Greenbaum Interiors Celebrates 65 Years

Over six decades ago in 1952, two brothers, Alvin and Jimmy Greenbaum, opened the doors of their furniture store, Greenbaum Brothers Furniture Co., for the first time on Washington Street in Paterson. 65 years later, the furniture factory still remains, and the Greenbaum legacy continues on with the addition of two New Jersey showrooms in Morristown and Ridgewood, owned and operated by Jimmy, his wife Ellen and daughter Susan.

The Greenbaum’s late grandfather, Benjamin, was the first of their family to break into the furniture selling business, roughly 50 years prior to Alvin and Jimmy’s start, and made a name for the family throughout the Paterson area. When it came time for “the boys” to take over, they brought with them not only quality and service, but thoughtful design. While Jimmy came from a business background in both manufacturing and retail, Alvin was an interior designer and together, the boys ventured off to Europe and Asia in search of one-of-a-kind merchandise that would turn their early American furniture store into an artisanal establishment.

As time went on and the store expanded, the boys reached out to more and more designers and turned their shop into a factory that would create custom furniture pieces that met their quality and design standards, a tradition that has carried on to the Greenbaum business today. At any of their furniture showrooms you can find art, rugs, accessories, interior design services and of course, fully customizable furniture options.

“There was always a design element which is what separates us from just your average furniture store,” explained Susan Greenbaum, president of Greenbaum Interiors. “We’re really about designing the whole room. We don’t think in terms of just a sofa or just a chair, it’s about the entire space.” Susan joined her father’s company close to 30 years ago after in a way, being born into it. “It’s hard to escape the pull. You’ll find that most people in the furniture industry have family that’s been in the business. It’s very unusual to hear about someone selling furniture having never been involved with it.”

In celebration of their 65th anniversary, Greenbaum Interiors announced that they will opening a pop-up outlet in Paramus. Different from their traditional stores which require mostly special orders, Susan explained that this pop-up shop will have a “see it, like it, buy it” mentality. Furniture and decorative accents will be pulled from their Paterson factory and local suppliers will be contributing to the sale as well. More details on the outlet opening to come or visit their Facebook page for updates.