The furrier on a dip in the harbor, not sweating the anti-fur folks, and pink sable handbags.
By Max Weiss
One thing is clear: People will always wear fur. Just
ask Richard Swartz, the fourth-generation owner of Mano
Swartz. We sat down with the furrier to see if he had any
advice for fellow merchants—and if real men really do wear
fur.
Where did you go to school?
Boys Latin, Park School, Pikesville Senior High, University of Vermont.
Who is your favorite Baltimorean, living or dead?
Frank Robinson—a true leader.
What is the best advice you ever got?
Don’t talk about what you are going to do, just do it.
What is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?
Swimming in the Inner Harbor.
What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
Swimming in the Inner Harbor.
What is the greatest problem facing Baltimore today?
The breakdown of the family unit.
What are your thoughts on The Block?
Gives Baltimore its flava!
What is your guilty pleasure?
Leg-o’mutton at the Sunday Farmers’ Market under the JFX.
If you could write Baltimore’s motto, what would it be?
“Baltimore: The Kapital of Kitsch.”
What kind of guy wears fur?
It seems a bit flamboyant . . . Someone with a strong sense of style.
Do you wear fur?
Yes, a fur-lined jacket.
What is the most unusual piece you sell in the store?
A pink sable handbag.
What furs are popular now? Which are out of style?
In: Light-weight reversible jackets. Out: Bulky heavy long coats.
Any old fur trends you wish would come back?
A lot of vintage styles are hot: Lots of 40’s swing coats and Eisenhower jackets.
What do you say to animal rights activists who are opposed to fur?
In America, we believe in the right to choose.
Do you take any special security precautions to protect your customers?
It’s not necessary.
Predict the next big fur trend:
Fur-trimmed, man-made materials.
After four generations, what has your family learned about customer service?
It takes 100 years to grow a tree and only one day to cut it down.
Ladies Who Luxe
By Janelle Erlichman Diamond. Photography by David Colwell
Luxury is back—big time: Furs, gold accessorized with
more gold, strong shoulders, and lavish fabrics. Women are
oozing a timeless chicness that draws from the past (think
The Great Gatsby) and meshes with the future (think Lady
Gaga with just a touch of True Blood). The luxe lady is
unapologetically bold and dresses her husband the same
way—dapper but daring. It all makes for one very
well-dressed power couple.
Whiskey mink jacket ($4,995) at Mano Swartz. Miz Mooz
Gayle red boots ($259.99) at Ma Petite Shoe.
Best of Baltimore 2008
Our annual guide to the best Charm City has to offer.
Edited By Max Weiss. Additional writing and
editing by Jane Marion, Suzanne Loudermilk, Ken Iglehart,
John Lewis, Janelle Erlichman Diamond, Jess Blumberg, Mike
Unger, and Mike Anft with Bianca Sienra, Jessica Leshnoff,
Kit Pollard, Jess Hofmann, Christina Brooks, Carolyn
Vidmar, Jamie Buonato, and Hayley Peterson.
Place To Buy A Fur Coat While fur might fly at the
suggestion, there's nothing that spells luxury like a mink
coat (just ask Mayor Dixon). At Mano Swartz, 10801 Falls
Road, 410-825-9000, you'll find classic full-length minks
and foxes, hip Persian lamb jackets and sable stoles,
fur-trimmed gloves and cashmere wraps, and even a selection
of fur coats for men. Have a puffy-sleeved, full-length fox
from your Dynasty days? Swartz can reshape it into a
trendy, swing car coat and make a matching pocket book,
pillow, or even a teddy bear with the scraps.
The Baltimore Business Journal
All in the family: Baltimore's family-owned businesses look to succession plans for survival.
by Rachel Bernstein, Staff
Andrew Buerger was in Vancouver training to eventually
lead his family business, Alter Communications, when his
father died in heart surgery.
The younger Buerger was only 31, and years away from being groomed for CEO.
But without his father making plans for his son to take
the top job, the Baltimore media company that owns the
Baltimore Jewish Times and Chesapeake Life would have
failed to continue in the family.
“It was a little rough because I was really young,” said
Buerger, now 45. “I would have been really lost if there
was no plan.”
For businesses muddling through changing generations,
companies like Alter Communications may provide a
blueprint. More than half of the companies on the Baltimore
Business Journal’s List of oldest family-owned businesses
have lived through multiple generations with a solid
strategy of succession planning and even calling on
outsiders to help ease the process.
“You have to have a good early plan for passing a
business along generations,” said Tony Tochterman,
president of Tochterman’s Fishing & Tackle, who has no
children to succeed him. “When you give up control, you
have to spell it out so there isn’t fighting as time goes
on.”
While 90 percent of businesses in the U.S. are
family-owned, only about 30 percent of family businesses
survive the transition from first generation to second, and
about 15 percent make it to the third generation, according
to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
But more than 50 family businesses in Baltimore have
survived the passing between first and second generations,
and some have already lasted through the third generation.
Mano Swartz, a fur dealer in Lutherville, opened in 1889
and has endured four generations already. Richard Swartz,
50, president of the company, will be passing the business
to his son David, a sophomore majoring in communications
and American studies at the University of Maryland, College
Park. He also runs the company’s fur-conditioning plant in
the summer. But David Swartz is also already working for
other local businesses to gain experience, a move that
other business owners and consultants say is wise to keep
the family business running.
“There’s truth in that it’s best they have their
mistakes on somebody else’s payroll,” said Don Schwerzler,
a family-owned-business consultant in Lawrenceville, Ga. He
recommends that most up-and-coming presidents and CEOs get
three to five years of experience with a different company
after finishing college or military service.
National Lumber Co.’s next co-owners, Kevin and Neal
Fruman, ages 35 and 32, respectively, also worked for
different companies after college before coming back to
their father’s appliance and lumber business.
“That’s how they realized the family business was
important to them,” said CEO Arnold Fruman, 63. The Frumans
worked with their accountant to piece together a succession
plan. While the plan is still in the works, Fruman said the
ownership will not necessarily be split evenly.
Arnold Fruman’s father worked for the 91-year-old
business until he was 88, and he expects to do the same, as
long as his health allows. Current owners should set an
example for work ethic and help out in any capacity, even
after they pass on ownership, Fruman said. But Fruman said
he recognizes that future generations, including his three
grandsons, may have other life plans.
“I knew since I could remember this is what I wanted to
do,” he said. “But if you have a child, you want them to be
happy about what they’re doing.”
But for some business owners, not having children or an
interested family member could mean selling to an outsider
or liquidating the business entirely.
Tochterman of Tochterman’s Fishing & Tackle, lacking
children, may fold his business when it reaches 100 years
old in 2016. “We have three dogs, and they don’t want it,”
said the 60-year-old Tochterman.
But if Tochterman doesn’t find a good match to keep the
business running strong as a family enterprise, he would
rather sell it, he said.
“It’s sad to a point and you’re disappointed, but it’s a
real thing,” Tochterman said. “Instead, you look at what a
good legacy it was.”
Alter’s next CEO also is yet to be picked. Buerger, who
has no children yet, has a total of 14 nieces and nephews
with the oldest being age 14. Buerger said the key is to
wait until the children get older, and see if any of them
are interested in the business. Forcing children to work
for the company and not get outside experience isn’t
beneficial, he said.
Schwerzler said that having a non-family member take
control for a brief transition period has also been a
useful technique for children who may be too young to take
over the company yet. In that case, an outsider runs the
business for five years or however long it takes, in case
the original owner becomes incapacitated, he said.
