nation together with the UJA, TID Breakthrough (previously generally known as JDRF), Hadassah, and HIAS. He was a board member of the Putnam Belief Financial institution and was named Rotary Man of the 12 months.
In 2015, the Schachters retired to Palm Seashore Gardens, Fla., the place Lucy Schachter died in 2019.
He’s survived by his daughter, Susan Fleisher, and her husband, Laurent Martinez, in addition to his granddaughter, Samantha, and her fiancé, Eric Silver. In an obituary supplied by his household, in addition they talked about their gratitude to Jutta Baxter “for her years of loving care” for Schachter and his spouse.
“Eddie’s life exemplified his motto: ‘Work arduous, play arduous.’ He will likely be remembered as a sort, loving man with an uncanny skill to make others really feel particular. The world is a brighter place for having had Eddie in it, and his legacy of affection and generosity will endure,” the obituary learn.
Companies will likely be held Monday at Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford at 10 a.m. Shiva will likely be noticed after the interment at Fleisher’s dwelling, 73 Rockwood Lane, Greenwich. Shiva will proceed on Tuesday from 4 to eight p.m.
In his reminiscence, Schachter’s household mentioned donations might be made to HIAS, TID Breakthrough, or UJA in Stamford.